Family allowances in Ireland
Ireland pays the universal Child Benefit of €140/month per child (Department of Social Protection), complemented by the Working Family Payment for low-income families (60% of the family threshold gap). 26-week maternity leave at €274/wk + Parental Leave 9 weeks paid (2024 reform — National Childcare Scheme to subsidise childcare).
Universal Child Benefit €140/month/child, targeted Working Family Payment (60% of gap), Maternity Benefit 26 wks at €274/wk, Paternity Benefit 2 wks, Parent’s Benefit 9 wks (2024 reform), National Childcare Scheme (NCS) covering up to €5.10/hour, Free Pre-school ECCE 2 years (up to age 5).
Child Benefit — universal allowance
Paid by Department of Social Protection (DSP) to all residents with children:
- €140/month per child (universal)
- +€100 one-off bonus per year (Budget 2024) paid in December
- No means test
- Paid until age 16 (18 if in secondary studies or disabled)
- Monthly payment on the 1st Tuesday of the month
Working Family Payment (WFP)
Weekly allowance for low-income working families:
- 60% of the gap between family income and WFP threshold (varies by number of children)
- 2025 thresholds: 1 child €706/wk; 2 children €822/wk; 3 children €938/wk; 4+ children €1,054/wk
- Min: €20/wk guaranteed
- Conditions: ≥ 38 hours worked/2 weeks + at least 1 dependent child
- Weekly payment by DSP
Maternity Benefit
Maternity benefit paid by DSP:
- 26 weeks (Maternity Leave)
- €274/week (~€1,188/month)
- + 16 additional unpaid weeks
- Conditions: 39 weeks of PRSI (contributions) in the previous 12 months
- Many employers top up to 100% of salary (not mandatory)
Paternity Benefit — 2 weeks
Introduced in 2016:
- 2 weeks of paternity leave at €274/wk (DSP)
- To use within 6 months of birth
- PRSI conditions similar to Maternity Benefit
Parent’s Benefit — 9 weeks (2024 reform)
Progressively extended from 2019 to 2024:
- 9 weeks per parent (up from 7 in August 2024)
- €274/week
- To use within 2 years of birth
- Each parent has their 9 weeks (non-transferable)
- Similar PRSI conditions
National Childcare Scheme (NCS)
Flagship programme launched in 2019 and expanded in 2023:
- Universal subsidy: €5.10/hour (≈ €96 for 19h/wk) for all children 0–15, no means test (since 2024)
- Income-Assessed subsidy: up to €7.50/hour for low-income families
- Run via accredited nurseries/Tús Maith
- ~110,000 child beneficiaries
Free Pre-school ECCE
Early Childhood Care and Education:
- 2 free years of pre-school (ages 3 yrs 38 weeks – 5 yrs 6 months)
- Total ~76 weeks × 15h/wk free
- Near-universal coverage (~95% of eligible children)
Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA)
Annual back-to-school grant:
- Ages 4–11: €160 per child
- Ages 12–22: €285 per child
- Income conditions + recipient of another social benefit
- Paid in August
How Illizeo helps on the HR side
Illizeo is not a consulting firm or a paying body. However, our HR layer manages all of an employee’s family variables: family composition (dependent children, ages), supporting documents, event declarations (birth, adoption), leave workflows (maternity, paternity, parental) with key date calculations, and automatic feed to your payroll software.
Official sources
- Department of Social Protection — Child Benefit
- Citizens Information — Family benefits
- National Childcare Scheme
Manage the HR side of family allowances
From birth declarations to parental leave calculation, Illizeo centralises variables and feeds your payroll automatically.
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