You may get One-Parent Family Payment for as long as you meet the qualifying conditions.
For new customers (those who first qualify for One-Parent Family Payment on or after 27 April 2011):
Your payment will be made until the youngest child in the family reaches the age of 14 years.
For existing customers (those who first qualify for One-Parent Family Payment before 27 April 2011)
You will continue to get payment for:
- 2011 and 2012 or until the youngest child in the family reaches age 18 years.
- Until the end of the 2012/2013 academic year, if the youngest child in the family is in full-time education even if they are over 18 years of age.
- From 2013, your payment will cease when the youngest child reaches 17 years of age.
- From 2014, your payment will cease when the youngest child reaches 16 years of age.
- From 2015, your payment will cease when the youngest child reaches 15 years of age.
- From 2016 onwards, your payment will cease when the youngest child reaches 14 years of age.
New and existing customers
- One-Parent Family Payment will continue for families where Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is in payment until the child for whom DCA is paid reaches age 16.
- A person who is recently bereaved (who was married, in a civil partnership or a civil union or cohabiting) and is now parenting alone as a qualified parent (see section 2) can claim One-Parent Family Payment for two years from the date of death of their spouse, civil partner or cohabitant or until their youngest child reaches 18 years of age, whichever is earlier.
You may get half your One-Parent Family Payment for 6 months if your earnings exceed €425 a week provided you were getting your payment for at least 52 consecutive weeks. If you received a previous transitional payment between 5 April 2001 and 31 December 2003, the total number of weeks of transitional payment cannot exceed 52. The maximum number of weeks of transitional payment paid after 6 January 2005 is 26 weeks.
If you are getting One-Parent Family Payment for less than 52 consecutive weeks and your earnings exceed €425 a week your payment will stop.