Thousands of people in Ireland are eligible to receive supports from the government to help with their home heating costs.
One of these is the Fuel Allowance, an extra social welfare payment under the National Fuel Scheme to help with the cost of keeping your house warm during the winter months.
People who are dependent on long-term social welfare payments and who are unable to provide for their own heating needs are eligible for the allowance.
The Department of Social Protection's guidelines state that only one Fuel Allowance is paid to a household and this is usually paid on the same day as people's social welfare payments.
Recipients can choose to get the money paid weekly or to get their total allowance paid in two lump sums.
The exact date of the Fuel Allowance season changes every year, but it typically begins in autumn and lasts until spring.
The Fuel Allowance for 2020/21 began on September 28, 2020 and ran for 28 weeks until April 9, 2021.
The final details of the Fuel Allowance will be announced in the upcoming release of Budget 2022.
However, going on last year's dates, the new season would be from Monday, September 27, 2021 until April 8, 2022.
The current rate of the Fuel Allowance payment is €28 per week. It was increased by €3.50 from €24.50 a week in January.
Over the full 28 weeks, this will amount to a total overall payment of €784 for the 2021-2022 season.
People applying for the payment are advised to do so in September as the benefit is not backdated.
The government is expected to give a cash boost to social welfare and pension recipients given the higher cost of living.
Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath revealed that there will also be an increase in the carbon tax.
"We will compensate for the impact of that by improving the measures within social protection particularly in the area of fuel poverty," he said.
“We’ve given the commitment that carbon tax receipts that we collect as a Government are not about balancing the books.
“They are about trying to bring about changes in behaviour and we would encourage and nurture those changes through the decisions that we make."
