Household Benefits Package

The Household Benefits Package helps towards the costs of your electricity or gas bills. It also includes your television licence.

Only one Household Benefits Package is payable per household and you must reside full time in Ireland.

For those aged 70 or over, it is not means tested and you do not need to be getting a qualifying payment.

If you are between 66 and 70 you may still get the package, if you meet the necessary conditions.

You may also get the package if you are under 66 and get Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Blind Pension or Carer's Allowance (if you are living with the person you are caring for).

To qualify for the Household Benefits Package, you must:

• live in Ireland (full-time, all year round)
• be the only person in the house getting the Household Benefits Package

AND

• be 70 or older

OR

• be between age 66 and 70 and meet the qualifying conditions below

OR

• be under 66 and meet the qualifying conditions below

Qualifying conditions for under 70s

If you are under 70, you can qualify for the Household Benefits Package. You must be getting a qualifying social welfare payment (see below) and if applicable:

• your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant must be a getting an Increase for a Qualified Adult on your qualifying payment

OR

• your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant gets a qualifying payment of their own

OR

• if your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant gets a social welfare benefit payment, they must satisfy a means test
• if your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is over 66 they must also satisfy a means test if they do not have a qualifying payment of their own

Qualifying payments between age 66 and 70

• State Pension (Contributory)
• State Pension (Non-contributory)
• Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension
• Deserted Wife's Benefit
• Carer's Allowance
• A Garda Widow's Ordinary Pension from the Department of Justice
• A Social Security Pension/Benefit covered by EU laws or from a country Ireland has a Social Security Agreement with
• Incapacity Supplement (for at least 12 months) with Disablement Benefit

If you are aged between 66 and 70 and you are not getting a qualifying payment, then you must satisfy a means test.

A Widow/Widower/Surviving Civil Partner getting a Widow’s/Widower’s Contributory/Non Contributory Pension or a Garda Widow's Ordinary Pension and aged between 60 and 65 years may also qualify for the Household Benefits Package.

You can qualify for the Household Benefits Package if you meet one of these conditions:

• you are getting Carer's Allowance and living with the person you are caring for
• you are caring for a person you are living with who is getting Constant Attendance Allowance

Qualifying payments under age 66

• Disability Allowance
• Invalidity Pension
• Blind Pension
• Carer's Allowance (if you are living with the person you are caring for)
• Incapacity Supplementwith Disablement Pension for at least 12 months
• Equivalent Foreign Social Security Payment

Tenant in a rented property

If you are a tenant in a rented property, your landlord must provide:

• written confirmation that you are a tenant
• the MPRN (Meter point reference number) of your address

or

• GPRN (Gas point reference number) of your address

Your landlord must also confirm that you are paying your own energy bills.

The rate of payment for your electricity or gas bill is €1.15 per day. Payment is either paid to the service supplier and deducted from your bill or paid into your bank account or post office. Cash payment is paid monthly, on the first Tuesday of each month.

When you qualify for the Household Benefits Package you qualify for a free Television Licence from its next renewal date. You apply for this as part of your Household Benefits Package application.

To get your Household Benefit Package payment as a credit applied to your electricity or gas bill, you must provide a bill showing that you are the registered bill payer for the address you are applying for.

You can now apply on www.MyWelfare.ie for the Household Benefits Package. Apply using the link below:

You can also apply for Household Benefits Package by downloading the application form below and sending it, together with any supporting documents to:

Operational guidelines describe the processes and procedures that staff in the Department follow when carrying out their work.

• Operational Guidelines: Household Benefits Package
• Operational Guidelines: Payment-related issues