Thousands of families across Ireland will receive a double child benefit payment from today.
Today will also see the first of three €200 electricity credits appear on household bills. Both measures were announced as part of Budget 2023 to help with the cost of living crisis.
The double child benefit payment will cost the state €170 million. Almost 640,000 families will receive the once-off double payment, including 170,191 recipients in Dublin.
Read more : Six November payments that will benefit hundreds of thousands of households
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The social welfare payment applies to all parents of children under the age of 16. Child Benefit is also available for children aged 16 and 17, if they are in full-time education or full-time training or have a disability and cannot support themselves.
Child benefit is usually €140 for a single child. Today, November 1, parents will receive €280. Those with two children will receive €560, and parents with three children will receive €840.
A family with twins will also get €840 as they receive one-and-a-half times the normal rate per child. The monthly allowance is not subject to taxation and is a universal payment not affected by a person's income level.
Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys said of today's double payment: "Child Benefit is an extremely important income support that reaches hundreds of thousands of hardworking families. As minister, I am deeply conscious of the difficulties families are facing right now in meeting their bills."
“This double payment is one of eight lump-sum payments that I secured as part of the Budget to help households during this extremely challenging period.”
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