Heather Humphreys announces details for Double Child Benefit and ...
Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys has announced a Double Child Benefit Payment will be paid tomorrow to support 650,000 families with the cost of living.
The measure means that €280 per child will be paid in respect of over 1.2 million children across the State.
Minister Humphreys also announced the details for the Christmas Bonus, which will be paid to approximately 1.3 million people this week including pensioners, carers and people with disabilities.
The total cost of Christmas bonuses coming to families in Ireland constitutes more than €320 million. It will be paid on the same day recipients usually receive their weekly pension or other primary payment.
Meanwhile, recipients of Illness Benefit for longer than 12 months will also receive a Christmas Bonus as they did last year.
“Christmas is a very special time of the year, but it can be an expensive period for individuals and families,” Ms Humphreys said.
“The Christmas Bonus is a vital support, particularly for our senior citizens. I am very conscious of the pressure families are under particularly in the run-up to Christmas.
“Child Benefit is one of the few tools within the Department of Social Protection that I can use to support working families.
“I know from my days working in the Credit Union how much families depend on the monthly Child Benefit payment, and I am delighted to announce details of this double payment today, which will support hundreds of thousands of hardworking families across the country.”
Child Benefit is paid to families with children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 18th birthday if they are in full-time education or have a disability.
From September 2024, Child Benefit will be extended to 18-year-olds in full-time education. This payment will cover children at the second level or otherwise as they remain in full-time education until they turn 19.
Around 60,000 18-year-olds in Ireland will benefit from this measure.
Recent figures reveal that more than 172,000 families will benefit in Co Dublin, 72,000 in Co Cork, 35,000 in Kildare, 33,000 in Galway, 30,000 in Meath, 26,000 in Limerick, and 22,000 in Donegal.
