Know Your Rights has been compiled by Kerry Citizens Information Service which provides a free and confidential service to the public…
Know Your Rights has been compiled by Kerry Citizens Information Service which provides a free and confidential service to the public…After our wonderful summer, autumn is now in the air. This means there will be a change in temperatures, and the evenings are getting longer.
Ciara O’Gorman, Development Manager with South Munster Citizens Information Service is discussing supports available to assist with the seasonal increase in the demand to heat your home.
The main Social Welfare support with heating cost is the Fuel Allowance. Can you tell us a bit about it?
Fuel Allowance is a payment to help with the cost of heating your home during the winter months. It is paid to only one person in a household.
The Fuel Allowance season normally begins in late September of each year and ends in April. It is usually paid for 28 weeks (until beginning of April 2027).
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The current rate of Fuel Allowance is €38 per week. You can choose to get the Fuel Allowance paid every week or in certain circumstances, you can get it paid in 2 instalments (lump sums). Currently the total Fuel Allowance payment over 28 weeks is €1,064. It can be paid to you in 2 instalments (lump sums) – September 2026 and January 2027.
How do you qualify for Fuel Allowance?
To get Fuel Allowance you must satisfy three conditions. I will summarise these.
• You must live alone or with certain people e.g. your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant who qualifies for an increase on your pension or social welfare payment or is getting a payment in their own right. You can also live with a person who is getting Carer’s Benefit & is caring for you or your partner/spouse or with a person who would qualify for the fuel allowance in their own right.
• You must also be in receipt of a qualifying payment (unless you are 66 or over). Qualifying payments include State Pensions Contributory & Non Contributory, Invalidity Pension, Disability Allowance, One Parent Family Payment & Farm Assist. Listeners can contact us for more information on these qualifying payments. Important to note that, if you are aged over 66, you do not need to be on a qualifying payment.
• You must satisfy a means test
When people hear about means testing, they can be concerned. Can you explain how the means test works?
The Department of Social Protection (DSP) examines all your sources of income. Your gross weekly income must be below a certain amount to pass the means test.
You are usually accepted as passing the means test for Fuel Allowance, if you are getting a qualifying social assistance (means-tested) payment such as State Pension Non-Contributory or Disability Allowance as you have already satisfied the means test and it does not need to be done again.
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Income from some social welfare payments and certain other sources are not counted in the means test.
If you are under 66, the first €20,000 of your capital is not taken into account, while if you are 66 or over, the first €50,000 of your capital is not taken into account.
The value of your own home is never assessed. If you have a second property (property other than your own home), the rental income from that property is assessed. However, the capital value (less any mortgage outstanding on the property) will be assessed if the property is not rented.
If you are renting out a room in your home, you can have an income from rent of up to €269.23 a week (€14,000 per year) without affecting your Fuel Allowance. The person renting the room in your home must use the room for a minimum of 28 consecutive days and cannot be an employee of yours or an immediate family member.
If you are over 66 you can have an average gross weekly income of up to €534, or €1,068 per week for a couple and still qualify for Fuel Allowance.
A single person under 66 can have income up to €499.30 per week and a couple where the qualified adult is under 66 can have weekly income up to €698.70. This increases to €767.70 if the qualified adult is 66 or over.
In the list of qualifying payments, you mentioned Working Family Payment. Can you give us more information about that?
Since the 1st of January this year, if you are getting the Working Family Payment, you will also get the Fuel Allowance if no other member of your household is getting the Fuel Allowance, your heating needs are not included in full as part of your accommodation and you are legally resident in Ireland
You do not need to submit an application. This is a very positive development for low-income families.
Another positive development is that from this month, people moving from Disability Allowance or Blind Pension to take up work will keep their Fuel Allowance for 5 years. This was announced in last years budget and is only come into effect now.
If someone was getting the Fuel Allowance weekly & wanted to change to getting it paid in 2 lump sums, how would they get it changed?
To change how your Fuel Allowance is paid, fill in the Change the Payment Frequency form at least one month before the first instalment is due. You can get the form from your local social welfare office or Citizens Information Centre
Is there also a Telephone Support Allowance?
If you are getting Fuel Allowance as well as the Living Alone Increase, you will also get a Telephone Support Allowance of €2.50 per week. This is paid automatically with your main social welfare payment, so you do not have to apply for it. It amounts to an additional €130 over the year.
Are there other supports from the Department of Social Protection to help with cost of electricity or gas bills?
The Household Benefits Package (HBP) helps with the cost of your electricity or gas bill and the TV licence. You do not have to be living alone to get the Household Benefits Package and the utility bills do not have to be in your name. However, only one person in a household can get the Package..
You can get the Household Benefits Package if you are aged 70 or over. You do not need to be getting a state pension and the package is not means tested. People under 70 can also get the HBP, but additional rules apply
How do you qualify for the Household Benefits Package?
To get the Household Benefits Package, you must:
• Be living in Ireland (full-time, all year round)
• Be the only person in your household getting the HBP
• Be aged 70 or over
• Be aged under 70 and meet the additional rules for ‘People aged under 70’
What are the additional rules for people under 70?
If you are under 70 you can get the Household Benefits Package, if you are getting a qualifying social welfare payment. If you live with your spouse, you must be getting an increase in your qualifying social welfare payment for them or they are getting a qualifying payment in their own right.
These rules only apply if you are living with a spouse, partner or civil partner. You can get the HBP and live with other adults, for example, with a parent or in shared accommodation and their income will not be not taken into account.
If you are aged between 66 and 70 and are not getting a qualifying social welfare payment, you must pass a means test. In a means test, the Department of Social Protection (DSP) examines all your sources of income. Your weekly income must be below a certain amount to pass the means test.
You can get further information on the additional rules for people under 70 by contacting our office.
What is covered by the Household Benefits Package?
There are 2 allowances in the Household Benefits Package. Firstly, there is the Electricity Allowance or Natural Gas Allowance of €35 monthly and secondly there is a free television licence.
How is the Household Benefit Package paid?
The Allowance is paid into your nominated bank account or post office. The Allowance is paid on the first Tuesday of each month.
Since September last year, all new applicants for the Household Benefits Package will get paid the Allowance to their nominated bank account or post office.
If you are an existing Household Benefits Package customer and you are already getting a monthly credit towards your electricity or gas bill, you will continue to get the credit unless you change your supplier. If you change your energy supplier, you must tell the DSP.
Are there any supports for people who have special heating needs?
If you have special heating needs, you may be able to get additional weekly supplements under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme. The heating supplement is an additional weekly payment to help with the cost of heating your home. You may get a heating supplement, if you:
• Can show you have extra heating needs because of your age, medical condition or disability
• Are living alone or only with a dependent adult or dependent children
• Satisfy a means test
There is no fixed rate for heating supplement. The amount of heating supplement you get is based on your need as assessed by your Community Welfare Officer. The payment you get will depend on your weekly household income, your savings and investments, your household expenses, the costs of additional heating required, and your ability to meet these costs.
As usual, this is a vast area and we do not have time to delve into all the details so if someone would like more information what should they do?
If someone would like more information about any of the issues I covered or would like to get an application form, drop-in to your local CIC.
We will discuss your current circumstances with you and make you aware how the various schemes apply to your personal circumstances and help you with the application process. We can go through the means test with you. Our service is confidential and independent and there is no charge.
• For anyone needing information, advice or have an advocacy issue, you can call a member of the local Citizens Information team in Kerry on 0818 07 7860, they will be happy to assist and make an appointment if necessary.
The offices are staffed from Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm. Alternatively you can email on tralee@citinfo.ie or log on to www.citizensinformation.ie for further information.
