Social Welfare Benefits for those aged 66 and over

State Pension ( Contributory )

is a social insurance payment made when you reach age 66, based on your social insurance ( PRSI ) record. This pension is not means-tested, so the personal rate is not affected by other income such as an occupational pension. However, the increase for a Qualified Adult is means tested. You can apply for State Pension ( Contributory ) at age 66 and continue working.

State Pension ( Non-Contributory )

is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 or over who do not qualify for State Pension ( Contributory ) based on their social insurance record.

A number of additional benefits are available for those aged 66 and over:

Free Travel

You can use your Free Travel pass on

• Dublin Bus ( except Nitelink and special Airport Services )
  
•  Bus Eireann
  
• Iarnrod Eireann ( including DART, outer suburban and Intercity services )
  
•  Certain private bus and ferry services, and
  
• Cross-border services to and from Northern Ireland

Your spouse or partner does not have to pay when traveling with you. If you permanently live on any of the Aran Islands, you may get a limited number of return flights to Aerfort Chonamara. If you permanently live on Tory Island, you may get a limited number of return flights to Falcarragh.

Household Benefits Package

• The Electricity or Natural Gas Allowance, Telephone Allowance and Free Television Licence are grouped together as a Household Benefits Package with a singlr application form and one set of conditions. Household Benefits Package is available to all people age 70 or over, regardless of their income or who lives with them.
  
• It is also available to persons under 70 who are getting a qualifying payment ( see note A below ) and live alone or only with certain excepted people, or
  
• You are aged between 66 and 69, satisfy a means test and live alone or only with certain excepted people ( see note B below ).

Note A: Qualifying payments if you are aged between 66 and 70:

Old Age Contributory or non-Contributory Pension
Retirement Pension
Blind Pension
Widow’s or Widower’s Contributory or non-Contributory Pension
Invalidity Pension
Deserted Wife’s Benefit or Allowance
Prisoner’s Wife’s Allowance
An ordinary Garda Widow’s Pension from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
An equivalent Social Security Pension or benefit from a country covered by EC Regulations, or from a country with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement.

Note B: Qualifying payments for persons aged under 66:

Invalidity Pension
Blind Pension
Unemployability Supplement or Workmen’s Compensation with Disablement Pension ( for at least 12 months )
Disability Allowance
An equivalent Social Security Pension or Benefit from a country covered by EC Regulations, or from a country with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement for at least 12 months.

Electricity Allowance

This allowance is applied to your ESB account from the start of the two-monthly billing period that begins after we receive your application. Once we approve your application, your next ESB bill or the one after will include the allowance and any backdated credit you are owed.

The allowance covers:

• Normal standing charges and
  
• Up to 1,800 units of electricity each year

If you have a Nightsaver meter in your home, your unused free electricity units will reduce the cost of electricity in your Nighsaver account. The allowance does not cover the cost of installing an electricity supply in your home.

Natural Gas Allowance

If your home is connected to a natural gas supply, you will get this allowance instead of the Electricity Allowance. The Allowance is applied to your natural gas account from the start of the two-monthly billing period that begins after we receive your application. The allowance will appear on the second gas bill you receive after that date, and will include any back payments due to you. If you are paying for natural gas on the Standard Tariff the allowance covers: 

• The supply charge of 30.75 euro
  
• Up to 1674kwh of free gas each year

If you pay for natural gas on another tariff, you will get an equivalent value allowance.

Bottled Gas Refill Allowance

If your home is not connected to an electricity or natural gas supply ( but you would otherwise qualify for an Electricity or Natural Gas Allowance ), you may qualify for a Bottled Gas Refill Allowance instead.

Free Television Licence

If you get the Household Benefits Package, you will qualify for a free television licence from the next renewal date of your current paid television licence. You may also qualify if you are not a registered consumer of electricity or gas, but you satisfy the other conditions for a Electricity or Natural Gas or Bottled Gas Refill Allowance.

Telephone Allowance

The Telephone Allowance is a contribution towards your telephone bill. The value of the allowance is 20.41 euro plus vat each month ( 24.70 euro including vat ).

Natural Fuel Scheme

Fuel Allowance A fuel allowance is payable for 29 weeks from early October to late April. Only one allowance is payable to any one household. To qualify for a Fuel Allowance you must live alone or with other qualified people and your household must satisfy a means test.

Smokeless Fuel Allowance This allowance helps pay for smokeless fuels in certain areas where selling bituminous fuel is banned.
Arklow, Bray, Celbridge, Cork City, Drogheda, Dublin City, Dundalk, Galway City, Kilkenny City, Leixlip, Limerick City, Naas, Sligo, Tralee, Waterford City, and Wexford.

Treatment Benefit

Dental and optical benefits, contact lenses and hearing aids
These benefits are based on your PRSI record. If you qualify for these benefits at age 60, you will remain qualified for life. Your spouse may also qualify for these benefits based on your PRSI record, if:

• Their weekly income is below a certain limit, and either
  
• They are not getting a social welfare payment in their own right ( except Carer’s Allowance, Disablement Pension, Supplementary Welfare Allowance or Child Benefit ) or
  
• They were dependent on you immediately before they started or returned to insurable employment, or
  
• They are getting an Old Age Non-Contributory Pension in their own right and they were dependent on you immediately before getting this

Living Alone Increases

This increase is an extra weekly payment that you can get if you live alone and are aged 66 or over. You may also get it if you entirely or mainly alone and you are under age 66 and you are getting Invalidity Pension, Disability Allowance, Unemployability Supplement or Blind Pension. If you get a social welfare pension and you live entirely or mainly alone, you will automatically get this allowance as long as you write on your application form that you live entirely or mainly alone.

Supplementary Welfare Allowance

Supplementary Welfare Allowance provides a basic weekly allowance to certain people wo have little or no income. If you have no income or are waiting for a social welfare or Health Service Executive payment, contact the Community Welfare Officer at your local office of the Health Service Executive. In addition to the basic allowance, you may get assistance in the form of:

•  Supplements for rent, mortgage interest or special dietary or heating needs,
  
• Exceptional Needs payments which may be issued for once-off exceptional spending that you could not reasonably be expected to meet from your normal weekly income,
  
• Urgent Needs payments for a crisis situation, such as a house fire or flood