€160 or €285 social welfare payment alert for thousands of Irish parents TODAY as key group urged to update application
THOUSANDS of people can apply for a once-yearly social welfare payment worth €160 or €285 from today, it has been confirmed.
And one key group has been urged to update their application for the cash to avoid missing out when the money lands in accounts next month.
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Thousands of families will receive the notification today
Credit: Getty
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Those who don't receive the alert can still apply
Credit: Getty
Applications for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear
Many families get the BSCFA automatically and don't need to apply.
But those who don't get notified of the payment on their MyWelfare account or through post by today could miss out on the lump sum.
And this key group must apply for the payment from the Department of Social Protection by September 30th in order to avoid missing out.
Read more in Money
The payment is designed to help parents cover the cost of
It's meant to be spent on
The Department of Social Protection will pay out the sum sometime in July.
And those who apply for the cash later in the summer will receive the payment later than others.
MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN
The payment is worth €160 for a child aged four up to 11.
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And for children between the ages of 12 and 22, the payment amounts to €285.
But children between the ages of 18 and 22 must be returning to full time second level education in a recognised school in
Applications for the payment will close on September 30.
People have been urged to apply before the closing date if they have applied for a social welfare payment and are waiting for a decision on their application.
They should also apply if they are waiting for a decision on an appeal for a social welfare payment.
Whether or not the application receives the BSCFA will be decided based on the outcome of the social welfare appeal or application.
The BSCFA is a means tested, once off, lump sum payment given to those who meet the criteria.
INCOME CRITERIA
This criteria includes getting a qualifying social welfare payment, or participating in an approved employment, education or training support scheme.
Applicants' households must also be within the BSCFA income limits and the child and parents must be resident in Ireland.
The weekly income limit for BSCFA is €694 for a family with one child, but this amount increases by €62 for each additional dependent child.
All dependent children, including those over 18 in third level education, will be counted when applying the income limit.
When assessing income from wages, the DSP looks at income before tax - but PRSI and a standard travel allowance of up to €20 each week is not included.
Savings, investments, shares and property - but not your own home - are also assessed as part of the means test.
If you are getting a social welfare payment but don't qualify for a child support payment, you may still qualify for BSCFA.
But this is only if the rules of your payment do not provide for a child payment or your spouse or partner's income is over the specified limit for the payment but your overall household income is within the BSCFA income limits.
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