Claiming for an adult dependant

Introduction

If you qualify for a social welfare payment you get an amount for yourself, which is called the 'personal rate of payment'.  You may also get an extra amount for your adult dependant (this is usually your spouse or partner). This is paid as an increase to your personal payment.  

To get an Increase for a Qualified Adult (IQA) your husband, wife or partner must meet the conditions set by the Department of Social and Family Affairs - see 'Rules' below.  If you have dependant children you may get an Increase for a Qualified Child (IQC).

 

Rules

To claim an Increase for a Qualified Adult you must be getting a social welfare personal payment and in the case of all social welfare payment your adult dependant must: 

• Not have a social welfare payment in his/her own right except for Disablement Benefit, Occupational Injuries Death Benefit in respect of an orphan, Child Benefit, Guardian's Payment (Contributory), Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory) Domiciliary Care Allowance, Supplementary Welfare Allowance, Foster Care Allowance or Half-rate Carer's Allowance.

And 

• With the exception of Jobseeker's Allowance (JA), Pre-Retirement Allowance (PRETA), Disability Allowance (DA), or Farm Assist (FA)  have gross earnings or income (before tax and PRSI deductions) of less than €310. If your adult dependant is earning less than €100 you will get a full Increase for a Qualified Adult . If your adult dependant is earning between €100 and €310 you will get a reduced-rate of IQA.  If your adult dependant is earning more than €310 you will not get an Increase for a Qualified Adult. See below, for more information about the assessment of a qualified adult's income.

September 2007, reduced rates of increase for qualified adults were abolished for JA, PRETA, DA and FA.

In the case of Jobseeker's Allowance, PRETA, Disability Allowance and Farm Assist your household income is assessed in a means test.  Your total household means is then deducted from the maximum payment (this is the personal rate including any increases for adult and child dependants) to find the actual amount of JA, PRETA, DA or FA you are entitled to.

Separated and divorced people

If you are separated from your husband or wife but giving your spouse a weekly maintenance payment which is at least €130.10 per week (the same as the current rate of IQA for Jobseeker's Allowance) you can get an IQA with your personal social welfare payment. Your spouse must not be living with someone else as husband or wife. To get the full-rate of IQA your spouse must not have weekly income above €100 excluding maintenance. If your spouse has income between €100 and €310 you may get a reduced-rate of IQA.  There are no reduced rates of IQA for JA, PRETA, DA and FA (see above). 

Adult dependants who are not your spouse or partner

If you are unmarried, widowed or separated and living with a person aged 16 or over who does not have weekly income in above €100 you can claim a IQA for them but only if he/she is caring for a child dependant of yours. If he/she has income between €100 and €310 you may get a reduced-rate of IQA. If you are a separated person you must not be living with or be wholly maintained by your spouse. There are no reduced rates of IQA for JA, PRETA, DA and FA - see above.

Assessment of a qualified adult's income

If you are getting a social assistance payment, your adult dependant's income is assessed in the means test for your payment.

An adult dependant's income is assessed for social insurance payments as follows:

Employment and self-employment

Your spouse or partner's average weekly income from employment or self employment is assessed (the gross weekly income is assessed, no deductions are allowed for tax, PRSI contributions or personal expenses). If your spouse or partner is paid on a monthly basis, the weekly average over the previous two months is calculated.  If he or she is paid weekly or fortnightly, the weekly average over the previous six weeks is used. 

To calculate income from self-employment the income received in the last completed tax year is divided by 52 to get the average weekly income.

Capital

Income from capital, for example, property, savings and investments, is included in the mean test. 

Where capital is held jointly by you and your spouse or partner, half of the value is assessed as belonging to your spouse or partner.  

More information about how capital is valued is available in our document Capital and social welfare payments. 

Income from other sources

Income from other sources includes rental income from the letting of property, income from an occupational pension, foreign social welfare payments, income from a trust fund, income under a deed of covenant, other cash income, etc.

It is calculated on a weekly basis.

The following social welfare payments are not taken into account as income:

• Disablement Benefit
• Occupational Injuries Death Benefit in respect of an Orphan
• Guardian's Payment (Contributory)
• Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory)
• Child Benefit
• Domiciliary Care Allowance
• Supplementary Welfare Allowance

Rates

How your Increase for a Qualified Adult is paid

If you qualify for an increase in your social welfare payment for an adult dependant it will be paid directly to you as part of your main payment. However, if you both consent you can have the Increase for a Qualified Adult paid directly to your adult dependant.

In some cases, if there are difficulties in the home, (for example, abuse, gambling, alcohol) an adult dependant can have more than just the Increase for a Qualified Adult paid to directly to him/her without your consent and as a result of an investigation by a Social Welfare Inspector.

If you apply for the State Pension (Transition), State Pension (Contributory) or State Pension (Non-Contributory) after 24 September 2007, the Increase for a Qualified Adult will automatically be paid directly to your adult dependant. However, your adult dependant may choose to have it paid with your payment instead.

Increase for a Qualified Adult rate (2010): 

Social Welfare Payment	Increase for Qualified Adult  Aged under 66 (maximum rate 2010)	Increase for Qualified Adult Aged 66 and over (maximum rate 2010)
State Pension (Transition) and State Pension(Contributory)	€153.50	€206.30
Invalidity Pension	€143.80	€206.30
State (Non-Contributory) Pension	€144.70	€144.70
Illness Benefit, Jobseeker's  Benefit, Incapacity Supplement, Injury Benefit, Health & Safety Benefit, Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Jobseeker's Allowance, Farm Assist, Pre-Retirement Allowance and Supplementary Welfare Allowance	€130.10	€130.10

 

How to apply

To get an Increase for a Qualified Adult you must give details about your adult dependant on your claim form when you are making your claim for a social welfare payment. 

If you did not claim for your adult dependant at the time you were making your claim, contact the section in the Department of Social and Family Affairs which pays your social welfare payment.

 

Where to apply

The Department of Social and Family Affairs provides a Lo-call telephone number, your telephone call will be charged at the price of a local call.

Lo-Call: 1890 500 000