Budget 2027 and social welfare
Budget 2027 is expected in early October 2026. This page carries the current rates every announced change will be measured against, and will be updated on the day itself.
What we know now
- When it happens
- Irish budgets are announced on a Tuesday in early October. The exact date for Budget 2027 is set by Government and confirmed closer to the time.
- When any increase reaches you
- Weekly rate increases normally take effect the following January — so a Budget 2027 increase would land in January 2027. One-off measures such as lump sums, double payments and the Christmas Bonus are usually paid earlier, between October and December.
- What tends to change
- The weekly personal rates, the Child Support Payment amounts, means-test income disregards, Fuel Allowance, and the income limits for Working Family Payment and the medical card. Not every payment moves in every Budget.
We do not publish rumoured or pre-Budget figures. Nothing appears here until it is announced and confirmed on an official source.
The current baseline
These are the rates in force now. When Budget 2027 is announced, these are the numbers each change will be measured against.
Checked
Weekly payments
| Payment | Maximum personal rate |
|---|---|
| Bereaved Partner's (Contributory) Pension | €259.50/week |
| Blind Person's Pension | €254/week |
| Carer's Allowance | €270/week |
| Carer's Benefit | €271/week |
| Disability Allowance | €254/week |
| Farm Assist | €254/week |
| Fuel Allowance | €38/week |
| Guardian's Payment | €237/week |
| Illness Benefit | €254/week |
| Invalidity Pension | €259.50/week |
| Jobseeker's Allowance | €254/week |
| Jobseeker's Benefit | €254/week |
| Jobseeker's Transitional Payment | €254/week |
| Living Alone Allowance | €22/week |
| Maternity Benefit | €299/week |
| One-Parent Family Payment | €254/week |
| Parent's Benefit | €299/week |
| Partial Capacity Benefit | €254/week |
| Paternity Benefit | €299/week |
| State Pension (Contributory) | €299.30/week |
| State Pension (Non-Contributory) | €288/week |
| Supplementary Welfare Allowance | €252/week |
Everything else
| Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance | €160/year |
|---|---|
| Carer's Support Grant | €2,000/year |
| Child Benefit | €140/month |
| Domiciliary Care Allowance | €380/month |
| Household Benefits Package | €1.15/day |
What happens here on the day
- Announced rates are checked against the official Budget documents on gov.ie — not against news coverage.
- The rate store is updated, which corrects every payment page on the site at once.
- The current rates stay published, clearly marked with the date they run until, because the rate that applies to you in November is still this year's one.
An announced rate is not the rate you are paid until it takes effect. Both are shown, with their dates, so it is never ambiguous which is which.