Thousands of people across Ireland may qualify for €924 in welfare benefits from September.
The fuel allowance is a surcharge that helps cover the cost of heating your home during the winter months, reports The Mirror.
It is paid from September to April each year and is €33 per week.
However, ahead of the 2024 budget, there are calls for a drastic increase to €35.
ALONE, a national charity that helps older people age at home, has urged the government to more than double the payment, bringing it to €68 a week for around 370,000 recipients.
CEO Sean Moynihan said: “One in five older people are living in poverty today, and older people living alone are particularly at risk. This has nearly doubled in a year. The recently published Census results show that there are now more than 1 million people aged 60+ living in Ireland. As our population ages, Ireland needs action about the living standards being experienced by older people today, and the standards we want to see for all of us as we grow older, before we reach a crisis point. We cannot afford to wait to make strategic and capital investments in services and supports for older people. We need strategic action now and not annual token amounts of money, to address the standards of living being experienced by our growing ageing population,” reports The Mirror.
Certain criteria must be met in order to receive a fuel supplement.
In order to receive a fuel allowance, you must:
– Living alone
– Get a qualifying payment (unless you’re 70 or older)
– Passes the means test
In some cases, you may not be alone to receive benefits. You may still qualify if you live with:
– a spouse, civil partner or cohabitant who is entitled to an increased pension or social assistance benefit or receives a qualifying benefit himself
– Dependent children
– A person over the age of 70
If you apply for a fuel allowance after the start of the fuel allowance season, it will not be retroactively applied.
You do not need to reapply for Fuel Allowance every year as long as your situation remains the same and you continue to receive the same Social Welfare payment.
You can apply for the fuel allowance online. You must have a MyGovID account to apply online.
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