Social Welfare Payment Changes – November 2022
October 7, 2022
- All weekly social welfare payments will increase by €12 with effect from January 2023 with a proportionate increase for qualified adult dependents (i.e. State Pension will increase from €253.30 to €265.30; Maternity Benefit, Parent’s Benefit and Paternity Benefit will increase from €250 to €262; while Illness Benefit and Jobseeker’s Benefit will increase from €208 to €220 per week).
- The Domiciliary Care Allowance will be increased by €20.50 to €330 from January 2023. It will also be made available to parents of children with severe illness or disability who have to remain in hospital for 6 months after birth.
- The Working Family Payment income threshold will increase by €40 from January 2023, regardless of family size.
- The rate payable for a qualified child will be increased from €40 to €42 per week for children under 12, and from €48 to €50 per week for children aged 12 and over, from January 2023.
- From January 2023, the means assessment for the Fuel Allowance will increase from €120 to €200 above the relevant rate of the State Pension Contributory, and a new means disregard for people aged 70 and over of €500 for single people and €1,000 for couples will be introduced.
- The earnings disregard for disability allowance and blind pension will be increased from €140 to €165 with effect from January 2023.
- A once-off double week “Cost of Living Support” payment will be made in October 2022 to all qualifying social welfare recipients to include pensioners, carers, people on disability payments and jobseekers.
- A Christmas bonus of 100% of an individual’s weekly payment will be paid in December to recipients of long-term social welfare payments.
Social Welfare Payment changes from November 2022:
- Parents in receipt of Child Benefit will receive a double payment (i.e. an additional €140 per child).
- A once-off €500 payment will be paid to those in receipt of the Corer’s Support Grant.
- A once-off €500 payment will be paid to those in receipt of Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, and the Blind Pension.
- A once-off €500 payment will be paid to those in receipt of Working Family Payment.
- A once-off €400 payment will be paid to those in receipt of Fuel Allowance
- A once-off €200 payment will be paid to those in receipt of the Living Alone Allowance (i.e. pensioners and people with a disability getting the Living Alone Increase).
PRSI:
While not specifically announced in Budget 2023, we envisage that the weekly threshold for the higher rate of employer PRSI will be increased in 2023 to ensure that an employer will pay the reduced rate of employer PRSI of 8.8% in respect of an employee working a 39 hour week who is paid the national minimum wage.
