Press release
Minister Doherty launches Working Family Payment Information Campaign
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, T.D., has announced a nationwide information campaign aimed at raising awareness of the Government’s Working Family Payment scheme and to alert employees that they may qualify for this scheme while they are working.
Minister Doherty today emphasised:
“The Working Family Payment is one of my Department’s schemes to provide support for employees with families who have low earnings. Currently, over 53,000 working families with 120,000 children are benefitting from the scheme and receiving average weekly payments of €135.
“I want everybody who is entitled to such supports to be aware of what is available and this new information campaign seeks to promote greater awareness. If anybody out there thinks that they and their family might qualify, I would urge them to contact their local Intreo Centre or simply check out the details of the scheme on our website www.welfare.ie .”
The estimated expenditure on the Working Family Payment in 2018 was €410.5 million and the allocation for 2019 is €416.44 million.
One of the measures that Minister Doherty secured in Budget 2019 was the introduction of a housing cost disregard for customers in receipt of maintenance payments. This brings Working Family Payment into line with other social assistance schemes. Arising from this Budget measure, approximately €9.1 million extra will be paid out annually, with affected customers benefiting by an average increase of €27.40 per week in their payment.
Recent analysis undertaken by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection showed that existing in-work supports, in particular, the Working Family Payment and the Back to Work Family Dividend, are very effective, and work well in assisting individuals to make the transition from unemployment into employment.
The information campaign will run from today until the end of July on national and local media including print, radio, digital and Out of House including on the Luas and Dart and in train stations. The cost of the campaign is €120,000 (inc. VAT).
Note for Editors
The Working Family Payment is available to employees in private and public sectors.
The Working Family Payment is not taxable and neither is it taken into account in assessment for a medical card or GP card.
An employee who is getting the Working Family Payment may also be entitled to receive the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection’s Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance that is paid annually.
The Department’s Back to Work Family Dividend and Working Family Payment can also be paid together and the Dividend will not be taken into account in the income test for Working Family Payment.
The following table shows the family income that applies, depending on the family size. For example, a person with one child, with an average weekly family income of up to €521 may qualify for the Working Family Payment. The payment they receive is 60% of the difference between their average weekly family income and the income limit that applies to their family.
| Family Size | Where the weekly family income* is up to |
| A person with one child | €521 |
| A person with two children | €622 |
| A person with three children | €723 |
| A person with four children | €834 |
| A person with five children | €960 |
| A person with six children | €1,076 |
| A person with seven children | €1,212 |
| A person with eight or more children | €1,308 |
Full details on the Working Family Payment are available on the Department’s website here.