Check the medical card and GP visit card limits
The HSE's own sum: a basic rate for your household, plus allowances for children and some of your costs, compared with your income. About a minute. Nothing is saved.
An estimate from the HSE's published rates, not a decision. The HSE assesses your documents and can use discretion. It never sees what you type here.
How the HSE works it out
The HSE starts with a basic rate for your age and household. It adds allowances for children and for some of your costs, such as rent, childcare and travel to work. If your income is below that total, you qualify. Under 70, income means take-home pay, after tax, PRSI and USC.
If you are over the medical card limit, the HSE checks you for a GP visit card automatically. Its limits are higher, so many working families miss the medical card but get the GP visit card.
The HSE weekly basic rates for under 70s
| Household | Medical card, under 66 | Medical card, 66 to 69 | GP visit card, under 70 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single, living alone | €184 | €201.50 | €418 |
| Single, living with family | €164 | €173.50 | €373 |
| Couple, or single parent with dependent children | €266.50 | €298 | €607 |
| Each of the first 2 children under 16 | €38 | €38 | €57 |
| 3rd and each later child under 16 | €41 | €41 | €61.50 |
| Each of the first 2 children over 16, no income | €39 | €39 | €58.50 |
| 3rd and each later child over 16, no income | €42.50 | €42.50 | €64 |
| Each dependant in full-time college, no grant | €78 | €78 | €117 |
Over 70, the medical card limit is €550 a week gross for a single person and €1,050 for a couple. Everyone over 70 gets a GP visit card.
What the HSE does not count
Child Benefit, Working Family Payment, Carer's Allowance, Domiciliary Care Allowance and Guardian's Payments are not counted. Neither are Fuel, Living Alone and Over 80 Allowances, third-level maintenance grants or Foster Care Allowance.
If you get Disability Allowance and work, earnings up to €427 a week are not counted for the medical card. Rent-a-room income up to €14,000 a year can also be left out.
Costs that raise your limit
- Rent, but not the part paid by HAP or Rent Supplement, and reasonable mortgage payments
- Mortgage protection and home insurance
- Childcare, maintenance you pay, and nursing home or home-care costs
- Getting to work: public transport, or 18 cent per km if you need a car
If you are over the limits
You can still apply. The HSE can give a discretionary medical card if medical costs would cause hardship, so include details of your family's medical expenses. And the Drugs Payment Scheme caps prescriptions at €80 a month for the whole family, with no means test.
Apply online at mymedicalcard.ie. Our medical card guide and GP visit card guide cover the process.
Common questions
What is the income limit for a medical card in 2026?
For people under 66, the HSE weekly basic rate is €184 for a single person living alone, €164 for a single person living with family, and €266.50 for a couple or a single parent with dependent children. These are net amounts, after tax, PRSI and USC. Allowances for children and some costs are added on top.
What is the GP visit card income limit?
For people under 70: €418 a week for a single person living alone, €373 living with family, and €607 for a couple or single parent, again after tax, PRSI and USC, with higher child allowances than the medical card.
Is the medical card means test based on gross or net income?
Under 70, it is net income: after tax, PRSI and USC. Over 70, it is gross income: before tax, PRSI and USC.
What is the medical card limit for over 70s?
€550 a week gross for a single person and €1,050 for a couple. Everyone over 70 gets a GP visit card automatically, even above those limits.
Does Child Benefit count for the medical card?
No. Child Benefit, Working Family Payment, Carer's Allowance, Domiciliary Care Allowance, Fuel Allowance and Living Alone Allowance are among the payments the HSE does not count.
Can rent or childcare help me qualify for a medical card?
Yes. Rent (not the part HAP or Rent Supplement pays), reasonable mortgage payments, childcare, maintenance you pay, care costs and the cost of getting to work are added to your limit. That raises the income you can have and still qualify.
Are savings counted for the medical card?
Savings up to €36,000 for a single person or €72,000 for a couple are ignored. Above that, the next €10,000 counts as €1 a week per €1,000, the next €10,000 as €2 per €1,000, and the rest as €4 per €1,000.
Who gets a medical card without a means test?
Among others: children whose parents get Domiciliary Care Allowance, children under 18 diagnosed with cancer in the last 5 years, and people whose only income is from social welfare or HSE payments. Children under 8 and people on Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit get a GP visit card without a means test.
Check the official sources
A free estimate from the HSE's published rates, read 27 September 2026. It is not a decision: the HSE assesses your documents and can use discretion. Rates change, usually in January after the Budget.