The fuel allowance season begins in September and continues until next April.
Fuel Allowance is a payment to help with the cost of heating your home during the winter months. It is paid to only one person in a household.
The Fuel Allowance season normally begins in late September of each year and ends in April. The 2024/2025 Fuel Allowance season starts on Monday, September 23rd. It will be paid for 28 weeks (until April 4th, 2025).
The current rate of Fuel Allowance is €33 per week. You can choose to get the Fuel Allowance paid every week or paid in two instalments (lump sums). In 2024/2025, the total Fuel Allowance payment over 28 weeks is €924. It can be paid to you in two instalments (lump sums) - September 2024 and January 2025.
How do you qualify for Fuel Allowance?
To get Fuel Allowance you must satisfy three conditions:
You must live alone or with certain people e.g. your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant who qualifies for an increase on your pension or social welfare payment or is getting a payment in their own right. You can also live with a person who is getting Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Benefit and is caring for you or your partner/spouse or with a person who would qualify for the fuel allowance in their own right.
You must also be in receipt of a qualifying payment (unless you are 70 or over). Qualifying payments include State Pensions Contributory and Non-Contributory, Invalidity Pension, Disability Allowance, One Parent Family Payment and Farm Assist. Contact your local Citizens Information Centre for more information on these qualifying payments. It is important to note that, if you are aged over 70, you do not need to be on a qualifying payment.
You must satisfy a means test.
What is included in the means test?
The Department of Social Protection (DSP) examines all your sources of income. Your gross weekly income must be below a certain amount to pass the means test.
You are usually accepted as passing the means test for Fuel Allowance, if you are getting a qualifying social assistance (means-tested) payment such as State Pension Non-Contributory or Disability Allowance as you have already satisfied the means test and it does not need to be done again.
Income from some social welfare payments and certain other sources are not counted in the means test.
If you are under 70, the first €20,000 of your capital is not considered, while if you are 70 or over, the first €50,000 of your capital is not considered.
The value of your own home is never assessed. If you have a second property (property other than your own home), the rental income from that property is assessed. However, the capital value (less any mortgage outstanding on the property) will be assessed if the property is not rented.
If you are renting out a room in your home, you can have an income from rent of up to €269.23 a week (€14,000 per year) without affecting your Fuel Allowance. The person renting the room in your home must use the room for a minimum of 28 consecutive days and cannot be an employee of yours or an immediate family member.
If you are over 70 you can have income of up to €512 per week, or €1,024 per week for a couple and still qualify for Fuel Allowance.
A single person under 70 can have income up to €477.30 per week and a couple where the qualified adult is under 66 can have weekly income up to €662. This increases to €725.90 if the qualified adult is over 60 & under 70.
Are there other supports from the Department of Social Protection to help with cost of electricity or gas bills?
The Household Benefits Package (HBP) helps with the cost of your electricity or gas bill and the TV licence. You do not have to be living alone to get the Household Benefits Package. However, only one person in a household can get the Package.
You can get the Household Benefits Package if you are aged 70 or over. You do not need to be getting a state pension and the package is not means tested. People under 70 can also get the HBP, but additional rules apply.
How do you qualify for the Household Benefits Package?
To get the Household Benefits Package, you must:
• Be living in Ireland (full-time, all year round)
• Be the only person in your household getting the HBP
• Be aged 70 or over
• Be aged under 70 and meet the additional rules for ‘People aged under 70’
• Have the electricity or gas bill in your name if you are applying for to have an Electricity or Gas Allowance paid as a credit on your bill
You do not need the bill to be in your name if you are applying to get the Electricity or Gas Allowance paid as cash to your bank or post office account, or if the bill is in your landlord’s name. If bill is in landlords name, you must be living in self-contained accommodation and your landlord will need to confirm in writing, that you are a tenant and paying your own energy bills.
What are the additional rules for people under 70?
If you are under 70 you can get the Household Benefits Package, if you are getting a qualifying social welfare payment. If you live with your spouse, you must be getting an increase in your qualifying social welfare payment for them or they are getting a qualifying payment in their own right. You can get further information on this by contacting our office.
What is covered by the Household Benefits Package?
There are two allowances in the Household Benefits Package. Firstly, there is the Electricity Allowance or Natural Gas Allowance of €35 monthly and secondly there is a free television licence.
Are there any supports for people who have special heating needs?
If you have special heating needs, you may be able to get additional weekly supplements under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme.
The heating supplement is an additional weekly payment to help with the cost of heating your home. You may get a heating supplement, if you can show you have extra heating needs because of your age, medical condition or disability; are living alone or only with a dependent adult or dependent children; or if you satisfy a means test.
There is no fixed rate for heating supplement. The amount of heating supplement you get is based on your need as assessed by your community welfare officer.
