Additional Needs Payment
A one-off payment for an essential cost you cannot meet from your own income — a fuel bill, funeral costs, essential furniture, or rent arrears.
- Type
- Means-tested
- Paid
- No fixed amount or schedule
- Taxable
- No
- Administered by
- Department of Social Protection
How much is Additional Needs Payment?
No fixed rate — assessed case by case
There is no set amount. The payment depends on the need, your income and your circumstances, and is decided by a Community Welfare Officer.
Who can get Additional Needs Payment
- You must be living in Ireland and unable to meet the cost from your own resources.
- You do not need to be getting another social welfare payment.
- You may qualify even if you are working, if your income is low.
The Additional Needs Payment means test
Means-tested, but assessed on your actual circumstances rather than a fixed threshold. You do not have to be getting another social welfare payment to apply.
How your savings are assessed
Supplementary Welfare Allowance only. The least generous of the three — only the first €5,000 is disregarded.
| Capital | Weekly means assessed |
|---|---|
| First €5,000 | Nil |
| Next €10,000 | €1 per €1,000 |
| Next €25,000 | €2 per €1,000 |
| Balance | €4 per €1,000 |
Capital means your savings, investments, stocks, shares and any property other than your own home. Your own home is never assessed. Capital belonging to a spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is included.
Things people get caught by
- Because there is no fixed rate and no strict income limit, this is one of the most under-claimed payments in the system.
What else you might get
Payments interact. These are the ones that commonly go with Additional Needs Payment.
- Supplementary Welfare Allowance
The weekly payment this scheme sits alongside.