Social welfare Ireland: One group in line for €15 a week rise while one misses out on budget boost

One major group is in line to see a €15 a week increase in their payment in the upcoming budget while another group looks set to miss out on the rise in Budget 2025

Pensioners are likely to see a whopping €15 a week increase in Budget 2025, while Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys is reportedly planning not to increase Jobseeker's Allowance in the same rate.

Generally, there is an across the board increase to all core social welfare payments in the budget, where they are all increased the same amount.

However, the minister does not wish to increase Jobseeker's Allowance by the same rate as the pension.

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She has drafted a plan that would see one of the single biggest increases in the pension announced on October 1 and bring the payment to €292.30 a week, the Irish Independent has reported.

However, she is insisting that people who are in long-term unemployment will not receive the same increase in their weekly payments as pensioners. She is understood to be open to compromise on how much the jobseeker’s allowance might increase by, but does not want it to go up by as much as €15 a week.

The minister's argument is that if she increases the jobseeker’s allowance by this amount, other social welfare supports cannot be increased.

She also wants payments such as the carer’s allowance and disability payments to increase by €15 in line with the state pension.

Other measures that the Department of Social Protection are hoping to announce to help older people include lump sums, such as a payment of €200 for people who receive the living alone allowance.

She is also seeking a double payment of the state pension and other welfare payments in October and December.

Thousands more pensioners are also in line for fuel allowance payments, with the age for the scheme being lowered from 70 to 66 years.

It comes as the cabinet reportedly agreed this week that they would bring the energy credits back again in the upcoming budget, although they will be significantly lower than previous years.

Households are expected to receive a €250 energy credit before Christmas, a change from three instalments usually paid over the course of several months.

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