One-Parent Family Payment, explained

The One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) is a weekly payment for parents who are bringing up a child without a partner. It’s means-tested, you can do some work and keep part of it, and it comes with an increase for each child. Here’s who qualifies and what to expect.

Who qualifies for the One-Parent Family Payment?

You may be able to claim if you are a parent, step-parent or guardian bringing up a qualifying child alone, your youngest child is under 7, you are not cohabiting with a partner, and you pass the means test. An income disregard means some part-time earnings are allowed without reducing your payment.

• You’re the parent, step-parent, adoptive parent or legal guardian of a child under 7 and the main carer.
• You’re not cohabiting (not living with a spouse or partner).
• You pass the means test, and you’ve made efforts to seek maintenance from the other parent where relevant.
• You satisfy the habitual residence condition.

How much is the One-Parent Family Payment in 2026?

The maximum personal weekly rate is €254, plus a Child Support Payment of €58 (€64 from January 2027) a week for a child under 12 (€78 (€84 from January 2027) for a child aged 12 or over). The amount can be reduced if your income is above the means test disregard.

There’s a maximum personal weekly rate of €254 a week, plus a Child Support Payment of €58 (€64 from January 2027) a week for a child under 12 (€78 (€84 from January 2027) for a child aged 12 or over). The exact amounts are set each year — confirm the current rates on gov.ie. Your payment may be reduced if you have means above the disregard.

Can I work and still get the One-Parent Family Payment?

Yes. There is an income disregard, so you can earn up to a certain threshold before your payment is affected — and earnings above that are only partly assessed. Many lone parents combine part-time work with OFP and are financially better off as a result.

What happens to One-Parent Family Payment when my youngest child turns 7?

One-Parent Family Payment generally ends when your youngest child turns 7. You may then move to the Jobseeker's Transitional Payment (for lone parents of children aged 7–13) or to Working Family Payment if you are working enough hours.

OFP usually stops when your youngest child reaches 7. Many parents then move to the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST), which has rules designed around being a lone parent of a school-age child, or to Working Family Payment if they’re working enough hours.

Four exceptions, and they are the ones people miss

The age limit is not absolute. Citizens Information lists cases where OFP continues for a child aged 7 or over:

• You are getting Domiciliary Care Allowance for a child — OFP runs until that child is 16, or until DCA stops.
• You are getting half-rate Carer’s Allowance — you can hold both, until your youngest turns 16.
• You are getting Blind Pension.
• After the death of a spouse, civil partner or partner.

The last one matters most and is the least known. A newly bereaved parent whose child is already over 7 can read the headline rule, conclude the payment is not for them, and never apply. It is.

One more condition on the way in: if you are separated or divorced, or your civil partnership is dissolved, you must have been living apart for at least 3 months before you can claim. That does not apply to cohabitants.

Common questions

This guide is general information, not financial advice. Rules, rates and eligibility change and differ by country — always confirm the current details with the relevant official body before you act.

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