Social welfare Ireland: One major group will not qualify for Budget 2025 bonus payments

Social welfare recipients are in line for two bonus payments before the end of the year, with one to be paid next month - but one major group does not qualify

It has been reported that social welfare recipients are in line for two bonus payments before Christmas thanks to the upcoming budget.

One will be the usual Christmas bonus, paid in December, but the government are reportedly set to announce another bonus week during October.

This measure was also announced in last year's budget, with the double week being paid in January of this year.

Read more:October once-off payment: Full list of qualifying social welfare schemes, dates and group excluded

Read more:Social welfare Ireland: Payment worth €924 paid from today to thousands but applications still open

However, if the list of qualifying groups remain the same, one major group will be excluded from both the October and the Christmas bonus.

Usually, everyone who avails of the Christmas bonus will avail of the cost of living bonus.

The payments that are eligible for the bonus are:

• Back to Education Allowance - people coming from jobseeker's payments need to be getting the Allowance for at least 12 months (312 days), but you may be able to use your time on your jobseeker’s payment to help you qualify.
• Back to Work Enterprise Allowance - people coming from jobseeker's payments need to be getting the Allowance for at least 12 months (312 days), but you may be able to use time on jobseeker’s payment to help you qualify
• Back to Work Family Dividend
• Benefit payment for 65 year olds
• Blind Pension
• Carer's Allowance and Carer's Benefit (including half-rate Carer's Allowance)
• Community Employment
• Deserted Wife's Allowance and Deserted Wife's Benefit
• Daily Expenses Allowance, formerly called Direct Provision Allowance for 12 months
• Disability Allowance
• Disablement Benefit
• Domiciliary Care Allowance
• Farm Assist
• Guardian's Payment (Contributory) and (Non-Contributory)
• Illness Benefit for 12 months or more (will be paid between 5 December 2023 and 22 December 2023)
• Invalidity Pension
• Job Initiative Scheme
• Jobseeker's Allowance for 12 months (312 days or more)
• Jobseeker's Transitional payment
• Magdalene Commission Scheme
• Death Benefit Scheme (under the Occupational Injuries Scheme)
• One-Parent Family Payment
• Partial Capacity Benefit
• Rural Social Scheme
• State Pension (Contributory) and State Pension (Non-Contributory)
• Supplementary Welfare Allowance for 12 months (364 days or more)
• Tús
• Widow, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Pension (Contributory) and (Non-Contributory)
• Work Placement Experience Programme (if your primary payment is a qualifying social welfare payment)

The major group that could be excluded from receiving the double week are those in receipt of Fuel Allowance, as this was the case during the Christmas bonus and January's bonus week.

It comes as the Fuel Allowance scheme is being paid out from this week, with hundreds and thousands of households set to benefit.

The payment is paid weekly and adds up to €924, or recipients can opt to get it paid in two lump sums.

While the first weekly instalment is being paid from today, applications are still open for people to avail of the scheme.

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