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Supplementary Welfare Allowance

Supplementary Welfare Allowance provides a basic weekly allowance as a right to eligible people who have little or no income. People with low incomes may also qualify for a weekly supplement payment under the scheme to meet certain special needs, for example, help with rent/mortgage interest payments. In addition, payments can also be made in respect of urgent or exceptional needs.

Basic Payments
If you have no income, you may be entitled to the basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance. If your weekly income is below the Supplementary Welfare Allowance rate for your family size, a payment may be made to bring your income up to the appropriate Supplementary Welfare Allowance rate. If you have claimed a social welfare benefit or pension but it has not yet been paid and you have no other income, you may qualify for Supplementary Welfare Allowance while you are awaiting payment.

Supplements
If your income, whether from the basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance or otherwise, is too low to meet certain special needs, you may be granted a weekly supplement. Special needs may include:

Rent or mortgage interest payments
Exceptional heating expenses due to ill health. You will require a letter from your doctor before this supplement can be granted.
Special diet due to a medical condition such as diabetes or coeliac disease. Usually, it must be prescribed by a hospital consultant or a hospital registrar, however, in certain cases, for example, a low fat diet, the diet may be prescribed by a GP.

The amount of any supplement will be decided by the health board on your circumstances.

Exceptional Needs Payments
You may be paid an Exceptional Needs Payment to assist with essential, once-off expenditure in exceptional circumstances. Expenditure of a predictable or recurring nature, such as fuel or clothing should be budgeted for out of your weekly income. There is no automatic right of entitlement to an Exceptional Needs Payment. Payment is at the discretion of the health board, taking into account all your circumstances.

Depending on your circumstances, an Exceptional Needs payment may be paid to assist with the cost of:

Bedding or other essential household equipment
Funeral expenses
Other unforeseen large expenses.

Urgent Needs Payments
You may be paid an Urgent Needs Payment even if you are not normally eligible to receive assistance under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme. Payments are normally made to assist with immediate needs such as food and clothing in the aftermath of a fire or flood.

Depending on your circumstances, you may have to pay back all or part of what you have been paid, for example, if you are working or once an insurance claim has been settled.

Conditions
You will normally qualify for Supplementary Welfare Allowance if you satisfy the following conditions:

You are living in the state
You satisfy the means test
You have applied for any other benefit/allowance you may be entitled to
You satisfy the habitual residence test (other than once off Exceptional Needs and Urgent Needs payments)
You have registered for work with FÁS if you are of working age.

You will not normally qualify for Supplementary Welfare Allowance if you are:

In full-time work, that is, working for more than 30 hours per week
In full-time education
Involved in a trade dispute. However, you may claim Supplementary Welfare Allowance for your dependants.

Means Test
The following are the main items taken into account for the means test:

All cash income, including most social welfare and health board payments, except Child Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and Blind Welfare Allowance.
The value of any benefit or privilege, for example, free board and lodging.
The value of investments, savings or property (but not the value of your own home) is calculated in accordance with the following formula:
5% of the first €507.90 is calculated
10% of the balance is calculated
This gives the yearly value
The yearly value is then divided by 52 to give the weekly value

In the case of a married couple or a couple living together as husband and wife, their income is added together when doing the means test.

If you are receiving income from rehabilitative employment, €120 is disregarded.

Repayment of Supplementary Welfare Allowance
In certain circumstances, you may have to repay any assistance you have received under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme. For example:

If Supplementary Welfare Allowance is paid while you are waiting for a social welfare benefit, assistance or pension, the amount paid will be deducted from the arrears of your social welfare payment.
If you are paid an Urgent Needs Payment, you may have to pay back all or part of what you have been paid if you are working or once an insurance claim is settled.

Rent and Mortgage Interest Supplements
When applying for a Rent or Mortgage Interest Supplement, account may be taken of the following:

Whether the size of your accommodation is appropriate to your family size
If you have applied for or have been refused local authority housing where this is available.
If you have a valid reason for leaving the parental home
The cost of your accommodation compared to rent levels for similar accommodation in the area
Whether you are sharing your accommodation with other tenants
What arrangements, if any, you have made with your lending agency to re-negotiate your mortgage payments.

In addition, you must have been able to meet the mortgage repayments when the mortgage was taken out.

Back to School Clothing & Footwear Allowance Scheme
This scheme gives assistance towards the cost of clothing and footwear for children of school-going age. The scheme operates from the beginning of June to the end of September each year.

You may be eligible to receive assistance in respect of a child between the ages of 2 and 17 or a child between 18 and 22 who is in full-time education and for whom you are paid a Child Dependant Allowance if you are in receipt of a social welfare or health board payment and your income is below a certain level.

Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) Heating Supplement
Under the SWA scheme, a person who has exceptional heating costs due to ill health or infirmity may qualify for a heating supplement. This is paid as a weekly supplement in addition to other social welfare payments. Independent proof of a medical condition/ill health may be requested.

Rates
The basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance is made up of a personal rate for the applicant and additional amounts for any adult dependant and/or child dependant(s). A child dependant is a person under the age of 18 who lives with you and depends on you for financial support. The age limit is 22 for a child dependant in full-time education or up to the end of the academic year after their 22nd birthday where the primary Supplementary Welfare Allowance payment has been in place for 27 weeks or more.

Weekly Rates (2005)
Applicant €148.80
Qualified Adult €98.70
Each Qualified Child €16.80

How to apply
You should apply for Supplementary Welfare Allowance to the Community Welfare Officer at your local health centre as soon as the need arises. To help with your claim, you should have the following:

Personal Public Service (PPS) Numbers (formerly RSI numbers) for yourself, your spouse and your children
Evidence of any income you are getting
A note from your local social welfare office and your last wages slip if you have just applied for Unemployment Benefit/Assistance
Your Child Benefit Book or Birth Certificates for any children you may be claiming for if you do not have PPSNs for them
Rent Book if you are applying for help with your rent
A statement giving details of your mortgage interest payments if you are applying for help with your mortgage interest.

You have the right to appeal against a decision if you are not satisfied with the outcome of your claim. To appeal, you should write to the Appeals Officer at your health board.

Where to apply
Contact your local health centre.