Child Benefit latest as Calleary confirms €140 payment for 6,186 children abroad amid ‘targeted' cash plan for thousands

THE Minister for Social Protection has confirmed Child Benefit is paid in respect of 6,186 children who are residing outside of the State.
Minister
EU regulations set out that a country where a person is employed is "generally responsible" for paying family benefits.
This includes when the family resides in another
Responding to
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The
"Child Benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16, 17 and 18 if they are in full-time education or training or have a disability and cannot support themselves.
"Under EU regulations, Child Benefit is considered a 'Family Benefit'.
"The country where a person is employed (their 'country of employment') is generally responsible for paying family benefits, even if the family resides in another EU or EEA state."
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He confirmed that, as of April 30th, Child Benefit was being paid to 3,381 customers in respect of 6,186 non-resident children.
Little known social welfare benefits thousands are entitled to
The country with the highest number of non-resident children whose parents or guardians are entitled to benefit is the
Calleary confirmed 1,310 parents receive the payment in respect of 2,695 kids living outside in the UK.
Some 685 parents or guardians receive the payment in respect of 1,320 children living in
Other countries where children whose parents or guardians receive the payment are Lithuania, Croatia, Spain, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Italy, Greece, Estonia, Belgium, Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Austria.
CHILD BENEFIT PAY DATES
THERE are four Child Benefit payments left in the year.
5th August - may be paid early due to August Bank Holiday
2nd September
7th October
4th November
It comes after a second-tier Child Benefit worth an average of €285 per month was identified as a "key solution" to lift thousands out of poverty.
The
And a "second-tier" allowance would allow lower-income families to top up the existing €140-a-month benefit.
The call comes after a report from the Economic and Social Research Institute confirmed that child-related benefits have lifted over 150,000 children out of poverty so far.
'TARGETED' PAYMENT PLAN
THE Programme for Government states that it is "committed
And last month, the Department of Social Protection told The Irish Sun that the Government is exploring a
The Programme for Government vows to introduce Pay Related Parents Benefit, explore the extension of Parents Leave, continue to "support families with cost of raising their family through the Child Benefit payment" and increase core welfare payments.
It also outlines plans for a "targeted" Child Benefit payment.
A spokesperson for the Department of Social Protection told The Irish Sun: "The Programme for Government commitments relating to Child Benefit are to:
"Continue to support families with the cost of raising their family through the Child Benefit payment, and
"Explore a targeted Child Benefit payment and examine the interaction this would have with existing targeted supports to reduce Child Poverty such as the Working Family Payment and Child Support Payment.
"The Department is working to advance these commitments and, in any event, schemes, including Child Benefit, are kept under review in the context of the annual budget process."
The study, published as part of the ESRI's Budget Perspectives 2026 series, evaluated the impact of existing benefits on child poverty.
Karina Doorley, Associate Research Professor at the ESRI, said child-related benefits are a "powerful tool" in reducing poverty.
She added: "Well-targeted reforms to the system of child-related benefits could further improve outcomes for children and families currently experiencing poverty.
"A second tier of Child Benefit could be a key part of that solution."
Child Benefit is a
A second tier of the
The new payment shake-up would cost the government approximately €772 million each year, according to the ESRI.
1
Child Benefit is a universal payment worth €140 per child each month
Credit: Getty Images - Getty

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