Widow's/Widower's (Non-Contributory) Pension

Information

A Widow's or Widower's (Non-Contributory) Pension is a means-tested payment payable to a widow or widower who does not qualify for a contributory widow's/widower's payment. Widow's/Widower's (Non-Contributory) Pension is a payment for widows/widowers who do not have dependent children. People with dependent children should apply for the One-Parent Family Payment.

You will transfer to State Pension (Non-Contributory) when you reach 66 years of age.

Rules

In order to qualify you must, of course, be a widow or widower and you must not be living with another person as man and wife. You retain your entitlement to this pension if you are divorced and you would have been entitled to this pension had you remained married.

You must also:

• Pass a means test 
• Be habitually resident in the State.

The means test

Your means are any income you have or property (except your own home) or an asset that could bring in money or provide you with an income.

Your means are assessed using specific rules under the following headings:

• Cash income (including, income from work) 
• Value of capital (for example, savings, investments, cash on hand and property but not your own home)  
• Income from property personally used

Cash income and income from work

Any cash income you have is assessed in the means test. This includes income from a social security pension from another country. However, certain items of cash income are not taken into account in the means test.  For example, earnings of up to €100 per week from employment (but not self-employment) are not taken into account. Any income from work above €100 is assessed as means.

Home help income: If you work less than 30 hours per week as a home help, it is not taken into account. However, all your income from working as a home help is assessed, if you work 30 hours or more per week as a home help .

More information is available in our document about cash income not taken into account in the means test.

Capital and property not personally used

Savings, investments, cash on hand and any property you own (but not your own home) is assessed as capital. All your capital from different sources is added together and a special formula is then used to find your weekly means from capital. 

The property and investments that may be assessed under this heading include savings in a bank account (or anywhere else), a house that you have let and stocks and shares. You may or may not be getting an income from the property or investment. Income from property already assessed on its capital value is not assessed in the means test - see cash income above.

More information is available in our document on how capital and property is assessed as means.

Income from property personally used (your home)

The value of the house you live in is not taken into account in the means test. However, any income you are getting from it is taken into account. For example, if you rented a room in your house, that income is assessed. There is an exception to this, if not renting the room means that you would be living alone then your income from rent is not taken into account.

Total means

Your means under the various headings are added together to see what level of pension, if any, you can get.

The first €30 per week of means as assessed by the Department of Social Protection does not affect the rate of pension. After that, the pension is reduced by €2.50 each week for every €2.50 of means.

Rates

Rate of payment from January 2010: 

Widow's/Widower's (Non-Contributory) Pension	Weekly rate (max)
Widow/widower (under 66)	€196

 

How to apply

Download and complete Form WP1 here (pdf). You can also get application forms from post offices.

Where to apply

You can email the Widow's/Widower's (Non-Contributory) Pension section using the secure Widow's/Widower's (Non-Contributory) Pension enquiry form.