This chapter tells you what you need to know about the benefits paid to carers in Ireland. If you have lived, worked and/or paid insurance in another EU country, your time living in another EU country, the period you have worked or the contributions you have paid may be taken into account when your benefits are calculated in Ireland. Here we cover:

• Carer’s Benefit
• Carer’s Allowance
• Domiciliary Care Allowance

Carer’s Support Grant

In what situation can I claim?

Support for caregivers in Ireland takes several forms. The two main social welfare payments for carers providing full-time care are Carer's Benefit and Carer's Allowance.

Carer’s Benefit: paid to people who have left their jobs or reduced their working hours to look after someone needing full-time care and attention. Payment is based on social insurance contributions. After one year's continuous service employees may take unpaid Carer's Leave of up to 2 years to provide full-time care for someone who needs it.

Carer’s Allowance: if you look after someone who has such a disability that they require  full-time care and attention because of a physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual impairment you may be eligible to receive Carer’s Allowance. This payment is means tested.

If you have an under 16-year-old at home who needs considerably more care than other children of the same age, you may be entitled to Domiciliary Care Allowance.

The Carer’s Support Grant is an annual payment for carers awarded automatically to anyone getting any of the payments covered so far  If you are not in receipt of any of these payments and you are looking  after someone requiring full-time care and attention for at least 6 months a year including the first Thursday in June. you may qualify if you   satisfy all the qualifying conditions for the scheme.

What conditions do I need to meet?

Carer’s Benefit: paid to people who have left their jobs or reduced their working hours to look after someone needing full-time care and attention. After one year's continuous service employees may take unpaid Carer's Leave of up to 2 years to provide full-time care for someone who needs it.

This is a short-term payment. Payment is subject to certain qualifying conditions including such that you must have been in work for at least 8 weeks in the previous 26 weeks before becoming a carer and that you must have worked for a minimum of 16 hours per week or 32 hours per fortnight. The payment is also linked to the social insurance contributions you have made. It is  worth taking on board the definition of relevant tax year.

Carer’s Allowance: if you look after someone  who has such a disability that they require full-time care and attention, you may be eligible to receive Carer’s Allowance. Payment is subject to certain qualifying conditions including a means test and a habitual resident in Ireland.

Both Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Benefit are taxable.

Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly payment, paid in respect of a child aged under 16 years with a severe disability, who requires ongoing care and attention, substantially over and above the care and attention usually required by a child of the same age. It is not means tested.

This means that eligibility for Domiciliary Care Allowance is not based on the type of impairment or disease, but on the resulting lack of function of body or mind which means the child needs extra care and attention. This care and attention must be required to allow the child to deal with the activities of daily living. The child must be likely to require this level of care and attention for at least 12 months.

The Carer’s Support Grant is awarded once a year in June to anyone getting any of the payments covered so far. If you are not getting the benefits covered in this chapter, you may still be eligible for the grant.  If you are working less than 18.5 hours a week and looking after someone requiring full time care and attention for at least six months, including the first Thursday in June of the given year, and you satisfy all the qualifying conditions for the Carer’s Support Grant scheme, you may be eligible.

The Carer’s Support Grant is not taxable.

What am I entitled to and how can I claim?

 Carer’s Benefit

This benefit is paid for up to 24 months to people who have paid enough PRSI contributions (see ‘Jargon Busters’ text box). It can be claimed for a total period of 104 weeks for each person being cared for, or in any number of separate periods.

Rates from January 2023

Carer's Allowance

Rates in 2023:

Domiciliary Care Allowance                Rate per month

Children in residential care who go home may receive a half-rate payment if they are at home for 2 days or more a week, for example, a child who attends residential services from Monday to Friday and goes home at weekends. You can continue to receive DCA for up to 26 weeks if the child goes into hospital.

Carer’s Support Grant

If you are caring for more than one person, a grant is paid for each care recipient. If you are not getting the above benefits, you will need to apply.

Jargon busters

• Non-contributory benefits are means-tested, meaning that your income or property (except your own home) will be taken into account when it comes to setting your benefit;
• Dependent child, also known as qualified child, is a dependant for whom you may get an extra amount, paid as an increase to your personal payment;
• Habitual resident - The term ‘habitual resident’ is defined under EU law - see: EU Regulation on the coordination of social security systems.  In practice it means the place where you have your main centre of interest;
• A full-rate or half-rate Qualified Child Increase may be payable depending on your spouse’s earnings and the child’s age.
• Most employed people over 16 years of age make social insurance contributions. The amount paid is based on your earnings and the type of work you do. For this reason, it is called Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI).

Forms you may need to fill in

• Carer’s Allowance application form - CR 1 (pdf)
• Carer’s Benefit application form - CARB 1 (pdf)
• Domiciliary Care Allowance application form (pdf)
• Carer’s Support Grant application form, in respect of each person you are caring for - CSG 1 (pdf)

Know your rights

The links below set out your rights in law, they are not European Commission sites and do not represent the view of the Commission:

• EU Regulation on the coordination of social security systems
• Find out about the tax implications of these benefits;
•  Tables of benefit rates in Ireland
• Carers have important legal rights under Irish law. If you think your rights as a carer have been breached, you can under the Carer’s Leave Act 2001 use the online complaint form
• Carer’s Allowance explained;
• If your application for a benefit is refused on medical grounds, appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office;
• Residence requirements for social assistance in Ireland.

Commission publication and website:

• http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/work/unemployment-and-benefits/index_en.htm

Who do you need to contact?

Carer's Section
Social Welfare Services
Government Buildings
Ballinalee Road

Longford

N39 E4E0

Ireland

Phone: +35343 3340000
LoCall: 0818 92 77 70
Email: CarersAllowance@welfare.ie (for queries relating to Carers Allowance)

CarersBenefit@welfare.ie (for enquiries relating to Carers Benefit)

List of Social Welfare  Intreo Centres and Branch Offices by County

Domiciliary Care Allowance Section
Department of Social Protection
College Rd
Sligo
LoCall 0818 200 400                
Phone:  071 91 93316 - Ext 41216
Email: domcare@welfare.ie

Carer’s Support Grant Section
Social Welfare Services Government Buildings 


Ballinalee Road 
LongfordN39 E4E0

Ireland

Phone: +35343 3340000

LoCall: 0818 92 77 70

Email: RespiteCare@welfare.ie

(for enquiries relating to Carers Support Grant Home page: https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-social-protection/ )