The Fuel Allowance scheme has opened for new applicants after Social Protection Minister, Heather Humphreys, made updates to the payment.
Today, more than 80,000 additional households will be considered eligible for the scheme for the first time.
The new system will support the largest-ever expansion of the Fuel Allowance Scheme and comes as the government works to ensure households can afford to heat their homes amid the current energy crisis.
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Fuel Allowance is still a means-tested payment that is made at the weekly rate of €33 or if preferred, by way of two lump sum payments - only one fuel allowance is payable per household.
Currently, over 370,000 households receive the Fuel Allowance payment and if you qualify, it is paid with your social welfare payment on the same day.
As part of the expansion to the Fuel Allowance scheme coming into force today, a new Over 70s Means Test for Fuel Allowance is being introduced.
Under this:
- A single person over 70 can have income of €500 per week and a couple can have income of €1,000 per week
- People over 70 will no longer need to be in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment to be eligible for Fuel Allowance
- In the case of a couple where one person is over 70 and one is under 70, they will be assessed under the Over 70s Means Test criteria
- In addition, Minister Humphreys is also more than doubling the amount of savings that are disregarded in the means assessment for the Fuel Allowance payment for people aged over 70
- Under this, the first €50,000 in savings and investments will now be completely disregarded in the means test
Minister Humphreys also today announced the expansion of the standard Under 70s Fuel Allowance Scheme:
From 2 January 2023:
- The weekly means threshold for those aged under 70 will be increased by €80 per week, from €120 to €200 above the appropriate weekly rate of State Pension Contributory.
- Payments from Disablement Benefit and Half Rate Carers payments will no longer be included in the means assessment for Fuel Allowance for applicants who are both under and over 70 years.
- Successful applicants should get the fuel allowance from January 1, 2023.
How to qualify for Fuel Allowance
To get Fuel Allowance you must be living alone (or with certain people listed below), 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)
- Qualifying social assistance payments
- State Pension (Non-Contributory)
- Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Non-Contributory) Pension
- Disability Allowance
- Blind Pension
- Deserted Wife's Benefit or Allowance
- One-Parent Family Payment (OFP)
- Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory)
- Farm Assist
- Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance for more than a year
- Jobseeker's Allowance for more than 312 days
- Jobseeker's Transitional payment (JST)
If you are taking part in certain schemes - Back to Work Allowance, Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA), Rural Social Scheme, Tús or Community Employment and are entitled to keep your secondary benefits, 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
Announcing the new scheme for Over 70s, Minister Humphreys said: “As Minister, the one thing I do not want to see is any old person afraid to turn on their heating.
“Our senior citizens have worked hard all their lives; they have put in their shift and I want to make sure they can live in comfort.
“That’s why I am introducing this new Over 70s Fuel Allowance scheme, which will ensure tens of thousands more older people will now qualify for the payment.
“My Department has developed a new user-friendly online application that will be open for applications from today. I strongly encourage those who think they may now be eligible for the payment to apply online via MyWelfare.ie."
For more information, or to apply for the scheme, head over to MyWelfare.ie.
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