Service
Appoint someone to act on your behalf
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
If you are unable to collect a payment or manage your financial affairs you can ask that another person (known as an agent) acts on your behalf. They can collect payments on a temporary or long-term basis.
You can only nominate a temporary agent if you are unable to collect your payment at a post office.
The following schemes are eligible for the appointment of an agent:
- Blind Pension
- Carer's Allowance
- Death Benefit Scheme (under the Occupational Injuries Scheme)
- Deserted Wife's Allowance
- Deserted Wife's Benefit
- Disability Allowance
- Invalidity Pension
- State Pension (Contributory)
- State Pension (Non-contributory)
- Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension
- Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Non-contributory) Pension
You must fill out a form to nominate an agent.
The form (TA1 ) is only available at the post office.
The person you nominate to pick up your payment should bring the form as well as your social services card to the post office.
If any difficulties arise you or your agent should contact your local post office or the relevant section of the department.
If you are unable to collect your payment at the post office due to an illness or loss of mobility, you can nominate a person to collect your payment on a long-term basis.
To do this, you have to fill out the form at the bottom of this page and send it to the address of the benefit you are claiming.
Once we receive this form, we will send you a notification and make arrangements with the post office. The post office will then allow your agent to pick up your payment.
If the customer is resident in a nursing home they may nominate the person in charge of the nursing home to collect the payment on their behalf.
The customer may cancel or revoke an agent arrangement at any time and appoint another agent by completing the form at the bottom of this page.
Where a customer is unable to manage their own financial affairs an agent may be appointed to act on their behalf.
The application form at the bottom of this page must be completed and sent to the relevant section of the department. The payment will be made to a nominated bank account. It is recommended that a separate account be set up for this purpose.
In all cases a doctor must certify that the customer is unable for the time being to manage their own financial affairs.
- Ward of Court or Power of Attorney
In the case of a ward of court or a person appointed under an enduring power of attorney, the department will make payments directly to the Committee of the Ward or to the Attorney. These payments will be made to a nominated bank account.
- Health Service Executive
Where the customer is resident in a care centre under the management of the HSE for a continuous period of 4 weeks or more and wishes to have a representative of the care centre appointed to act as their agent, the customer or their representative should contact the manager of the care centre to put the arrangement in place.
