Thousands more households will benefit from a fuel allowance boost of €400 coming in a matter of weeks as the cost of living crisis continues to devastate some.
Pensioners will be given a €400 cost of living fuel allowance lump sum on November 14, 2022, according to Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys.
This will mark the start of what is known to be the traditional ‘fuel season’ and the payment will be on top of the regular weekly fuel allowance payments of €33.
READ MORE: Date given for €400 cost of living fuel allowance lump sum as thousands to benefit
The extra boost will see anyone who qualifies for the fuel allowance receive a total of €1,324 across the winter season as the government works to help with the skyrocketing cost of heating a home.
Minister Humphreys also announced an expansion of the income thresholds for the scheme over the weekend which saw:
- A person over 70 earning up to €500 a week now qualifying for the bonus cash
- A couple can earn €1,000 a week qualifying the bonus
This came with a few other changes which will ensure an additional 81,000 older people can avail of the fuel allowance.
In order to qualify, you must live alone or only with:
- A dependent spouse, civil partner or cohabitant and/or dependent children
- A person who is getting Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit and is caring for you or for your dependent spouse, partner or cohabitant on a full-time basis
- A person getting short-term Jobseeker's Allowance or basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance
- Other people who are getting the qualifying payments and who would also be eligible for a Fuel Allowance in their own right
You must also be living in Ireland and getting one of the following qualifying payments:
- Qualifying social insurance payments
- State Pension (Contributory)
- Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension
- Incapacity Supplement under the Occupational Injuries Benefit scheme
- Invalidity Pension
- Guardian's Payment (Contributory)
- Death Benefit under the Occupational Injuries Scheme
- A pension or benefit from a country covered by EU Regulations or a country with which Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement (provided there is an equivalent Irish payment)
A full list of other qualifying assistance payments can be found at this link.
This year a record 371,000 households can qualify under the broadened eligibility rules as Ms. Humphreys explained: “The Fuel Allowance plays a vital role in supporting hundreds of thousands of households with their heating costs over the winter months.
“In order to ease the pressure and stress that many households are currently facing, an additional €400 lump sum cost-of-living payment will be made to all households in receipt of fuel allowance in mid-November.
“This will bring the total value of the Fuel Allowance to €1,324 per household.”
She went on to say that she is “very conscious” that the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the cold, and said, “however many pensioners currently fall just outside the income thresholds to qualify for the fuel allowance.
“For that reason, I am introducing a new Over 70s means Test for Fuel Allowance from January.
“Under this, a single person can have an income of €500 per week and a couple can have an income of €1,000 per week and still qualify for Fuel Allowance.
“Broadening the eligibility of the Fuel Allowance to include more older people was a priority for me in the Budget and my Department is now working on developing the necessary IT systems and application forms so that people over 70 will be able to benefit from these changes from January.
“We have also increased the weekly means threshold for those aged under 70 by €80 per week.
“Combined it is estimated these changes will bring an extra 81,000 households into the Fuel Allowance Scheme which represents the largest ever expansion of the Scheme.
“As part of the Budget, I secured approval for a range of other Lump Sum Payments to support our pensioners, carers, people with disabilities and working families and I will be setting out the timetable for these payments in the coming days.”
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