a widow or widower
This Section contains details of the different payments available to people who are widowed. It also provides information on supports available for people with children.
Widowed
Widow's or Widower's (Contributory) Pension is a social insurance payment for both widows and widowers. It is not means-tested, and therefore entitlement is not affected by other income you might have such as earnings, an occupational pension or a pension from your late spouse's employment. If you are getting a Widow's or Widower's (Contributory) Pension you are exempt from paying the 2.25% Health Contribution and Employment and Training Levy.
If you are widowed and aged under 66 with qualified children and you do not qualify for a Widow's or Widower's Contributory Pension, you should apply for a One-Parent Family Payment.
If you are widowed and do not qualify for a Widow's or Widower's Contributory Pension based on either your own or your late spouse's insurance record, you may qualify for a Widow's or Widower's Non-Contributory Pension. This is a means-tested payment and we take account of any income you have when deciding if you qualify.
If you have qualified children, you may qualify for a One-Parent Family Payment which is also means-tested .
A Bereavement Grant is a payment based on PRSI contributions. It is payable on the death of an insured person, the spouse or partner of an insured person, the widow or widower of an insured person, a child under age 18, or under age 22 if in full-time education (where either parent or the person that the child normally lives with satisfies the PRSI contribution conditions), a contributory pensioner, the spouse or partner of a contributory pensioner, the qualified adult of a contributory pensioner, including those who would be a qualified adult but are getting another social welfare payment, such as Carer's Allowance. a qualified child or an orphan getting Guardian's Payment (Contributory) or on the death of his or her guardian.
A Widowed Parent Grant is a once-off payment for widows and widowers with qualified children, to provide income support after the death of their spouse.
This scheme applies only to widows and widowers who have at least one qualified child and who were widowed on or after 1 December 1999. To get this grant, a person must first qualify for Widow’s or Widower’s Pension or a Bereavement Grant.
Child Related Payments
Child Benefit is a monthly payment for each qualified child normally living with you and being supported by you. A qualified child is a child under age 16, or a child aged 16, 17 or 18 who is in full-time education, or attends a FÁS Youthreach course, or is physically or mentally disabled, and depends on you. Child Benefit stops when your child reaches age 19.
Family Income Supplement (FIS) is a weekly tax-free payment for families, including one-parent families, at work on low pay.
The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance helps towards the cost of uniforms and footwear for school children. The Scheme operates from 1st June to 30th September each year. The Scheme offers help to school-going children for whom a qualified child increase is payable and is run by the local office of the Health Service Executive (HSE) as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) Scheme.Your local office of the Health Service Executive (HSE) will decide if you qualify for this payment.
Supplementary Welfare Allowance
Supplementary Welfare Allowance provides a basic weekly allowance as a right to eligible people who have little or no income.
People with low incomes may also qualify for a weekly supplement under the Scheme to meet certain special needs. In addition, payments can also be made in respect of urgent or exceptional needs.
The Increase for Living Alone is paid to people who mainly live alone and get certain payments from the Department of Social and Family Affairs. If you qualify, you get the increase with your social welfare payments each week.
People who leave the workforce for periods spent caring can have gaps in their insurance records which can affect their entitlement to a State contributory pension at age 66. The Homemaker's scheme, introduced in 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.
Free Travel
Free Travel is available to people aged 66 or over resident in the State and to people aged under 66 also resident in the State who are 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. People aged 60 to 65 who are widowed may qualify for free travel if their late spouse had a Free Travel pass and prior to their death, lived together permanently.
Household Benefits Package
The Household Benefits Package is made up of three allowances, Electricity or Gas Allowance, Telephone Allowance and 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 Household Benefits Package is available to everyone over 70 resident in the State. The package is available to widowed people aged between 66 and 70 resident in the State. Widow/ers aged 60 to 65 resident in the State may receive this benefit if your late spouse was getting the Household Benefit Package and immediately before your spouse's death you were permanently living together.
Fuel Allowance
The National Fuel Scheme is intended to help households that depend on long-term social welfare or Health Service Executive payments and are unable to provide for their own heating needs. A household may receive only one Fuel Allowance. Fuel Allowance is paid from the end of September to mid April
This allowance helps low income households meet the extra costs of using smokeless or low smoke fuels in certain areas where the sale of bituminous fuel is banned.
Only one Smokeless Fuel Allowance is payable to any household.
Other Benefits
- You may receive certain short-term social welfare payments at half-rate in addition to Widow's or Widower's Contributory Pension or Widow's or Widower's Non Contributory Pension.
- You may be eligible for assistance under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme including Rent and Mortgage Interest Supplement
- You may be entitled to a medical card (from your regional office of the Health Service Executive).