Changes to the Carer’s Allowance and Support Grant will benefit nearly 4,000 people in Mayo
A total of 138 carers in Mayo will benefit from changes being made to the Carer’s Allowance means test, while 3,800 carers in the county who receive the Carer’s Support Grant will see an increase to their payments.
Changes to the Carer’s Allowance means test will benefit 5,280 carers across Ireland. Additionally, improvements to the means tested scheme will make it more accessible to carers who have not previously qualified for the payment. It is predicted that 99pc of Carer’s Allowance recipients will now be entitled to the full rate.
Announced as part of Budget 2025 by Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary, changes to the means-tested payment will see the Carer’s Allowance payment increase to €625 per week for a single carer, and to €1,250 per week for a couple. An increase of €175 and €350, respectively.
The Carer’s Allowance is a means-tested payment for those living in Ireland who are caring for someone in need of support due to age, physical or learning disabilities and physical or mental illness. It is targeted towards those in lower-income households who need financial assistance to provide full-time care. As a result of these changes, the Carer’s Allowance now has the highest income disregards in the social welfare system.
The Carer’s Support Grant has been increased to €2,000, the highest rate since its introduction in 1999. 3,800 carers in Mayo are entitled to receive this grant. This grant is paid automatically to all those in receipt of the Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit or Domiciliary Care Allowance.
The Carer’s Benefit income limit has also been increased from €450 to €625. This is a social insurance based payment for people who have to leave work, or work reduced hours, in order to care for someone. As of 2025, the Carer’s Benefit can also be claimed by self-employed individuals.
In Mayo, concerns have been raised about the strain on home help services in the county. At last month’s Regional Health Forum West meeting, it was revealed that the service delivered 48,458 hours of care to 1,595 clients in April of this year and that 224 people were on the Home Help waiting list. With the improved financial stability that the Carer’s Allowance promises to offer, more carers may be able to reduce their working hours or even leave paid work to care for someone full-time, in turn, potentially reducing the pressure on home help in Mayo.
Ballina-based Minister, Dara Calleary, has said he is ‘delighted to announce these significant increases to the weekly income disregards for Carer’s Allowance.’
He continued, “One of the areas that carers have raised with me regularly is the Carer’s means test. The changes I am announcing today will make the scheme more accessible to people who previously did not qualify,
“The increase in the disregards also mean that 5,280 current recipients will receive a higher payment from today. Consequently, 99% of existing Carer’s Allowance recipients will now get the full rate of their entitlement.
“These means test improvements are in addition to changes made to the Carer’s Support Grant, which was increased to €2,000, its highest ever level, and paid to 138,000 carers in June.”.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.