Payments to families and children

Information

The Department of Social Protection provides social welfare payments to support families and specifically children. There are many different types of families and social welfare payments are designed to support those most in need of financial assistance. Find out more about the broad range of rights and entitlements for families.

Child Benefit is the most common payment to families with children. You are entitled to it because you satisfy a habitual residency test and have dependent children that meet the criteria.

Other payments depend on your family circumstances and other factors, such as whether you have enough PRSI contributions or you are on a low income.

Maternity Benefit is paid for 26 weeks to women on maternity leave from work and who have paid a certain amount of PRSI (Pay Related Social Insurance). The amount of money paid to you each week depends on your earnings.

Health and Safety Benefit is paid to a woman who has sufficient PRSI contributions and is granted Health and Safety Leave from employment. You may be granted leave if your employer cannot remove a risk to your health while you are pregnant, breastfeeding or involved in night-work, or assign you alternative "risk-free" duties.

Adoptive Benefit is paid for 24 weeks to an adopting mother or a sole male that adopts a child. You must satisfy certain social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions on your own insurance record.

One-Parent Family Payment (OPF) is paid to men and women who are bringing children up without the support of a partner. You must satisfy a means-test and a habitual residence test. If you are working you can also get a One Parent Family Tax Credit. You do not have to get OPF to claim this tax credit.

A Guardian's payment is paid to the guardians of orphaned children up to 18 years of age or up to 22 if he or she is in full-time education. There are three different orphan's payments and a child or their guardian may qualify for one of these payments if both parents are dead, or one parent is dead or failed to provide for the child and the other parent is unknown, or has abandoned or failed to provide for the child.

Family Income Supplement (FIS) is a weekly tax-free payment available to employees with children. To qualify you must have at least one child who normally lives with you or is financially supported by you and your net average weekly family income must be below a certain amount for your family size.

Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is designed to help meet the cost of uniforms and footwear for students attending school. The scheme operates from June to September each year. To qualify, your total household income must be below a certain amount or you must be getting certain social welfare payments.

Deserted wife's payment is paid to women who were deserted by their husband and have no dependent children. This scheme was closed to new applications in January 1997.