Press release
Minister Doherty announces payment of Christmas Bonus to 1.2 million Social Welfare recipients
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
The Christmas Bonus will be paid to over 1.2 million social welfare recipients next week (commencing Monday 3 December), with payments totalling €264.3 million being made to pensioners, people with disabilities, carers, lone parents, long-term unemployed people and many other recipients.
Emphasising that the bonus payment was at the level of 100%, the first time since 2008, Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty said:
“I am very happy to announce that the Christmas Bonus is being paid again this year and will be available next week. Benefitting all recipients of long-term social welfare payments including carers, people with disabilities, pensioners, and lone parents, the bonus is timed to assist people with the extra expenses occurred over Christmas. In many homes across Ireland, families depend on this bonus and - owing to sound economic and fiscal management by the Government - this will be the first time in a decade in which we can make a 100% Christmas Bonus and provide increased support at this time of the year.”
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Note for Editors
See Appendix 1 (attached) for a list of schemes for which the Christmas bonus will be paid and the number of recipients.
See Appendix 2 (attached) for the rates of payments of these Social Welfare payments.
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Recipient numbers and cost by Scheme
| Scheme | 2018 Numbers | 100% Cost (€m) |
| State Pension Non-Contributory | 94,900 | 21.2 |
| Jobseeker's Allowance* | 111,680 | 23.5 |
| One Parent Family Payment | 39,455 | 9.6 |
| Widow(er)s' Pension (non-con) | 1,385 | 0.2 |
| Deserted Wife's Allowance | 110 | 0.0 |
| Supplementary Welfare Allowance* | 4,400 | 0.9 |
| Daily Expenses Allowance (formerly Direct Provision Allowance)* | 1,950 | 0.1 |
| Farm Assist | 6,645 | 1.3 |
| Community Employment | 21,465 | 5.2 |
| Rural Social Scheme | 3,030 | 0.9 |
| Tús | 6,380 | 1.5 |
| Job Initiative | 720 | 0.3 |
| Back to Work Enterprise Allowance | 9,860 | 2.4 |
| Back to Education Allowance* | 8,390 | 2.0 |
| Gateway | 0 | 0.0 |
| Back to Work Family Dividend | 7,050 | 0.4 |
| Disability Allowance | 141,450 | 30.2 |
| Blind Pension | 1,205 | 0.3 |
| Carer's Allowance | 78,715 | 15.4 |
| Domiciliary Care Allowance | 38,810 | 3.6 |
| Guardian's Payment (non-con) | 545 | 0.1 |
| Magdalen Commission Scheme | 405 | 0.1 |
| Subtotal Assistance | 578,900 | 119.2 |
| State Pension (Contributory) | 428,025 | 99.3 |
| Widow(er)s' Surviving Civil Partners Pension (Con) | 121,320 | 28.6 |
| Occupational Injuries Death Benefit | 730 | 0.2 |
| Deserted Wife's Benefit | 6,180 | 1.4 |
| Partial Capacity Benefit | 2,485 | 0.4 |
| Invalidity Pension | 57,290 | 13.0 |
| Disablement Benefit | 14,280 | 1.2 |
| Carer's Benefit | 2,755 | 0.7 |
| Guardian's Payment (Contributory) | 1,155 | 0.3 |
| Subtotal Insurance | 634,230 | 145.1 |
| Total Assistance & Insurance | 1,213,130 | 264.3 |
**15 months duration on eligible social welfare payment or scheme is required in order to be eligible for Bonus
Payment by Family Type
| Payment & Family Type | Rate of Payment |
| Pensioners | |
| State Pension Contributory (SPC) Personal Rate - Single | €243.30 |
| SPC Couple - Personal Rate with a Qualified Adult aged 66 or over | €461.30 |
| SPC Couple - Personal Rate with a Qualified Adult aged under 66 | €405.40 |
| State Pension Non-Contributory (SPNC) Personal Rate - Single | €232.00 |
| SPNC Personal Rate - Couple (Both entitled in their own right to the SPNC) | €464.00 |
| SPNC Couple - Personal Rate with a Qualified Adult aged under 66 | €385.30 |
| Pensioner Couple - One in receipt of SPC and the other in receipt of SPNC | €475.30 |
| Widow/er’s and Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory Pension (WSCPCP) Personal Rate - aged under 66 | €203.50 |
| WSCPCP Personal Rate (under 66) with 1 child | €235.30 |
| WSCPCP Personal Rate (under 66) with 2 children | €267.10 |
| WSCPCP Personal Rate (under 66) with 4 children | €330.70 |
| Jobseekers | |
| Jobseeker's Allowance (JA) Personal Rate - Single | €198.00 |
| JA Couple - Personal Rate and Qualified Adult Rate | €329.40 |
| JA Couple - Personal Rate and Qualified Adult Rate with 1 child | €361.20 |
| JA Couple - Personal Rate and Qualified Adult Rate with 2 children | €393.00 |
| JA Couple - Personal Rate and Qualified Adult Rate with 4 children | €456.60 |
| One-Parent Family Payment | |
| One Parent Family Payment Personal Rate with 1 child | €229.80 |
| One Parent Family Payment Personal Rate with 2 children | €261.60 |
| One Parent Family Payment Personal Rate with 4 children | €325.20 |
| Carer’s Allowance | |
| Carer's Allowance Personal Rate - Aged Under 66 | €214.00 |
| Carer's Allowance Personal Rate - Aged Under 66 with 1 child | €245.80 |
| Carer's Allowance Personal Rate - Aged Under 66 with 2 children | €277.60 |
| Carer's Allowance Personal Rate - Aged Under 66 with 4 children | €341.20 |
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