Working Family Payment
A weekly tax-free top-up for employees on low pay who have children. It pays 60% of the gap between your family income and the income limit for your family size, and it is not counted in the medical card means test.
- Type
- Means-tested
- Paid
- Every week
- Taxable
- No
- Administered by
- Department of Social Protection
Working Family Payment income limits
You are paid 60% of the shortfall, min €20/week — these are the limits, not the payment.
| Income limit — 1 child | €765/week |
|---|---|
| Income limit — 2 children | €866/week |
| Income limit — 3 children | €967/week |
| Income limit — 4 children | €1,058/week |
| Income limit — 5 children | €1,184/week |
| Income limit — 6 children | €1,300/week |
| Income limit — 7 children | €1,436/week |
| Income limit — 8 or more children | €1,532/week |
What you are actually paid
| Minimum weekly payment | €20/week |
|---|
These are income LIMITS, not payment amounts. Your payment is 60% of the difference between your average weekly family income and the limit for your family size — with a minimum of €20 a week.
Who can get Working Family Payment
- You must be an employee — you cannot qualify on self-employment alone.
- You must work 38 or more hours per fortnight. You can combine your hours with a spouse, civil partner or cohabitant's hours.
- You must have at least one child who normally lives with you or who you support financially.
- Your child must be under 18, or between 18 and 22 and in full-time day education.
- Your average weekly family income must be under the limit for your family size.
The Working Family Payment means test
Assessed on average weekly family income. Capital and savings are not assessed at all — unusual among Irish means-tested payments.
Things people get caught by
- WFP is not taken into account in the means test for a medical card — a significant interaction most people miss.
- If you are getting WFP and become ill, WFP continues alongside Illness Benefit for up to 36 days (6 weeks) per illness.
- Once awarded, WFP is normally paid at the same rate for 52 weeks even if your income rises.
What else you might get
Payments interact. These are the ones that commonly go with Working Family Payment.
- Child Benefit
Paid alongside WFP.
- One-Parent Family Payment
Can be held together with WFP.
- Medical Card
WFP is not counted in the medical card means test.