a carer
The Department has a range of schemes designed to support full time carers….
Carer's Allowance is a means-tested payment for carers who look after certain people in need of full-time care and attention on a full time basis. If you are in receipt of another social welfare payment and you are providing someone with full time care and attention you may qualify for a reduced rate of carer's allowance in addition to your original payment.
From 14th March 2005, two carers who are providing care on a part-time basis in an established pattern can now be accommodated on the carer's allowance scheme.
Carer's Benefit is a payment for people who have made social insurance contributions and who have recently left the workforce and are looking after somebody in need of full-time care and attention. You can get carer's benefit for a total of 2 years for each person being cared for. You may be eligible for carer's leave.
The Respite Care Grant is an annual payment for full-time carers who look after certain people in need of full-time care and attention. The payment is made regardless of the carer's means but is subject to certain conditions.
The Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly means tested payment, administrated by the HSE to the carer of a child with a severe disability who lives at home.
Free Travel is available to people aged 66 or over resident in the State and to people aged under 66 in receipt of certain disability-type social welfare payments or carer's allowance. It allows you to use public transport, and a large number of private bus and ferry services, free of charge.
Certain incapacitated people can get a free travel companion pass if they are assessed as unfit to travel alone. This type of pass allows any one person, aged 16 or over, to accompany you for free, when traveling.
Holders of a Free Travel Pass from the Department of Social and Family Affairs or a smartpass from the Department for Regional Development in Northern Ireland may make cross-border journeys free of charge between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Free travel pass holders aged 66 or over may travel for free on public transport within Northern Ireland. Similarly, smartpass holders aged 65 or over may travel for free on participating services in the Republic of Ireland
The Household Benefits Package is made up of three allowances, the Electricity or Gas Allowance, the Telephone Allowance which now may be paid in respect of either a landline or a mobile phone and the Free Television Licence. These allowances provide contributions towards your electricity or natural gas or bottled gas refill bill and telephone bill and cover the cost of your Television Licence each year. The allowances are applied directly to your bills, where applicable.
The package is available to people aged over 70 who are resident in the State and to people under age 70 in certain circumstances. Only one person in a household can qualify for the package at any time.
People who leave the workforce for periods spent caring can have gaps in their insurance records which can affect their entitlement to a State Pension (Contributory) at age 66. The Homemaker's scheme, introduced in April 1994, allows for periods spent providing full-time care to children up to 12 years of age or an incapacitated person to be taken into account for pension purposes. It does not provide social welfare payments while homemaking.