Parents could potentially miss out on hundreds of euros as the closing date to apply for Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance draws closer.
Applications must be submitted by 30 September and any people who qualify for the payment will automatically have received a confirmation letter before 21 June.
The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is a means-tested once-off payment aimed at helping families with the extra costs when children start school each autumn.
There are two rates of payment with €150 being allocated to parents of children aged between 4 – 11, while €275 is provided for parents with children aged between 12-22.
Children aged between 18 and 22 years old must be in second-level education to qualify.
If anyone has not yet received a letter confirming they will receive the payment automatically by 21 June, they need to apply for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance online.
In order to qualify for Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, an individual must meet the following conditions:
- they must be in receipt of a qualifying social protection payment or participating in approved employment, education or training support scheme
- they must be in receipt of an increase for a qualified child (IQC) in respect of each child for whom the allowance is being claimed (except in certain circumstances)
- each child being claimed for must be aged between 4 and 17 or aged between 18 and 22, and returning to second-level education in the autumn
It's with noting that the assessable income for the household must be within a set income limit. Elsewhere, recipients and each child in respect of whom the allowance is claimed must be resident in the State.
Award letters for this payment were issued in June each year, however, if anyone has not received an award letter for Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance by the end of June, and they meet the qualifying conditions, they will need to make an application online.
To apply online you must have a verified MyGovID account.
Again, take note that the closing date to apply for Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is 30 September.
