Rules
Social insurance contributions
Only class A, E, H and S contributions count for Invalidity Pension.
To get Invalidity Pension you must have at least:
- 260 (5 years) paid PRSI contributions since entering social insurance
- 48 contributions paid or credited* in the last OR
second-last complete contribution year before the date of your claim
*Note that class S contributors don't qualify for credits.
The last complete contribution year is the year before your claim and the
second-last complete contribution year is the one before that. For example, if
you claim Invalidity Pension in 2018, the last complete contribution year is
2017 and the second last complete contribution year is 2016.
You cannot use voluntary contributions to satisfy the PRSI conditions for
Invalidity Pension.
On 1 December 2017, Invalidity Pension was extended to the self-employed.
You can read detailed
FAQs from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
(DEASP).
Contributions paid in other EU member states
If you were previously insurably employed in a country covered by EU
Regulations or in a country with which Ireland has a bilateral social security
agreement and you have paid at least one full rate PRSI contribution in
Ireland, you may combine your insurance record in that country with your Irish
PRSI contributions to help you qualify for Invalidity Pension.
More information is available in our document about combining
your social insurance contributions from abroad.
Medical criteria
Invalidity Pension is a payment for insured people who are permanently
incapable of work because of an illness or incapacity.
To qualify you must:
- Have been incapable of work for at least 12 months and be likely to be
incapable of work for at least another 12 months (you may have been getting
Illness Benefit or Disability Allowance during that time)
Or
- Be permanently incapable of work (in certain cases of very serious
illness or disability, you can transfer directly from another social
welfare payment or from your job to Invalidity Pension).
A Deciding Officer of the DEASP will examine your claim and determine your
entitlement based on the qualifying conditions outlined above.
Invalidity Pension and work
Since 13 February 2012, Partial
Capacity Benefit has replaced the previous exemption arrangements where
people on Invalidity Pension could get permission to work part-time (known as
an exemption) for rehabilitative or therapeutic purposes and keep their full
social welfare payment. There is no requirement that the work a person does
while on Partial Capacity Benefit has to be for rehabilitative or therapeutic
purposes.
Training and employment schemes
If you are on Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension and want to do a training
course, you do not go onto Partial Capacity Benefit. You apply to the
Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension section, as appropriate.
If you want to do a Community Employment scheme you apply in the normal
way.
Rates
Rate of Invalidity Pension from 29 March 2018
| Invalidity Pension |
Weekly rate, € |
| Aged under 66 |
203.50 |
| Qualified adults* |
145.30 |
| Qualified child |
31.80 (full-rate)
15.90 (half-rate)
|
*Qualified adults who were over 66 before 2 January 2014 can continue to get
a higher rate.
You may get an increase in your payment for an adult
dependant and any child
dependants you may have. You cannot claim an Increase for a Qualified Child
(IQC) with your Invalidity Pension if your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant
has an income of over €400 a week. You get a half-rate IQC if your spouse,
civil partner or cohabitant earns between €310 and €400 a week. This only
applies to claims made since 5 July 2012.
Tax implications
Invalidity Pension is a taxable
source of income and should be reported to your tax office as soon as your
payment starts. You can contact Revenue for more
information.
How to apply
To apply fill in an Invalidity Pension application
form (INV1) (pdf). You can also get a form from your Intreo
Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office. You may qualify for Supplementary
Welfare Allowance while you are waiting for your claim to be processed.
If you have been getting Illness Benefit for a period of 468 days, you will
be medically assessed for continued entitlement to Illness Benefit and possible
entitlement to Invalidity Pension. If, as a result of this assessment, it is
considered that you may be entitled to Invalidity Pension, an application form
(INV2) will be sent to you. When they get the completed form a Deciding Officer
will examine the claim and determine eligibility for Invalidity Pension.
This does not stop you from applying for Invalidity Pension in the normal
way using application form (INV1).
You can get help to fill in your form from your local Citizens Information
Centre, Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office.
If you think you have been wrongly refused Invalidity Pension or you are
unhappy about a decision of a Deciding Officer, you can appeal this
decision.
Where to apply
Invalidity Pension Section
Social Welfare Services Office
Government Buildings
Ballinalee Road
Longford
Ireland
Tel: (043) 334 0000 (If calling from outside the Republic of Ireland please call +353 43 334 0000)
Locall: 1890 92 77 70 (Note: the rates charged for using 1890 (Lo-call) numbers may vary)