Every guide, in plain English
Grants, payments, tax credits and your rights, explained step by step. Every figure is checked against the official source it came from.
By situation: CarersDisabilityPensionersFamiliesSingle parentsOut of workRenting
Rent Tax Credit €1,000 (€1,150 from January 2027)/person · 10 minutes
Most renters have never claimed it. Here's the full walkthrough.
If you pay private rent in Ireland, Revenue owes you up to €1,000 a year — and you can backdate it four years. We show you every click.
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Payment Date Checker
When will you actually be paid? Pick your payment and see the exact next date — plus every bank holiday that moves it in 2026 and 2027.
Fair Deal Scheme
What a nursing home actually costs you: 80% of income, 7.5% of assets, and the three-year cap that means nobody has to sell the house.
Access to Work
Equipment, a support worker, taxis to work. It does not affect any benefit, you never repay it, and you do not need a diagnosis.
Carer's Credit
Caring 20 hours a week? This fills the gaps in your National Insurance record. Income and savings are ignored, and it exists for carers refused Carer's Allowance.
Health and Safety Benefit
Pregnant or breastfeeding and your job cannot be made safe? Your employer pays three weeks at full wage, then up to €254 (€264 from January 2027) a week from the Department.
Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed)
Up to €254 (€264 from January 2027) a week for up to nine months if your self-employment ends. You can still work as an employee three days a week.
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
Up to £233.90 a week for what the job did to you. Not means tested, you can be working, and it covers over 70 diseases including deafness and COPD.
Funeral Expenses Payment
Burial or cremation fees covered, plus up to £1,000 for everything else. And the close-relative rule that catches families out.
Statutory Redundancy
Two weeks' pay a year plus one, capped at €600 a week, completely tax-free. What counts as pay, and when you can insist on a top-up.
Affordable Warmth Scheme
Up to £7,500 for insulation and heating if your household income is under £23,000. And the one mistake that voids the whole grant.
Housing Executive Grants
All five NIHE grants, how the Test of Resources really works, and why you cannot apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant yourself.
Budget 2027 Calculator
Budget 2027 lands 6 October. See what it could be worth to you — tax, pension, welfare, childcare — with every measure marked confirmed, expected or ruled out.
The Unclaimed Money Report 2026
£24.1bn unclaimed in Britain, plus our exclusive FOI on 116,000 Irish households — fully sourced.
Free Benefit Calculators & Checkers
All our free calculators in one place — Pension Credit, Attendance Allowance, Child Benefit, Rent Tax Credit, Fuel Allowance and more.
The Community Price Map
Real prices shared by real shoppers — the only place to see Aldi & Lidl next to Tesco, SuperValu and Dunnes. Built by you.
Snap Your Shop: Did You Overpay?
Photograph your supermarket receipt and see — honestly — where the same items were cheaper, and what it costs you a year.
The Real Basket: Who's Actually Cheapest?
We priced the same basket at Tesco, SuperValu & Dunnes on the same day. Real prices, no supermarket money — see who won.
What Should Your Weekly Shop Cost?
Answer 3 quick questions and see a typical weekly grocery spend for your household — plus tailored ways to bring it down.
The Cheapest Supermarket in Ireland
The honest answer — from a site that takes no supermarket money — plus how to find the cheapest shop for your own trolley.
Own-Brand vs Branded: The Swaps That Save
Own-brand is often 30–50% cheaper for the same product. The easy wins, the few worth keeping branded, and how to test it.
When Do Supermarkets Reduce Food?
How yellow-sticker markdowns work, roughly when to look at each chain, and how to fill your freezer for a fraction of the price.
Are Loyalty Cards Actually Worth It?
Tesco Clubcard, SuperValu Real Rewards, Dunnes and Lidl Plus — the honest verdict on whether they save you money or just keep you shopping.
Shrinkflation: Spot It and Beat It
Products get smaller while the price stays the same. The one number on the shelf that reveals the real price every time.
The Money MOT — what are you leaving on the table?
A 2-minute money health check. Get your score, see how much you could be better off a year, and a personalised plan to claim and save it.
Money news that affects your pocket
New grants, rate rises, Budget changes and deadlines across Ireland and the UK — in plain English, with what each one means for you.
Social tariffs: half-price broadband & mobile
If you're on benefits you could pay half for broadband and mobile — yet 97% of eligible homes miss these 'social tariffs'.
Disability Allowance, explained
A weekly means-tested payment for people 16–66 with a long-term disability — and you can do some work and keep part of it.
Cut the cost of childcare
The National Childcare Scheme, Tax-Free Childcare and free hours — the help most parents never max out.
Free Travel & Household Benefits
Free public transport, an energy allowance and a free TV licence — two of the most valuable older-person supports.
The State Pension, explained
When you can get it, how much it pays, and how to check and boost your record before you retire.
Tenant rights you should know
Deposits, notice, rent increases, repairs and protection from illegal eviction — the rights landlords hope you don't know.
Cashback: free money on everyday spending
Cashback sites, bank switch bonuses and 'stacking' — get paid for spending you'd do anyway (without overspending).
How to spot a scam
The red flags every scam shares, what to never share, and exactly what to do if you've been caught out.
Housing Assistance Payment (HAP)
Get most of your rent paid directly to your landlord — and keep it when you work.
One-Parent Family Payment
A weekly payment for parents raising a child alone — and you can work and keep part of it.
Additional Needs Payment
One-off help with an essential cost — rent deposit, fuel, white goods. Even if you work.
Domiciliary Care Allowance
A monthly payment for a parent of a child with a severe disability. Not means-tested.
Disabled Drivers & Passengers Scheme
Thousands in VRT/VAT relief, a fuel grant and tax exemptions on an adapted car.
Marriage Allowance: save £252/yr
If one of you is a non-taxpayer, transfer allowance and save up to £252 — backdate 4 years.
Earned Income Credit
Self-employed? Up to €2,000 (€2,125 from January 2027) a year off your tax bill — and you can claim the last four years in one sitting.
Household Support Fund
Council money for food, energy and essentials — easy to miss because each council runs its own.
Healthy Start & Free School Meals
A prepaid card for milk, fruit and veg, plus free school meals — badly under-claimed.
Pension Credit Calculator
Enter your income & savings — see in 30 seconds what you (or a relative) could claim.
Marriage Allowance Calculator
3 taps to check if you can claim up to £1,260 — most eligible couples never do.
Attendance Allowance Calculator
Check in 30 seconds if you (or a relative) could get £76.70–£114.60 a week, tax-free.
Carer's Allowance Calculator
4 quick taps to see if you can claim £86.45 a week for caring for someone.
Rent Tax Credit Calculator
Renting in Ireland? Estimate what you could claim back — up to €1,000/yr, backdated to 2022.
Child Benefit Calculator
See what you get — and whether the High Income Charge claws any back (£60k–£80k).
Fuel Allowance Checker
Are you entitled? Check in 30 seconds — worth €38 (€43 from January 2027)/week, about €1,064 (€1,204 from January 2027) a season.
SUSI Grant Calculator
Estimate your 2026/27 grant from SUSI's own income table: up to €7,936 a year, plus fee help.
Working Family Payment Calculator
Working but tight on money? Estimate your weekly tax-free top-up using the 2026 limits.
Budget 2026: What You Actually Get
The energy credits are gone — here's the permanent help that replaced them.
PIP Changes 2026: The Real Story
The feared 4-point rule was scrapped. Here's what's actually happening — calm and sourced.
Blue Badge: Who Qualifies
Disabled parking rights — who gets one automatically (including with PIP) and how to apply.
Motability: Swap Your Benefit for a Car
Exchange your mobility allowance for a car, scooter or WAV — and the trade-off to know first.
Is There a Cost of Living Payment in 2026?
No new DWP payments — but here's the help that IS available, and the scams to dodge.
Warm Home Discount & Cold Weather
£150 off your electricity and £25 per cold week — much of it paid automatically.
How to appeal a benefit decision
Refused? A lot of appeals succeed. The deadlines and steps for Ireland and the UK.
Section 75 & chargeback
Get your money back on faulty goods, non-delivery or a company that went bust.
How to claim a tax refund
Millions overpay tax every year. The reliefs people miss, the 4-year rule, and the exact steps through Revenue and HMRC — for free.
Help to Buy: up to €30,000
The first-time buyer scheme that gives you up to €30,000 back toward your deposit on a new home. Who qualifies and how to claim it.
Winter heating help: the 3 UK payments
Winter Fuel Payment, the £25 Cold Weather Payment and the £150 Warm Home Discount — who gets what, and the one move that unlocks the most.
Help with rent, explained
UK Housing Benefit and the Universal Credit housing element, plus Ireland's HAP and Rent Supplement — who qualifies and how to claim.
The Back to School Allowance
Help with the cost of school clothes and shoes — a set amount per child. Often paid automatically in July, who qualifies, and the deadline.
Universal Credit, explained simply
Who qualifies, how much you get, whether you can claim while working, and the savings limit — without the jargon. Billions go unclaimed.
PIP: the disability payment explained
Not means-tested, tax-free, and claimable while working. Who qualifies, the two parts, how the points work, and how to win your claim.
The tax credits carer families miss
Up to €5,750 a year that isn't a welfare payment, so nobody at the Intreo office mentions it. Carer's Allowance doesn't count against it, there's no age limit on the child, and you can go back four years.
Carer's Allowance, explained
If you look after someone, you may be owed a weekly payment — in both Ireland and the UK. Who qualifies, the earnings limits, and the grant most carers miss.
The Medical Card, explained
Free GP care, subsidised meds and more. The income limits are more generous than you think — the HSE deducts your rent and childcare first.
Working Family Payment, explained
A weekly tax-free top-up for low-income working families — and from 2026 it unlocks the Fuel Allowance too. You can work full-time and still qualify.
Child Benefit, explained
How much you get in Ireland and the UK, who can claim, the UK high-income charge — and why even high earners should still claim it.
Money deadlines — claim before you lose it
Backdating windows close every January, the Fuel Allowance season opens and shuts, and some claims only backdate a few months. Don't leave it too late.
Child Benefit across the Irish border — who pays?
Live one side, work the other? One country pays your Child Benefit and the other can top it up — the top-up loads of cross-border families never claim.
Live in Ireland, work in the North? You may owe no Irish tax
Trans-Border Workers Relief can wipe out the Irish income tax on a job across the border — but one work-from-home day can quietly cost you the lot. Who qualifies and how to claim.
Work from home in NI for an ROI employer? The tax trap
Remote work made this arrangement completely normal — but the tax and PRSI rules were built for commuters, not home workers. Why the wrong country's deductions can end up on your payslip, and how to check.
Frontier worker healthcare: NHS or HSE?
Live one side of the border and work the other? You're usually covered on both sides — here's how the Medical Card, NI GP registration and the S1 form actually fit together.
SUSI vs UK student finance: who pays what?
Moving across the border for college? SUSI won't touch your fees if you study outside Ireland, and UK finance bodies don't fund Irish maintenance — here's exactly which grant or loan covers you, and the 2026/27 rates.
Moved between Ireland and the UK this year? Split-year tax residence
Revenue and HMRC can each tax you only for the part of the year you actually lived there — but the two systems' rules, tax years and claim processes don't match. What to check on each side.
Buy back UK State Pension years from Ireland
Worked in the UK? About £957 buys a pension year worth ~£358 a year for life — and the rules changed in April 2026, with a hard deadline in 2027 for existing payers. What to do, step by step.
Irish citizens in England: Universal Credit & the Habitual Residence Test
Irish citizens have an automatic right to reside under the Common Travel Area — no EU Settlement Scheme needed. If the DWP wrongly refused your UC claim, here's the law and the exact wording to appeal.
The SUSI grant — 2026/27 rates & income limits
Up to €7,936 a year for college — and some support reaches household incomes of €120,000. The new bands, the 30km rule, and why you should apply before your CAO offer even lands.
Tools We Rate
The apps and services we actually think are worth using — and the ones we do not.
Tenant in Situ
Your landlord is selling and you have a notice to quit — the council or Housing Agency can buy the property and keep you in it.
Hot School Meals
Every primary school can now get hot meals. There is no form for parents — which is exactly why children miss out.
Free Dental on a Medical Card
A free exam and extractions every year, two free fillings and a root canal. Most cardholders never use it.
Community Employment
€286.50 a week for 19.5 hours — and the time limits that decide whether it is open to you at all.
Rural Social Scheme
A top-up for low-income farmers and fishers, widened twice in January 2026.
Part-Time Job Incentive
A flat weekly allowance instead of a means test when you take part-time work on long-term JA.
Wage Subsidy Scheme
Pays your employer up to €15,210 a year to adapt a role. The argument to put at interview.
Work and Access
The Reasonable Accommodation Fund, renamed. Up to €12,000 for equipment — and six other supports.
Springboard+
Free college courses from Certificate to Master's if you are unemployed. 10% if you are working.
Humanitarian Assistance
Emergency money after a flood or storm. Stage 1 is not means tested, so income is no reason to wait.
Student Assistance Fund
Your college already holds money for rent, food, books and childcare. It does not cover fees.
Magdalen Restorative Justice
Still open, still paying. Widened in 2018 to women who lived in adjoining institutions and worked in the laundries.
Budgeting Loan & Advance
Interest-free money for a cooker, a bed or rent in advance. Two names — which one you get depends on Universal Credit.
Reduced Earnings Allowance
£93.56 a week for pre-1990 work injuries, and the threshold is 1% disability — not 14%.
Rates Housing Benefit & Rate Relief
NI has two schemes for help with rates. Which one is yours turns on your age and Universal Credit.
Hospital Travel Costs
Travel to treatment refunded if you are on a low income — including for whoever has to bring you.
Local Authority Home Loan
A government-backed mortgage for first-time buyers the banks turned down — being refused by two lenders is a condition of getting it. Income limit now €80,000.
The First Home Scheme
The State pays up to 30% of a new home in shared equity — no monthly repayments, combinable with Help to Buy.
Vaccine Damage Payment (£120,000)
A one-off, tax-free £120,000 if someone is severely disabled by a listed vaccination. No solicitor needed — but the time limits end most claims.
Injury Benefit (€254 (€264 from January 2027) a week)
Hurt at work — or on the way to it? The commute counts, the first 3 days do not, and you have 6 weeks to claim.
Telephone Support Allowance (€2.50/wk)
Paid automatically if you get the Living Alone Increase and Fuel Allowance — so nobody ever checks whether it is actually arriving.
Bereaved Parent Grant (€8,000)
A once-off €8,000 for a bereaved parent with dependent children. It used to be the Widowed Parent Grant — and cohabitants now qualify.
Illness Benefit
Too sick to work? Up to €254/week in 2026 — the 3 waiting days, the 6-week deadline, and how to apply.
Partial Capacity Benefit
Go back to work and keep 50%, 75% or 100% of your Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension — with no earnings limit and no limit on hours.
Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit
The new dole: up to €450/week linked to your old wage — for jobs lost since 31 March 2025. Most people haven't heard of it.
Housing Adaptation Grants
Up to €40,000 to adapt a home for disability or age — plus the €8,000 Mobility Aids Grant for stairlifts and ramps.
Solar Panel Grants (€1,800)
€700/kWp for the first 2kWp, €200 after — and the one rule that loses people the grant: apply BEFORE any work starts.
Electric Car Grant (€3,500)
Up to €3,500 off a new EV, applied by the dealer — and the price cap drops to €50,000 on 31 July 2026.
The €70,000 Vacant Property Grant
Up to €50k to refurbish an empty home — €70k if derelict. The 2-year rule, the clawback, and how to apply to your council.
The Bereaved Partner's (Widow's) Pension
Up to €299.30 a week, not means-tested — and since July 2025 cohabiting partners qualify for the first time.
The GP Visit Card
Free GP visits: automatic for under-8s and over-70s, and income limits ~50% higher than the medical card. Most people never check.
The Drug Payment Scheme
Never pay more than €80 a month for prescribed medicines — no means test, whole household covered, apply in minutes.
New baby? The money checklist
Maternity Benefit €299 (€309 from January 2027)/week, the €280 Newborn Grant, Child Benefit and the payments for the other parent — all in one list.
Refused? Build your appeal letter in 60 seconds
A large share of benefit appeals succeed. Pick your payment and the reason they refused you, and get a properly structured appeal or review letter — free, private, Ireland & UK.
Can my landlord increase my HAP rent?
Since 1 March 2026 a national cap limits rent rises to 2% a year (or inflation) on every tenancy — including HAP. What's allowed, what it means for your payment, and how to challenge a wrong increase.
Social welfare payment dates 2026 (Ireland)
When each payment lands — Child Benefit, Fuel Allowance, Back to School, the Carer's Support Grant and the Christmas Bonus — on one simple calendar you can check in seconds.
The unclaimed billions — money going begging
Billions in benefits, credits and refunds go unclaimed every year across Ireland and the UK. Here's where the biggest pots are — and how to check if any of it is yours.
The shopping tricks costing you money
Fake multibuys, shrinkflation, dodgy "was" prices and online dark patterns — the everyday tricks draining your wallet, and the simple habits that beat them all.
Start saving & investing with €50 a month
No jargon, nothing being sold to you — the emergency fund, free pension money, ISAs & State Savings, and index funds explained simply, in the right order.
Over 70? There's no means test on this one
€1.15 a day off your electricity or gas plus a free TV licence. Our FOI found 116,000 older households are missing it.
Free dental, glasses & hearing aids in Ireland
Your PRSI already pays for a free dental exam, eye test, money off glasses and up to €500 per hearing aid. Most people never claim it.
Attendance Allowance: £114.60 a week most over-66s miss
Not means-tested, tax-free, and over a million eligible people never claim it. Who qualifies and how to apply — plus the benefits it unlocks.
Fuel Allowance: €38 (€43 from January 2027) a week toward winter heating
Around €1,064 (€1,204 from January 2027) over the season toward your heating. The income limits that catch people out — and exactly how to apply through MyWelfare.
How to cut your Council Tax (most people can)
Reductions, the single-person discount, hidden disregards, and challenging a wrong 1991 band for a backdated refund — all four checks explained.
The 5 UK benefits you're probably missing
£19bn goes unclaimed every year. These are the five most-missed — who qualifies and exactly how to claim each one.
The SEAI grants playbook (up to €30k+)
How to stack home-energy grants, pick a registered contractor, and get the most toward insulation, heat pumps and solar.
Is your rent increase actually legal?
In a Rent Pressure Zone your landlord can only raise rent by so much. Here's how to check — and what to do if they've broken the rules.
Pension Credit: £4,300 many pensioners miss
It's massively underclaimed — and it unlocks a free TV licence, heating help and more. Who qualifies and how to apply.
Marriage Allowance in 10 minutes
Worth £252 a year and backdatable four years — over £1,000 for couples where one earns under the personal allowance.
7 bills you should never auto-renew
Energy, broadband, mobile and insurance quietly creep up every year. The switching habit that saves hundreds.
How to spot a fake supermarket deal
1 in 10 multi-buys cost more than buying singly. The unit-price trick that beats every pricing tactic they use on you.
Start investing with €50 a month
ISAs, index funds and pensions in plain English — how to begin without jargon and without being sold something.
Tenant rights most renters don't know
Deposits, notice periods, repairs and entry — the six rights your landlord hopes you've never read.
Thatching Grant
Up to €3,810 to renew or repair a thatched roof — €6,350 with a medical card. Plus the inspection rule that voids it.
Built Heritage Investment Scheme
€2,500 to €50,000 for repairing a protected structure, a vernacular building or a historic shopfront.
Historic Structures Fund
€50,000 to €200,000 for major conservation, refurbishment or reuse of a heritage building.
Conservation Advice Grant
67% of the cost, up to €5,000, of expert advice on a traditional house — and since 2026 it no longer has to be vacant.
Living City Initiative
Tax relief for refurbishing an old property in six Irish cities. Ends 31 December 2027.
Defective Concrete Blocks (mica) Grant
Up to €462,000 to remediate a home damaged by mica or pyrite, in nine counties. Rented homes can qualify too.
Tax refund when you lose your job
Stopped work mid-year? You have probably overpaid tax. When you can claim, and the Form P50 route.
Nursing home tax relief
Relief at your marginal rate — up to 40% — on nursing home fees you pay yourself. Plus the Fair Deal loan relief families miss.
Bringing your car to Ireland (VRT relief)
Transfer of Residence relief can exempt your car from VRT entirely — if you hit the six-month rule and some very short deadlines.
Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme
Payments and health supports based on time spent. One night as a mother is enough to qualify for the general payment.
Free solar panels if you rely on medical equipment
A free solar PV system for households that depend on life-protecting electrical medical equipment. You are meant to be contacted — here is why that often fails.
Home Energy Upgrade Loan
€5,000 to €75,000 at a government-backed low rate, unsecured, and drawable before the work starts.
Fisher, seafarer and naval tax credits
Three reliefs for people who work at sea — €1,270, €6,350 or €1,500 — and you can only claim one in a year.
TAMS 3: every scheme and rate
TAMS is nine schemes, not one, and the rate swings from 40% to 70%. All the rates and ceilings in one place.
Cross-border workers: which country pays
Lose your job, claim where you live. Hours cut, claim where you work. PRSI and National Insurance combine for your pension.
Prescriptions across the border
NI prescriptions work in the Republic and vice versa, with the right details. UK online-doctor ones do not.
Discretionary Support (NI)
Interest-free loans or grants in a crisis. You don't need to be on benefits. Income limit £29,741.40.
Welfare Supplementary Payments
Northern Ireland tops up the bedroom tax, benefit cap and PIP losses, and it continues on Universal Credit.
Lone Pensioner Allowance
20% off your rates at 70 if you live alone. Not means tested.
Disabled Persons Allowance
25% off rates for a home adapted for a disabled person. Not affected by income.
EMA in Northern Ireland
£30 a week to stay on at school or college, plus two £100 bonuses. Household limit £20,500.
Free school meals and uniform grant (NI)
On Universal Credit with earnings of £15,900 or less. Uniform grant £42.90 to £93.60. No backdating.
Jobseeker's Allowance 2026
€254 (€264 from January 2027) a week, or €163.70 (€173.70 from January 2027) if you're 18 to 24 at home. Work 3 days or less and claim for the rest.
Medical card calculator
The HSE sum for your household: basic rate, child allowances, rent, childcare and travel. Medical card or GP visit card?
Drugs Payment Scheme
No family pays more than €80 a month for approved prescriptions. No means test, and it unlocks free HRT.
Long-Term Illness Scheme
Free medication for 16 conditions including diabetes, epilepsy and MS. No means test.
Invalidity Pension 2026
€259.50 (€269.50 from January 2027) a week if long-term illness stops you working, based on PRSI. Free Travel included.
Living Alone Increase
€22 (€25 from January 2027) a week extra on your pension or disability payment, and you have to apply for it.
Back to Education Allowance
Keep your payment while you study, plus €500 a year with a child. Apply within 30 days of the course starting.
Money for farm families: every scheme
Farm Assist, BISS, young farmer supports, PRSI for farm spouses, tax reliefs, forestry and college grants, in one place.
Farm Assist 2026
Up to €254 (€264 from January 2027) a week for low-income farmers aged 18 to 66. Only 70% of farm income counts, after child disregards.
BISS 2026
The main EU income support, paid per eligible hectare. Up to €66,000 a year. An advance may be paid in October.
Handing on the farm
€5,000 a year tax credit for up to 5 years, 90% Agricultural Relief, 1% stamp duty, and a grant of up to €1,500 for advice.
Organic Farming Scheme
Per hectare rates plus €2,000 in year one. Closed to new applicants for now.
Afforestation Scheme
A planting grant per hectare, then 20 years of premiums for farmers. You don't have to be a farmer.
Native Tree Area Scheme
Small native woods with no licence: €2,206 a hectare a year for 10 years. Old premiums must be claimed by 31 December.
Teagasc Maintenance Grant
Living-cost grant for Teagasc courses. Farm income averaged over 3 years. Closes 30 September.
Beef Welfare Scheme 2026
Up to €35 per calf for meal feeding, plus €15 for vaccination and €25 for testing, on up to 45 calves. Closes 23 September.
Animal welfare organisation funding
Department funding for rescues and welfare groups. Over 100 organisations funded in a single year.
Small Benefit Exemption (€1,500 tax-free)
Your employer can give you up to five non-cash benefits a year, tax-free, up to €1,500 combined. The traps are all-or-nothing.
Short-Term Enterprise Allowance
Keep your Jobseeker's Benefit while you start a business — plus a grant for setup costs. Get the adviser's letter first.
Local Improvement Scheme
Funding to repair the private lane or bog road nobody maintains — including roads to a lake or beach.
Funding for community groups
LEADER, Local Enhancement, Community Centres, Town and Village Renewal and ORIS — which door to knock on, and where to start.
Free Contraception Scheme
Free GP visits, prescriptions, emergency contraception and LARC fitting for ages 17 to 35. No medical card needed.
CervicalCheck screening
Free cervical screening from 25 to 65 — and you do not have to be a registered patient of the GP you attend.
Pyrite Remediation Scheme
100% of the repair cost for pyritic heave under your floors — but it closes to applications on 30 November 2026.
Purchase and Renovation Loan
A government-backed mortgage plus an interest-free bridging loan that advances your vacant property grant until it arrives.
Leaving care at 18
€300 a week in education, a grant for rent and deposit, SUSI at the higher rate — and the FULL Jobseeker's Allowance, not the young person's rate.
DARE and HEAR (reduced points)
Reduced points college places for under-23s on disability or disadvantage grounds — and the three deadlines that decide it.
SEAI grants: your questions answered
Can a landlord claim? An apartment? A house you just bought? Do you pay up front, and is there really 0% VAT on solar?
Moving back to Ireland
Customs and VAT relief on your belongings, VRT relief on your car, Safe Home for housing — and the habitual residence rule nobody plans for.
Section 481 film relief
A refundable 32% corporation tax credit for producer companies — and the certificate you must get before production starts.
Grassroots venue support
Funding for small venues programming emerging Irish artists. Two streams, one shot — and Stream B is the wider door.
Free IVF through the HSE
IVF, ICSI and IUI funded by the HSE, not means tested. The age, BMI and relationship criteria in full — including what rules you out.
ACORNS for rural women
A free six-month programme for women starting a business in rural Ireland — including if you are still only planning one.
Arts and sport funding
Aosdána, Per Cent for Art, Sound and Vision, Sports Capital, Music Generation and carding — which door to knock on.
Back to education as an adult
VTOS free full-time courses for unemployed over-21s, and the SUSI part-time grant worth €750 to €7,500 if you are working.
Free flu vaccine and RetinaScreen
Who gets the flu vaccine free — including carers and household contacts — and free eye screening for everyone with diabetes.
Innovation vouchers and green consultancy
Up to €20,000 to buy in expertise, R&D funding for a real technical problem, and free green consultancy for firms with 1 to 50 staff.
Remote Working Relief
Work from home? Claim 30% of your heat, light and broadband for the days you worked remotely — at your highest rate of tax.
MyFutureFund auto-enrolment
Your €3 becomes €7. Who is auto-enrolled since January 2026, the rates, and what you give up if you opt out.
Foreign Earnings Deduction
Irish-resident and working 30+ days in certain countries? Up to €50,000 off your income for income tax — up from €35,000.
Fuel Income Support Scheme
An anticipated 20c a litre on green diesel for farmers, contractors and fishers, covering March to July 2026.
If you are homeless
Staying with friends because you have nowhere else to go can count. Who has to help — council, Tusla or HSE — and what to do today.
Apartment fire safety defects
Full funding for emergency fire safety works in apartments built 1991–2013. Only your management company can apply.
Ready to Build serviced sites
A council-serviced site in a town or village for your own home, at up to €30,000 off.
Clean Export Guarantee
Get paid for the solar electricity you export. The first €400 a year is tax-free — and the smart meter catch that stops payment.
Homeless HAP and Place Finder
Help with the deposit and first rent for a HAP home. In Dublin, up to 50% above the normal rent limits.
Rent Supplement
Short-term rent help that still exists: you pay €30 a week, it stops at 30 hours' work, and no means test for 3 months after domestic violence.
Supplementary Welfare Allowance
€252 (€262 from January 2027) a week when you have nothing else, including while another claim is processed and your first 30 days back at work.
Mortgage to Rent
Can't pay the mortgage? A housing body buys your home and you stay as a social tenant, on a rent based on your income.
Abhaile: free mortgage arrears help
Free vouchers for an insolvency practitioner, accountant and solicitor, and help at court, if you could lose your home.
Mortgage arrears: your MARP rights
The steps your lender must follow, the €250 free accountant, your appeal, and the 8-month wait before any repossession.
Tenant Purchase Scheme
Buy your council house at 40% to 60% off after 10 years, with an income of at least €11,000.
Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS)
Long-term rent help from your council, no deposit, and you can take a full-time job and keep your home.
Cost rental homes
Rent at least 25% below market for middle incomes: under €66,000 net in Dublin, €59,000 elsewhere.
Applying for social housing
The €40,000, €35,000 and €30,000 limits by council, what to send, and the new domestic violence transfer rule.
Domestic violence leave
5 days' paid leave a year, at full pay, from your first day in the job. No proof needed, not on your payslip.
Domestic Violence Travel Supplement
Help with essential journeys, including car fuel, after fleeing abuse. No means test for 3 months.
Safety, protection and barring orders
Which court order does what, how long each lasts, and legal aid with no contribution.
Civil Legal Aid
A solicitor if your disposable income is under €18,000. Advice from €30, representation from €130, free for domestic violence orders.
FLAC free legal advice
Free legal information by phone, and a free call with a volunteer lawyer by referral from Citizens Information.
Family Mediation Service
Free mediation from the Legal Aid Board to agree the children, the home and the money when you separate.
Criminal Injuries Compensation
Money for victims of violent crime, now including pain and suffering. Apply within 3 months.
MABS: free help with debt
Free, confidential debt help: a plan, negotiation with creditors, and a check you get every payment you're owed.
Debt Relief Notice
Up to €35,000 of debt written off after 3 years, if you have €60 a month or less left. Fees waived to end of 2026.
Personal insolvency options
Debt Relief Notice, Debt Settlement Arrangement, Personal Insolvency Arrangement or bankruptcy: which fits, and how to start.
Maternity Benefit
€299 a week for 26 weeks in 2026, and more if you have a partner or children. PRSI rules and how to claim.
Paternity Benefit
€299 (€309 from January 2027) a week for 2 weeks, taken any time in the first 6 months after the birth or adoption.
Parent's Benefit
Up to 9 weeks at €299 (€309 from January 2027) for each parent in the first 2 years, taken a week at a time if you like.
Adoptive Benefit
€299 (€309 from January 2027) a week for 24 weeks from the day of adoption, for one adoptive parent.
Guardian's Payment
€237 (€247 from January 2027) a week for raising a child whose parents have died or left. No legal guardianship needed, not taxed.
Foster Care Allowance
What Tusla pays foster carers per child, untaxed and ignored by means tests, plus the other supports.
Kinship care
Raising a grandchild or relative's child? Guardian's Payment, Child Benefit and how guardianship works.
Single Person Child Carer Credit
€1,900 off your tax in 2026 if you raise a child alone, plus a €4,000 wider 20% band.
Back to Work Family Dividend
Up to €78 a week per child for a year after you leave welfare for work, then half. Untaxed, stacks with WFP.
School Transport Scheme
€100 a child for 2026-27, free with a medical card. Distance rules, late applications and the Remote Area Grant.
National Childcare Scheme
€2.14 an hour off childcare for everyone, up to €5.10 under €68,000 net. The limit rose on 31 August 2026.
ECCE free preschool
15 free hours of preschool a week for 38 weeks, from 2 years 8 months. Deposits, extras and AIM support.
Flat Rate Expenses
A tax deduction Revenue agrees for whole occupations. Claim it yearly, and backdate 4 years.
Rent-a-Room Relief
Up to €14,000 (€16,000 from January 2027) a year tax-free for renting a room in your home. Over the limit and it's all taxed.
Cycle to Work Scheme
A new bike out of gross pay, no tax, PRSI or USC. Up to €3,000 for cargo bikes, once every 4 years.
Health expenses relief
20% back on GP, consultant, prescriptions, physio and non-routine dental. Anyone's bills, back 4 years.
Tuition fees relief
20% back on college fees and the student contribution, up to €7,000 a course. Full relief on a second child.
Mortgage Interest Tax Credit
Up to €1,250 a year for 2023–2025 and €625 for 2026 if your mortgage interest rose. Claim missed years now.
Dependent Relative Tax Credit
€305 a year for supporting a relative or widowed parent, even abroad. Up from €245. Backdate 4 years.
Blind Person's Tax Credit
€1,950 a year off your tax, €3,900 if both spouses are blind, plus €165 for a guide dog.
Over-65 tax exemption
No income tax at 65+ on €18,000 or less (€36,000 couples), marginal relief above, plus the €245 Age Credit.
Reduced USC
USC capped at 2% if you're 70+ or have a medical card and earn €60,000 or less. Card holders must tell Revenue.
Widowed Parent Tax Credit
€3,600 in the first year after a partner's death, falling to €1,800 by year five. You must ask Revenue for it.
Redundancy lump sum tax
Statutory redundancy is tax-free; extra lump sums up to €10,160 + €765 a year of service, sometimes more.
Employing a carer relief
Tax relief at up to 40% on paying a carer or agency for someone totally incapacitated. Up to €75,000 a year.
Small Gift Exemption
€3,000 a year tax-free from each person, so €6,000 from two parents. No return, no lifetime threshold used.
Habitual residence condition
The test behind most means-tested payments and Child Benefit: the 5 factors, who's exempt and the evidence to bring.
Social welfare for Ukrainians
The BOTP payment in State accommodation, and full welfare rights outside it. PPS numbers and getting paid.
Accommodation Recognition Payment
€400 a month tax-free for hosting Ukrainians, cut from €600 on 1 September 2026. Ends 31 March 2027.
Daily Expenses Allowance
€38.80 a week per adult, €29.80 per child, for people seeking protection, and how work income affects it.
Permission to work (asylum seekers)
Work after 6 months without a first decision. Apply free from 5 months; it lasts a year, renewable.
Rights after protection
Refugee status or subsidiary protection: work without a permit, welfare and housing as an Irish citizen, citizenship at 5 years.
Family reunification
The rules from 12 June 2026: 12 months for family already here, a 2-year wait and an income test for family abroad.
Irish citizenship by naturalisation
5 years' residence (3 for spouses), €175 + €950 in fees, free certificate for refugees. The 70-day rule.
Foreign Births Register
Irish citizenship through a grandparent born in Ireland. €278 for adults, about 12 months.
Returning to Ireland in a crisis
Home with nowhere to stay or no money? The council, 1800 707 707, the Homeless Persons Unit, and who else helps.
Public hospital charges
A public stay is free since April 2023. A&E €100 and injury units €75 — both free with a GP letter or medical card.
Emergency medical card
No means test for terminal illness, end-of-life or urgent care. Active in 24 hours; never expires for terminal illness.
HSE Home Support Service
Free home care to help you get up, wash and dress. No means test, no medical card needed, for 65+.
Respite care
How carers get a break, from an evening to a holiday, and the yearly Carer's Support Grant.
Assessment of Need
Your child's legal right: the HSE must start within 3 months, finish within 3 more, and deliver the Service Statement.
Blind Welfare Allowance
€76.96 a week from the HSE for adults who are blind, on top of Blind Pension or a low income.
Blind Pension
Up to €254 (€264 from January 2027) a week, earn €165 (€175 from July 2027) without a cut, free travel for you and a companion. Keep Fuel Allowance into work.
Free HRT
HRT free since June 2025 with a medical card or Drugs Payment Scheme registration — and anyone can register.
Free STI testing
A free home STI test kit for anyone 17+, results in 72 hours. Free clinics, hepatitis C tests and treatment.
Treatment Abroad Scheme
HSE-funded treatment in the EU or UK when it's not available here in time. Consultant referral, approval first.
Cross-Border Directive
Get treated in another EU country and claim back what it would cost here. UK out; a temporary NI scheme instead.
European Health Insurance Card
Free public healthcare in the EU, EEA and Switzerland. Free card, lasts 4 years, one per family member.
Disabled parking card
Park in disabled spaces in Ireland and the EU, in any car. €35 for 2 years from the IWA or DDAI.
Free hearing aids
Free HSE hearing aids and repairs with a medical card or under 18. Treatment Benefit and tax relief otherwise.
Free eye tests and glasses
Medical card: free eye exam every 2 years and glasses. Free glasses for under-12s. Treatment Benefit otherwise.
Free Fees Initiative
No tuition fees for most undergraduates, but a student contribution of up to €2,500. The rules and traps.
SUSI part-time fee scheme
€750 per 5 credits, up to €7,500, towards part-time degree fees if household income is under €64,315.
SUSI postgraduate grant
Up to €4,500 for fees, or €6,270 plus €7,936 maintenance on the special rate. Ireland and NI only.
Mature student supports
Over 23 and going to college: reserved places, free fees, SUSI and Back to Education Allowance.
Exemption from Irish
The four ways a child can be exempt from Irish, how to apply through the school, and the 30-day appeal.
Assistive Technology Grant
School-funded laptops, braille and hearing equipment for students with a disability. No upper limit; the school applies.
Summer Education Programme
2 to 5 weeks of summer school for children with complex needs, or funded home tuition up to 10 hours a week.
Leaving Cert exam fees
€116 in 2026, or free if you or your parent held a full medical card between January and April.
Apprenticeships
Paid training for 2 to 4 years, no fees, no upper age limit. Bursaries up to €3,000, €2,000 employer grant.
PLC courses
1 to 2 year Level 5/6 courses for €200 a year, waived with a medical card, SUSI, BTEA or VTOS.
Youthreach
Free courses and €45–€254 a week for young early school leavers. Join any time; part-time work allowed.
Back to Education Initiative
Free part-time Level 3–6 courses for early school leavers, WFP and medical card holders. Keep your payment.
Seniors Alert Scheme
A free personal alarm for over-65s with limited means. Free fitting and first year, then about €70 a year.
HomeCaring Periods
Up to 20 years spent raising children or caring added to your PRSI record for a higher State Pension.
State Pension (Non-Contributory)
Up to €288 (€298 from January 2027) a week at 66, €298 (€308 from January 2027) at 80. Earn €200 a week from a job; first €20,000 of savings ignored.
State Pension (Contributory)
€299.30 (€309.30 from January 2027) a week at 66, no means test. How the 2025 Total Contributions rules work out your rate.
Deferring your State Pension
Start any time from 66 to 70; the 2026 rate rises from €299.30 to €363.90. Once you claim, you can't pause.
LPT deferral
Defer all your Local Property Tax on income up to €25,000 (€40,000 couples), or half up to €40,000. 3% interest.
LPT exemptions
No Local Property Tax if illness keeps you out 12 months, the home was adapted for disability, or has defective blocks.
Special Funeral Grant
€850 towards the funeral when a death is caused by a work accident, the commute, or an occupational disease.
Enduring power of attorney
The five legal ways to plan for, or get support with, decisions: attorney, healthcare directive, and three support routes.
Elder abuse
Who to tell about abuse of an older person, including someone taking their pension or savings.
Carer's Benefit
€271 (€281 from January 2027) a week for up to 2 years when you stop work to care. No means test; earn up to €1,000 a week net.
Carer's leave
13 to 104 weeks off to care, with your job kept open. Unpaid, but Carer's Benefit can pay. 12 months' service.
Back to Work Enterprise Allowance
Start a business and keep 100% of your payment for a year, 75% for a second, tax-free. Plus up to €2,500.
Statutory sick pay
5 paid sick days a year at 70% of pay, up to €110 a day, after 13 weeks' service. Part-timers too.
Minimum wage
€14.15 an hour from January 2026, with youth rates from €9.91. What counts, tips, and how to complain.
Annual leave
4 working weeks a year, 8% of hours for part-timers. Holiday pay in advance; unused leave paid when you leave.
Public holidays
The 10 dates for 2026 and 2027 and what you're owed: a day off, extra leave or extra pay. Good Friday isn't one.
Parental leave
26 unpaid weeks per child for each parent, before age 12. Blocks or single days; PRSI credits kept.
Tús
A year of community work, 19.5 hours a week, paying at least €286.50. Part-time work on top doesn't cut it.
JobsPlus
€7,500 or €10,000 over 18 months for employers who hire full-time from the Live Register. Tax-free, no cap.
Work Placement Experience Programme
€369 a week for 6 months' work experience with training. Voluntary; OFP and DA recipients qualify at once.
Disablement Benefit
Up to €285 a week, or a lump sum up to €19,940, for a lasting work injury of 15%+. You can keep working.
Voluntary PRSI
Keep your State Pension record building after you stop work: 6.6% (min €500) or €650 flat. Apply within 5 years.
Jobseeker's Transitional Payment
€254 (€264 from January 2027) a week plus child payments for lone parents with children 7–13. No full-time job search; study allowed.
Unpaid redundancy
If your employer can't pay statutory redundancy, the State does. If they refuse, the WRC. The time limits.
Private well grant
85% of fixing a well (up to €3,000), 85% of a new one (up to €5,000), 100% of treatment (up to €1,000).
Group water schemes
85% of set-up costs up to €20,000 a house, and up to €231 a house a year. Funding round closes 20 November.
Septic tank grant
Register for €50; if it fails inspection, 85% of repairs or a new system, up to €12,000.
Water charges
Households pay nothing now. The planned excess charge applies only above 213,000 litres, capped at €500.
Behind on energy bills
No winter disconnections for arrears; priority customers never. Payment plans, 4 contact attempts, and help.
Cheaper public transport
Dublin's TFI-90 €2 (€1 young adults), Cork €1.70, Leap saves up to 30%. The fares that save most.
TaxSaver commuter ticket
Your bus, rail or Luas ticket from gross pay: save 27.2% to 52.2%. Your employer applies.
Local Link rural transport
Rural buses and bookable door-to-door lifts, Free Travel accepted, free Community Cars, and help to hospital.
Public transport with a disability
Free Independent Travel Support, JAM Card and seat badges, and how much notice trains need for assistance.
Agricultural Relief
90% off the taxable value of a gifted or inherited farm, if you pass the 80% asset and active farmer tests.
Stock relief
Deduct 25% of the rise in stock value, 50% in a farm partnership, 100% for young trained farmers. To end-2027.
Leasing farm land relief
Lease farmland 5+ years and €18,000 to €40,000 a year of the rent is tax-free. Not to close relatives.
Farm stamp duty reliefs
Young Trained Farmer relief under 35, consanguinity relief between relatives, and relief on 6–35 year leases.
Farm Restructuring Relief
No CGT when you swap or sell-and-buy land to consolidate your farm within 24 months. Teagasc cert; to 2029.
CGT Retirement Relief
From 55, pass a farm or business to a child CGT-free up to €10m (€3m at 70+), or €750,000 to others.
Farm income averaging
Pay tax on 5 years' average profit, with the option to step out for a single bad year.
Woodlands tax exemption
Forestry profits in Ireland are free of income and corporation tax. PRSI and USC still apply.
VAT refund on farm buildings
Unregistered farmers can reclaim VAT paid on farm buildings through Revenue eRepayments.
ACRES
Up to €7,311 a year in ACRES General or €10,500 in Co-operation, for farming that protects nature.
SCEP
€225 a hectare for the first 15 ha and €180 after, for suckler farmers meeting the five programme actions.
Sheep Improvement Scheme
€12 per breeding ewe a year for two flock welfare actions, like lameness control or scanning.
Tillage Sustainability Support Payment
Up to €110 a hectare on cereals or oilseed rape in 2026, tapering to €50 on the largest areas.
Young farmer supports
About €150 a hectare on up to 50 ha for 5 years if you're under 40 with a Level 6 qualification, plus the rest.
Eco-scheme
About €60–€65 a hectare a year for two of eight green practices, opted into on your BISS.
CRISS
An extra payment on every active farmer's first 30 hectares, estimated at €40–€43 a hectare.
Protein Aid Scheme
A per-hectare payment for beans, peas, lupins and soya, half-rate for mixes. Claimed on BISS.
Basic Income for the Arts
€325 a week for 3 years to 2,000 artists, picked at random. The 2026 round closed 12 May.
Artists' Exemption
Up to €50,000 a year of income from original creative work free of income tax. USC and PRSI still apply.
Jobseeker's Allowance for artists
Professional artists on JA can be exempt from job-search activation for their first year out of work.
Starting a business
LEO feasibility and priming grants, Microfinance loans of €2,000–€50,000, start-up tax relief and free help.
Green business grants
Up to €5,000 for efficient equipment, 30% for renewable heat, 100% tax write-off, and free Green for Micro.
Community Services Programme
€19,033–€27,600 per employee towards wages for community companies and co-ops. Closed to new applicants.
SURE start-up relief
Refund up to 41% of what you invest in your new company from PAYE tax paid over the last 6 years.
Revised Entrepreneur Relief
10% CGT instead of 33% when you sell your business, on up to €1.5 million of lifetime gains from 2026.
Employment Investment Incentive
Income tax relief on up to €250,000 a year invested in Irish companies, or €500,000 with a 7-year hold.
Home Carer Tax Credit
€1,950 for 2026 if one partner cares at home. Full credit under €7,200, a line unchanged since 2016.
Backdating social welfare
Which payments are backdated automatically, which need a good reason, and why 'I didn't know' usually fails.
Increase for a Qualified Adult
€168.60 (€175.20 from January 2027) a week extra for a dependent partner on most payments. The €100 and €310 earnings limits.
Child Support Payment
€58 (€64 from January 2027) a week per child under 12, €78 (€84 from January 2027) for 12+, on top of your welfare payment. Up to 22 for students.
Two social welfare payments
Usually one at a time, but half-rate Carer's Allowance and half-rate Maternity Benefit can sit on top.
Social welfare overpayments
Up to 15% a week can be taken back. When the Department's own mistake means it can be cut or cancelled.
Is social welfare taxable?
Which payments are taxed and which aren't, why many pay nothing, and how Revenue collects it.
Household Budget Scheme
Free An Post scheme: rent, HAP, ESB and Bord Gáis paid weekly from your welfare. Up to 25%.
Homemaker's Scheme
Up to 20 years at home caring ignored when your State Pension is worked out. Register early.
It Makes Sense loan
Small low-interest credit union loans for people on social welfare, repaid weekly. Any purpose.
Basic bank account
No current account? Banks must offer one free for a year, and up to 5 years on low income.
Dormant accounts and unclaimed life policies
Untouched for 15 years? The money moved to a fund, but you or next of kin can reclaim it, with interest.
VAT refund on disability aids
Revenue refunds the VAT on stairlifts, hoists, walk-in baths and other aids. Claim within 4 years.
Free help to stop smoking
Free HSE Quit Plan and free nicotine patches, gum and sprays. Quitline 1800 201 203.
Starter Home Purchase Scheme
Renamed in 2026: new homes at 5–40% off for first-time buyers, the council keeping an equal stake.
Lead pipe grant
100% of replacing lead pipes up to €5,000, plus €200 for a test. Uisce Éireann does the public side.
Repair and Leasing Scheme
Up to €80,000 to repair a vacant home, which you lease to the council for 5–25 years.
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