Information

The social welfare system in Ireland is divided into three main types of payments. These are:

• Social insurance payments
• Means-tested payments
• Universal payments

With all social welfare payments, you must satisfy specific personal circumstances that are set out in the rules for each scheme. For example, to claim the One-Parent Family Payment, you must be parenting alone and therefore not cohabiting. As well as satisfying the necessary circumstantial criteria, other rules also apply. We briefly explain these under the headings for the different types of payments.

There is also a range of employment schemes and other supports which encourage long-term unemployed people to return to work.

You must be habitually resident to qualify for social assistance payments in Ireland. Find out more about the residency requirements for social assistance payments in Ireland.

Social insurance payments

Social insurance payments are given to people who satisfy specific social insurance contribution conditions (PRSI conditions), in addition to the necessary circumstantial conditions. These conditions vary, depending on the payment you apply for. A summary of the PRSI contribution conditions for each payment is available on the Department of Social Protection's website. Payments based on your social insurance contributions include Jobseeker's Benefit, Illness Benefit, Maternity Benefit, Invalidity Pension, Carer's Benefit and State Pension (Contributory).

Means-tested payments

Means-tested payments are designed for people who do not have enough PRSI contributions to qualify for the equivalent social insurance-based payments. An example would be a person who becomes unemployed, applies for Jobseeker's Benefit but fails to qualify because he or she does not have enough social insurance contributions. He or she can apply for Jobseeker's Allowance instead, which is the means-tested equivalent payment.

A means test is where the Department of Social Protection examines all your sources of income to see whether they fall below a certain level. How your means are tested varies from payment to payment. In some instances, you are allowed a certain amount of income or savings before your entitlement to a payment is affected. The rules that determine how much you can or cannot have depend on the payment you apply for and are often referred to as income disregards.

Universal payments

Universal payments are paid regardless of a person's income or social insurance record. They are dependent on the claimant satisfying specific personal circumstances. An example is Child Benefit. A person must simply have a child dependant living with them as defined in the social welfare legislation. (Migrant workers from EEA Member States may get Child Benefit if their dependent child is resident in another EEA Member State.)