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The Fuel Allowance in Ireland

The Fuel Allowance in Ireland – 2024/25

Written by

Briain Kelly

Last edited

18/11/2024

The Fuel Allowance is a government payment to help people on a lower income with the cost of heating their homes in the winter month.

The Fuel Allowance is typically paid for a period of six to seven months between September and April each year.

For the current season, the Allowance is being paid from September 23, 2024, through to April 4, 2025.

Table of Content

Who Gets the Fuel Allowance?

Eligibility for the fuel allowance is broadly divided into two categories.

  • People over the Age of 70 who pass a Means Test (From January 1, 2025 this will be reduced to 66 years old).
  • People under the Age of 70 who are receiving a qualifying social welfare payment.

The people in question must also either be:

  • Living alone
  • Living with someone in a specified category

Living Arrangements

The Fuel Allowance is available for people who are living on their own, or living together with people in the following categories:

  • A person aged 70 years or over
  • A spouse, civil partner or cohabitant who is receiving a qualifying payment
  • A dependent adult or dependent child
  • A person who is getting a qualifying payment but is not receiving Fuel Allowance (only one Fuel Allowance is paid to each household)
  • A person who is getting Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Benefit and is caring for you or for your dependent adult or dependent child
  • a person getting short term Jobseeker’s Allowance or Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance
  • A person who gets half-rate Carer’s Allowance as well as an increase for a dependent adult

The half-rate Carer’s Allowance and Disablement Benefit payments are also no longer included in the means test for the fuel allowance.

Only one person in a household may receive the Fuel Allowance. If living with someone who is over the age of 70, it is advised that they apply for the allowance.

Fuel Allowance Means Testing

The Fuel Allowance is a means tested payment. This means that a person may only be eligible for the payment if their income or other means do not exceed a specified threshold.

Income Thresholds

The threshold for the payment is set at different levels of people living alone or with another, and by the applicant’s age.

For a person over 70 the maximum weekly income allowed to qualify for the Fuel Allowance is €524 for a person living alone, or €1,024 for a couple.

The formula for means testing people under 70 is more complicated. Their income must be less than the the maximum State Pension (Contributory), plus an additional €200.

Thus, for a single person under the age of 70 the income threshold is €477.30. For a couple where the qualified spouse/civil partner/cohabitant is under 66 years it is €662. And for a couple where the qualified spouse/civil partner/cohabitant is over 66 years and under 70 it is €725.90.

What Income is Calculated in the Means Test?

Sources of income which are calculated for the purpose of the means test include:

  • Capital – Savings, Shares, Investments, Property
  • Rental Income
  • Income from employment or self-employment

For someone Under the Age of 70 the first €20,000 of their capital is not included in the means test assessment. For someone Over the Age of 70 they can have €50,000 of capital which is not assessed.

Capital is assessed by assuming there is a weekly income from capital above the thresholds mentioned already.

If a person possesses a property which is being rented out then the rental income is assessed, if it is not being rented then the value minus mortgage is assessed as Capital.

Calculating Weekly Means from Capital

People Over 70
Capital Value Weekly Means
First €50,000 N/A
€50,000 – €60,000 €1 per €1,000
€60,000 – €70,000 €2 per €1,000
Over €70,000 €4 per €1,000
People Under 70
Capital Value Weekly Means
First €20,000 N/A
€20,000 – €30,000 €1 per €1,000
€30,000 – €40,000 €2 per €1,000
Over €40,000 €4 per €1,000

Qualifying State Contributory payments (such as State Contributory Pension, Invalidity Pension, Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension) should also be included as income for the means testing, minus any disregarded allowances.

Deferred State Pension (Contributory) means threshold

From January 2024, a person can choose to start claiming their State Pension (Contributory) anytime between the ages of 66 and 70.

If a person defers their pension, then they may be entitled to a higher rate of this State Pension (Contributory). This means that the means threshold for a person who is entitled to a higher rate of pension due to deferring it should be assessed at that higher rate, plus an additional €200.

Income Not Assessed for Fuel Allowance Means Testing

There are a number of payments and allowances which people can receive which are not assessed as part of the means testing for the Fuel Allowance.

  • Disablement Benefit
  • Half-rate Carer’s Allowance
  • Child Benefit
  • Guardian’s Payment (Contributory)
  • Guardian’s Payment (Non-Contributory)
  • Fostering Allowance
  • Domiciliary Care Allowance
  • Blind Welfare Allowance
  • Mobility Allowance
  • Magdalen Commission Scheme payment
  • All non-contributory payments.
  • Rehabilitation and training allowance (max 20 hours per week) once this work has been approved as work of a rehabilitative nature by the department
  • All supplements (Diet, Rent, Heating, Travel) paid under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme
  • Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Benefit payment of the person providing full-time care and attention to the Fuel Allowance applicant, the applicant’s qualified spouse, civil partner or cohabitant or qualified child(ren).
  • Maintenance received in respect of a child

Compensation paid for Mother and Baby Home survivors or for people who contracted Hepetitis C from contaminated blood products is also not assessed.

Income From Renting a Room in Your Home

People who rent out a room in their home, not a second property, are able to receive up to €269.23 per week which is not assessed as part of the means test.

This person must not be an immediate family member or an employee, and must reside in the room at least 28 days of the year. They do not otherwise have to qualify for the Fuel Allowance themself.

Payments that Qualify for the Fuel Allowance

People under the age of 70 who are applying for the Fuel Allowance must be in receipt of one or more qualifying payments.

You may qualify for a Fuel Allowance if you are getting:

  • Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance (if qualified)
  • Blind Pension
  • Death Benefit Pension under the Occupational Injuries Scheme
  • Deserted Wife’s Benefit or Allowance
  • Disability Allowance
  • Farm Assist
  • Guardian’s Payment (Contributory or Non-Contributory)
  • Incapacity Supplement under the Disablement Pension Scheme
  • Invalidity Pension
  • Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment
  • Jobseeker’s Allowance (if qualified)
  • One-Parent Family Payment
  • Revenue Job Assist
  • Social Security Payment (of which there is an Irish equivalent payment) from a country covered by EU Regulations or a country with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement
  • State Pension Contributory or Non-contributory
  • Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Pension (Contributory or Non-contributory)

Meeting Heating Needs

The Fuel Allowance is meant to help people meet their heating needs, and is not paid if someone is in a living arrangement where their heating needs are being met fully as part of their living arrangements.

How is the Winter Fuel Allowance paid?

The fuel allowance is currently set at €33 per week, adding up to €924 for the entire 2024/25 season. It can be paid to people receiving it in weekly instalments, or in two lump sum payments.

In order to get the payment made in two instalments people must submit the Change the Payment Frequency of Fuel Allowance Application Form (FA CPF1) at least a month before the fuel allowance season starts if they meet the criteria.

Recent Changes to the Fuel Allowance

Budget 2025 made two changes to the eligibility criteria for the fuel allowance affecting means testing and qualifying payments.

  • The means test for people aged 66 and over to get the fuel allowance will be set at €524 for a single person and €1,048 for couples as of January 2025.
  • The Carer’s Allowance will be added to the list of qualifying payments for the fuel allowance from January 2025.

Applying for the Fuel Allowance

Application for the fuel allowance should be submitted before the start of the season in order to get the greatest payment.

If someone applies after the start of the season in September, they may still receive the weekly allowance from that point forward, but it will not be backdated.

How to apply for the fuel allowance will vary depending on the age of the applicant and what, if any, qualifying payments they are receiving.

The quickest and easiest way to apply is online at MyWelfare.ie. Otherwise, applications can be made by post using the correct form and sending it to the relevant office.

  • People aged 70 and Over should fill out the NFS1 Form.

  • People aged Under 70 should fill out the NSF2 Form.

Online applications are not available for people in receipt of the long-term Jobseeker’s Allowance (12 months), Jobseeker’s Transitional Payments, Farm Assist or One-Parent Family Payment.

Where to Send Fuel Allowance Applications

People in receipt of different payments should send their postal applications for the fuel allowance to different offices.

Qualifying Payments  
Aged 70 and Over (No Payments)

Social Welfare Services

College Road

Sligo F91 T384

Ireland

  • Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension
  • Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Non-Contributory) Pension
  • Deserted Wife’s Benefit or Allowance
  • State Pension (Contributory or Non-Contributory)
  • Blind Pension
  • Guardian’s Payment (Contributory or Non Contributory
  • Prisoner’s Wife’s Allowance

Social Welfare Services

College Road

Sligo F91 T384

Ireland

  • Invalidity Pension
  • Disability Allowance
  • Incapacity Supplement
  • Death Benefit

Social Welfare Services Office

Government Buildings

Ballinalee Road

Longford N39 E4E0

Ireland

  • Farm Assist
  • Long-term Jobseeker’s Allowance (12 months)
  • One-Parent Family Payment or Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment
Your Local Intreo Office
Long-term Supplementary Welfare Allowance (12 months) Community Welfare Officer at local office

Author:

Briain Kelly
RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCHER

Briain Kelly is a Leinster based journalist and content creator who has been writing about energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies for nearly three years. He researches the latest news in multiple areas related to solar power, electric vehicles, heat pumps, and home energy upgrades. His writing includes both technological developments and government policy.

Author:

Briain Kelly
Renewable Energy Researcher

Briain Kelly is a Leinster based journalist and content creator who has been writing about energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies for nearly three years. He researches the latest news in multiple areas related to solar power, electric vehicles, heat pumps, and home energy upgrades. His writing includes both technological developments and government policy.

Popular Content 🔥

The Fuel Allowance in Ireland – 2024/25

Written by

Briain Kelly

Last edited 

04/12/2024

The Fuel Allowance is a government payment to help people on a lower income with the cost of heating their homes in the winter month.

The Fuel Allowance is typically paid for a period of six to seven months between September and April each year.

For the current season, the Allowance is being paid from September 23, 2024, through to April 4, 2025.

Table of Content

Who Gets the Fuel Allowance?

Eligibility for the fuel allowance is broadly divided into two categories.

  • People over the Age of 70 who pass a Means Test (From January 1, 2025 this will be reduced to 66 years old).
  • People under the Age of 70 who are receiving a qualifying social welfare payment.

The people in question must also either be:

  • Living alone
  • Living with someone in a specified category

Living Arrangements

The Fuel Allowance is available for people who are living on their own, or living together with people in the following categories:

  • A person aged 70 years or over
  • A spouse, civil partner or cohabitant who is receiving a qualifying payment
  • A dependent adult or dependent child
  • A person who is getting a qualifying payment but is not receiving Fuel Allowance (only one Fuel Allowance is paid to each household)
  • A person who is getting Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Benefit and is caring for you or for your dependent adult or dependent child
  • a person getting short term Jobseeker’s Allowance or Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance
  • A person who gets half-rate Carer’s Allowance as well as an increase for a dependent adult

The half-rate Carer’s Allowance and Disablement Benefit payments are also no longer included in the means test for the fuel allowance.

Only one person in a household may receive the Fuel Allowance. If living with someone who is over the age of 70, it is advised that they apply for the allowance.

Fuel Allowance Means Testing

The Fuel Allowance is a means tested payment. This means that a person may only be eligible for the payment if their income or other means do not exceed a specified threshold.

Income Thresholds

The threshold for the payment is set at different levels of people living alone or with another, and by the applicant’s age.

For a person over 70 the maximum weekly income allowed to qualify for the Fuel Allowance is €524 for a person living alone, or €1,024 for a couple.

The formula for means testing people under 70 is more complicated. Their income must be less than the the maximum State Pension (Contributory), plus an additional €200.

Thus, for a single person under the age of 70 the income threshold is €477.30. For a couple where the qualified spouse/civil partner/cohabitant is under 66 years it is €662. And for a couple where the qualified spouse/civil partner/cohabitant is over 66 years and under 70 it is €725.90.

What Income is Calculated in the Means Test?

Sources of income which are calculated for the purpose of the means test include:

  • Capital – Savings, Shares, Investments, Property
  • Rental Income
  • Income from employment or self-employment

For someone Under the Age of 70 the first €20,000 of their capital is not included in the means test assessment. For someone Over the Age of 70 they can have €50,000 of capital which is not assessed.

Capital is assessed by assuming there is a weekly income from capital above the thresholds mentioned already.

If a person possesses a property which is being rented out then the rental income is assessed, if it is not being rented then the value minus mortgage is assessed as Capital.

Calculating Weekly Means from Capital

People Over 70
Capital Value Weekly Means
First €50,000 N/A
€50,000 – €60,000 €1 per €1,000
€60,000 – €70,000 €2 per €1,000
Over €70,000 €4 per €1,000
People Under 70
Capital Value Weekly Means
First €20,000 N/A
€20,000 – €30,000 €1 per €1,000
€30,000 – €40,000 €2 per €1,000
Over €40,000 €4 per €1,000

Qualifying State Contributory payments (such as State Contributory Pension, Invalidity Pension, Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension) should also be included as income for the means testing, minus any disregarded allowances.

Deferred State Pension (Contributory) means threshold

From January 2024, a person can choose to start claiming their State Pension (Contributory) anytime between the ages of 66 and 70.

If a person defers their pension, then they may be entitled to a higher rate of this State Pension (Contributory). This means that the means threshold for a person who is entitled to a higher rate of pension due to deferring it should be assessed at that higher rate, plus an additional €200.

Income Not Assessed for Fuel Allowance Means Testing

There are a number of payments and allowances which people can receive which are not assessed as part of the means testing for the Fuel Allowance.

  • Disablement Benefit
  • Half-rate Carer’s Allowance
  • Child Benefit
  • Guardian’s Payment (Contributory)
  • Guardian’s Payment (Non-Contributory)
  • Fostering Allowance
  • Domiciliary Care Allowance
  • Blind Welfare Allowance
  • Mobility Allowance
  • Magdalen Commission Scheme payment
  • All non-contributory payments.
  • Rehabilitation and training allowance (max 20 hours per week) once this work has been approved as work of a rehabilitative nature by the department
  • All supplements (Diet, Rent, Heating, Travel) paid under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme
  • Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Benefit payment of the person providing full-time care and attention to the Fuel Allowance applicant, the applicant’s qualified spouse, civil partner or cohabitant or qualified child(ren).
  • Maintenance received in respect of a child

Compensation paid for Mother and Baby Home survivors or for people who contracted Hepetitis C from contaminated blood products is also not assessed.

Income From Renting a Room in Your Home

People who rent out a room in their home, not a second property, are able to receive up to €269.23 per week which is not assessed as part of the means test.

This person must not be an immediate family member or an employee, and must reside in the room at least 28 days of the year. They do not otherwise have to qualify for the Fuel Allowance themself.

Payments that Qualify for the Fuel Allowance

People under the age of 70 who are applying for the Fuel Allowance must be in receipt of one or more qualifying payments.

You may qualify for a Fuel Allowance if you are getting:

  • Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance (if qualified)
  • Blind Pension
  • Death Benefit Pension under the Occupational Injuries Scheme
  • Deserted Wife’s Benefit or Allowance
  • Disability Allowance
  • Farm Assist
  • Guardian’s Payment (Contributory or Non-Contributory)
  • Incapacity Supplement under the Disablement Pension Scheme
  • Invalidity Pension
  • Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment
  • Jobseeker’s Allowance (if qualified)
  • One-Parent Family Payment
  • Revenue Job Assist
  • Social Security Payment (of which there is an Irish equivalent payment) from a country covered by EU Regulations or a country with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement
  • State Pension Contributory or Non-contributory
  • Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Pension (Contributory or Non-contributory)

Meeting Heating Needs

The Fuel Allowance is meant to help people meet their heating needs, and is not paid if someone is in a living arrangement where their heating needs are being met fully as part of their living arrangements.

How is the Winter Fuel Allowance paid?

The fuel allowance is currently set at €33 per week, adding up to €924 for the entire 2024/25 season. It can be paid to people receiving it in weekly instalments, or in two lump sum payments.

In order to get the payment made in two instalments people must submit the Change the Payment Frequency of Fuel Allowance Application Form (FA CPF1) at least a month before the fuel allowance season starts if they meet the criteria.

Recent Changes to the Fuel Allowance

Budget 2025 made two changes to the eligibility criteria for the fuel allowance affecting means testing and qualifying payments.

  • The means test for people aged 66 and over to get the fuel allowance will be set at €524 for a single person and €1,048 for couples as of January 2025.
  • The Carer’s Allowance will be added to the list of qualifying payments for the fuel allowance from January 2025.

Applying for the Fuel Allowance

Application for the fuel allowance should be submitted before the start of the season in order to get the greatest payment.

If someone applies after the start of the season in September, they may still receive the weekly allowance from that point forward, but it will not be backdated.

How to apply for the fuel allowance will vary depending on the age of the applicant and what, if any, qualifying payments they are receiving.

The quickest and easiest way to apply is online at MyWelfare.ie. Otherwise, applications can be made by post using the correct form and sending it to the relevant office.

  • People aged 70 and Over should fill out the NFS1 Form.

  • People aged Under 70 should fill out the NSF2 Form.

Online applications are not available for people in receipt of the long-term Jobseeker’s Allowance (12 months), Jobseeker’s Transitional Payments, Farm Assist or One-Parent Family Payment.

Where to Send Fuel Allowance Applications

People in receipt of different payments should send their postal applications for the fuel allowance to different offices.

Qualifying Payments  
Aged 70 and Over (No Payments)

Social Welfare Services

College Road

Sligo F91 T384

Ireland

  • Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension
  • Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Non-Contributory) Pension
  • Deserted Wife’s Benefit or Allowance
  • State Pension (Contributory or Non-Contributory)
  • Blind Pension
  • Guardian’s Payment (Contributory or Non Contributory
  • Prisoner’s Wife’s Allowance

Social Welfare Services

College Road

Sligo F91 T384

Ireland

  • Invalidity Pension
  • Disability Allowance
  • Incapacity Supplement
  • Death Benefit

Social Welfare Services Office

Government Buildings

Ballinalee Road

Longford N39 E4E0

Ireland

  • Farm Assist
  • Long-term Jobseeker’s Allowance (12 months)
  • One-Parent Family Payment or Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment
Your Local Intreo Office
Long-term Supplementary Welfare Allowance (12 months) Community Welfare Officer at local office

Author:

Briain Kelly
RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCHER

Briain Kelly is a Leinster based journalist and content creator who has been writing about energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies for nearly three years. He researches the latest news in multiple areas related to solar power, electric vehicles, heat pumps, and home energy upgrades. His writing includes both technological developments and government policy.

Author:

Briain Kelly
Renewable Energy Researcher

Briain Kelly is a Leinster based journalist and content creator who has been writing about energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies for nearly three years. He researches the latest news in multiple areas related to solar power, electric vehicles, heat pumps, and home energy upgrades. His writing includes both technological developments and government policy.

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