8 October 2025
By Bryan McCarthy
bryan@TheCork.ie
Autumn is on the way and with it comes a drop in temperatures and longer evenings. Today, Ciara O’Gorman, Development Manager with South Munster Citizens Information Service discusses additional supports available to assist with heating costs.
Fuel Allowance is a payment to help with the cost of heating your home during the winter months. It is paid to only one person in a household. The Fuel Allowance season normally begins in late September of each year and ends in April. It will be paid for 28 weeks (until beginning of April 2026).
The current rate of Fuel Allowance is €33 per week. You can choose to get the Fuel Allowance paid every week or paid in 2 instalments (lump sums). Currently the total Fuel Allowance payment over 28 weeks is €924. It can be paid to you in 2 instalments (lump sums) – September 2025 and January 2026.
How to qualify for Fuel Allowance?
To get Fuel Allowance you must satisfy three conditions. You must live alone or with certain people e.g. your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant who qualifies for an increase on your pension or social welfare payment or is getting a payment in their own right. You can also live with a person who is getting Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Benefit and is caring for you or your partner/spouse or with a person who would qualify for the fuel allowance in their own right.
You must also be in receipt of a qualifying payment (unless you are 66 or over). Qualifying payments include State Pensions Contributory & Non-Contributory, Invalidity Pension, Disability Allowance, One Parent Family Payment & Farm Assist. You can contact your local Citizens Information Centre for more information on these qualifying payments. It’s important to note that, if you are aged over 66, you do not need to be on a qualifying payment.
Means Test
The Department of Social Protection (DSP) examines all your sources of income. Your gross weekly income must be below a certain amount to pass the means test. You are usually accepted as passing the means test for Fuel Allowance, if you are getting a qualifying social assistance (means-tested) payment such as State Pension Non-Contributory or Disability Allowance as you have already satisfied the means test and it does not need to be done again.
Income from some social welfare payments and certain other sources are not counted in the means test. If you are under 66, the first €20,000 of your capital is not taken into account, while if you are 66 or over, the first €50,000 of your capital is not taken into account.
The value of your own home is never assessed. If you have a second property (property other than your own home), the rental income from that property is assessed. However, the capital value (less any mortgage outstanding on the property) will be assessed if the property is not rented. If you are renting out a room in your home, you can have an income from rent of up to €269.23 a week (€14,000 per year) without affecting your Fuel Allowance. The person renting the room in your home must use the room for a minimum of 28 consecutive days and cannot be an employee of yours or an immediate family member.
If you are over 66 can have income of up to €524 per week, or €1,048 per week for a couple and still qualify for Fuel Allowance. A single person under 66 can have income up to €489.30 per week and a couple where the qualified adult is under 66 can have weekly income up to €682. This increases to €748.70 if the qualified adult is 66 or over.
Changing the Frequency of Payment
To change how your Fuel Allowance is paid, fill in the Change the Payment Frequency form at least one month before the first instalment is due. You can get the form from your local social welfare office or Citizens Information Centre
Telephone Support Allowance
If you are getting Fuel Allowance as well as the Living Alone Increase, you will also get a Telephone Support Allowance of €2.50 per week. This is paid automatically with your main social welfare payment, so you do not have to apply for it. It amounts to an additional €130 over the year.
Other Supports
The Household Benefits Package (HBP) helps with the cost of your electricity or gas bill and the TV licence. You do not have to be living alone to get the Household Benefits Package. However, only one person in a household can get the Package.
You can get the Household Benefits Package if you are aged 70 or over. You do not need to be getting a state pension, and the package is not means tested. People under 70 can also get the HBP, but additional rules apply
How to qualify for the Household Benefits Package
To get the Household Benefits Package, you must be living in Ireland (full-time, all year round), be the only person in your household getting the HBP, be aged 70 or over or be aged under 70 and meet the additional rules for people aged under 70. You will need to have the electricity or gas bill in your name if you are applying for to have an Electricity or Gas Allowance paid as a credit on your bill.
You do not need the bill to be in your name if you are applying to get the Electricity or Gas Allowance paid as cash to your bank or post office account, or if the bill is in your landlord’s name. If bill is in landlords name, you must be living in self-contained accommodation and your landlord will need to confirm in writing, that you are a tenant and paying your own energy bills.
Additional rules for people under 70?
If you are under 70 you can get the Household Benefits Package, if you are getting a qualifying social welfare payment. If you live with your spouse, you must be getting an increase in your qualifying social welfare payment for them, or they are getting a qualifying payment in their own right. If you are aged between 66 and 70 and are not getting a qualifying social welfare payment, you must pass a means test. In a means test, the Department of Social Protection (DSP) examines all your sources of income. Your weekly income must be below a certain amount to pass the means test. You can get further information on the additional rules for people under 70 by contacting our office.
What is covered by the Household Benefits Package?
There are 2 allowances in the Household Benefits Package. Firstly, there is the Electricity Allowance or Natural Gas Allowance of €35 monthly and secondly there is a free television licence.
How is the Household Benefit Package paid?
The Allowance can be paid as a credit against your energy bill or into your bank or post office account. The Allowance is paid on the first Tuesday of each month. If you are collecting your Allowance from the post office using your Public Services Card, you have 90 days to collect your payment.
If the Allowance is paid as a credit against your bill each month, the bill must be in your name. If you don’t use all of your monthly Allowance, you carry it forward to your next bill. If you switch to a different energy provider, you will have to contact your previous provider for a refund of unused credit.
From 8 September 2025, all new applicants for the Household Benefits Package will get paid the Allowance to their nominated bank or post office. If you are an existing Household Benefits Package customer and you are already getting a monthly credit towards your electricity or gas bill, you will continue to get the credit unless you change your supplier.
Are there any supports for people who have special heating needs?
If you have special heating needs, you may be able to get additional weekly supplements under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme. The heating supplement is an additional weekly payment to help with the cost of heating your home. You may get a heating supplement, if you can show you have extra heating needs because of your age, medical condition or disability and if you are living alone or only with a dependent adult or dependent children. You will also need to satisfy a means test. There is no fixed rate for heating supplement. The amount of heating supplement you get is based on your need as assessed by your Community Welfare Officer.
If you would like more information about any of the issues I covered or would like to get an application form, drop-in to your local CIC . We will discuss your current circumstances with you and make you aware how the various schemes apply to your personal circumstances and help you with the application process. We can go through the means test with you. Our service is confidential and independent and there is no charge.
Citizens Information
Further information on this and other topics is available from Cork City Centre CIC in Cornmarket Street, open to the public on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9.45am to 12.30pm and Wednesdays from 2pm to 4pm, Tel 0818 07 6950 (Lines open Mon-Fri 10am-4.30pm). Blackpool CIC is also open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm, Tel 0818 07 6890 while Hollyhill CIC is open Mondays and Fridays from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm, Tel: 0818 07 6850.
Information is also available from the Citizens Information Phone Service Tel: 0818 07 4000 (9am – 8pm, Mon – Fri) or online at www.citizensinformation.ie