Calculating Rent Supplement

Introduction

Before you start to calculate your Rent Supplement you must check whether you qualify.  More information on the qualifying criteria is available in our document on Rent Supplement.

Calculating Rent Supplement is very complex. Your Community Welfare Officer will calculate your entitlement to Rent Supplement. If you have any questions about your entitlement to Rent Supplement you should contact your Community Welfare Officer.

This document shows you the steps involved in calculating Rent Supplement. There are 5 steps:

• Step 1 is to find your weekly household income.
• Steps 2 and 3 are to find out your weekly assessable income. Only a certain amount of your total weekly household income is taken into account. Your assessable income is the amount of household income which is taken into account by the Community Welfare Officer when calculating your Rent Supplement.
• Step 4 is to find your total weekly contribution to rent by adding your assessable income and the minimum Household Contribution.
• Step 5 is to find your Rent Supplement by subtracting your total weekly contribution towards your rent from your weekly rent.

Step 1: Find weekly household income

Find your weekly household income.

Go to Further information for Step 1 to help you calculate your weekly household income.

Step 2: Subtract income disregards

Subtract any income not taken into account in the assessment for Rent Supplement. Income not taken into account is also known as an income disregard.

Go to Further information for Step 2 to find a list of income that is disregarded or not taken into account for Rent Supplement.

If you are working or getting maintenance or have additional income above the basic SWA rate for your household you should apply the Additional Household Income Disregard.

Go to Further information for Additional Household Income Disregard to help you calculate your Additional Household Income Disregard.

Note: Exceptions

If you are working and getting Disability Allowance or Blind Pension you can either use the Rehabilitative Earnings Disregard or the Household Income Disregard (but not both). Use whichever is in your interest.

Rehabilitative Earnings Disregard is a certain amount of your income from rehabilitative work which is not taken into account. €120 from rehabilitative training or employment is not taken into account in the assessment for Rent Supplement. All earnings over €120 from rehabilitative training or employment are taken into account and will affect your Rent Supplement.

Step 3: Deduct Supplementary Welfare Allowance rate

Subtract the basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) weekly rate for your household from the weekly household income you calculated in Step 2 unless, you have applied the Additional Household Income Disregard. If you applied the Additional Household Income Disregard in Step 2, you will have already deducted the appropriate SWA rate for your household.  

Go to Further information for Step 3 to help you calculate the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) weekly rate for your household.

You should now have calculated your weekly assessable income.

Step 4: Find your contribution to your rent

Find the total amount you must pay towards your rent. To do this, add your weekly assessable income (this is the total figure after Step 3) and your minimum Household Contribution. You will always pay at least €24 towards your rent.

Go to Further information for Step 4 to get help calculating your Household Contribution.

Weekly assessable income                €
Add Household Contribution               €____      
Total contribution to rent              €

Step 5: Find your Rent Supplement payment

To calculate your Rent Supplement you subtract your total contribution from your rent.

In Step 4, you found your total contribution towards your rent. Now you need to find out how much your weekly rent is. You may already know how much your weekly rent is. If you pay your rent by month, you must multiply your monthly rent figure by 12 and divide it by 52 to get your weekly rent figure. You rent must not be above the maximum limit set for your area by the Health Service Executive.

Go to Further information for Step 5 to find out how to calculate your weekly rent. 

Weekly rent                           €
Less your contribution           - €_____
Total Rent Supplement        €

Where to apply

Contact the Community Welfare Officer at your local health office.