Some extracts from Budget 2021, which may be of interest to our members. Links to the full details of the Budget are given below.
Pensioners
- State Pension Qualifying Age to remain at age 66 from January – legislation to be implemented by end 2020
- €5 increase in the weekly Living Alone Allowance from €14 to €19 paid to people aged 66 and over who are living alone – over 221,000 pensioners, widows/widowers and people with disabilities to benefit
- over 600,000 pensioners will benefit from the Christmas Bonus Double Payment
- Fuel Allowance will increase by €3.50 to €28.00 per week – over 375,000 households to benefit
- Island Allowance (paid to people living on certain offshore islands) to increase to €20 per week from January –an increase of €7.30 – first increase to the Island Allowance since it was introduced in 2000
- grant of up to €500 will be paid for hearing aids without requiring it to be matched by the customer
- Hearing Aid repairs of up to €100 will no longer require matching funding by the customer
Christmas Bonus
A 100% Christmas Bonus will be paid in December 2020 to recipients of long-term Social Welfare payments (min €20 payment). People in receipt of the following payments will receive the Bonus:
- State Pensions and Widow’s/Widower’s/Surviving Civil Partner’s Pensions
- Invalidity Pension, Blind Pension, Disability Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Partial Capacity Benefit, Disablement Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and Guardian’s payments