A Guide To The Disability Allowance 2024

By David Tait Reviewed by Cormac Breen

Editorial Manager

The disability allowance is a weekly payment made to people who suffer from mental or physical disabilites, or who suffer from long term health issues due to injury. As of November 2024, the disability allowance is currently €232 a week for the personal rate. The rate for adult dependents is €154, for children under 12 it is €46 and for children over 12, €54.

What Is the Disability Allowance?

The disability allowance is a weekly payment paid to individuals with a disability. You are eligible for the payment from the age of 16.

You can still recieve the disability allowance while attending school.

You can also qualify for other social welfare payments and schemes while receiving the disability allowance provided you meet the criteria.

Who Is Eligible for the Disability Allowance?

In order to apply for the Disability Allowance, you must meet the following criteria for the scheme:

• Have an injury, disease, or physical or mental disability that has continued for at least one year, or is expected to continue for at least one year.
• Be substantially restricted from doing work because of your disability, that would be suitable for a person of your age, experience and qualifications.
• Be aged between 16 and 66.
• Pass a financial means test.
• Live in Ireland.

Which Disabilities Qualify for the Disability Allowance Ireland?

There isn’t a list of specific diseases, injuries or disabilities that might or might not qualify for the disability allowance.

However, you disability situation need to fulfil a number of requirements to make you eligible:

• Long-Term Disability or Illness
  Your illness or disability will need to have been constant for at least a year or more to qualify. If you’ve been ill but you’ve gotten better before one year has passed, you won’t be able to receive the disability allowance.
• Substantial Restriction
  You will also need to show that you are ‘substantially restricted’ because of your illness or disability. This means that you’re unable to do a job that would be able to otherwise for your qualifications, age, and situation.
• Age Requirements
  You can apply for the disability allowance between the ages of 16 and 66. You can receive it even if you’re still attending school. If you are over 66, there are other welfare support programmes available with your pension.

Do I Need a Medical Assessment for the Disability Allowance?

You will need to have your disability or illness verified with a medical assessment.

This means your doctor needs to complete a medical report that will be confirmed by the DSP medical assessors to make sure you definitely qualify for the disability allowance.

If you’re in hospital care or in a residency, you can still apply and qualify for the disability allowance, as long as you meet the rest of the criteria.

What Income Requirements Are There?

The disability allowance is a means-tested benefit. This means your income will need to be assessed to make sure you’re earning below the limit to qualify for the disability allowance.

The DSP examines your income for the following:

1. Income
   This is your regular income as a household you might receive from your job and other benefits packages. If you have a spouse or cohabitant, their income will be assessed as well. This does not include your parents’ income if you’re living with them.

2. Capital
   The value of all your assets will also be taken into account. This will include any investments or savings you might have, as well as your house’s value if you have one.

   To qualify for the disability allowance, the first €50,000 is not considered but anything above might mean a lower payment. If you sell your home, the first €190,500 from the sale will not be taken into account.

3. Maintenance
   If you’re receiving a maintenance payment, this will also be taken into account when you apply for the disability allowance.

What If My Spouse or Partner Works?

If your spouse or partner works, some of their income might not be included in the means-test. If your partner works, then your disability allowance might be less than if they weren’t working.

You should bear this in mind when filling out the form that if you receive less than you are expecting, it might be because your spouse or partner is earning more.

How Do I Apply for the Disability Allowance?

You can apply for the disability allowance in multiple ways depending on what best suits you.

You will need to fill in the disability allowance application form and then take it to your nearest Intreo Centre or a Social Welfare Branch Office where you can hand it in.

You can even go through Citizens Information who can help you out by filling it in.

How Do I Fill In the Disability Allowance Application Form?

The disability allowance application form is a 24-page document with 11 parts to fill in. It does seem like a lot of information but you will only need to fill in the information that relates to you.

You’ll need to fill in the information in block capitals with a black pen. Here’s a step by step guide to help you fill in the disability application form:

1. Personal Details
   Here is where you will need to fill in your personal details. You will need to include your name, PPS number, marital status, address and contact details. You will also need to indicate where you’re in full time education or not.
2. Partner’s Details
   For the next step, you will need to include the same personal details for your partner as well. If you don’t have a partner, you can leave this section blank.
3. Work and Claim Details
   If you have a partner, the next section you will need to fill in about you and your partner’s employment situation. You need to apply with at least three payment slips as proof of income as well as details of the company you or your partner are employed by. You will also need to indicate if either of you receive another social welfare benefit.
4. Nationality and Residency
   In this section, you will just need to confirm your nationality and your residency situation in Ireland. If you’ve lived abroad within the last five years you will need to specify where, which dates you were there, and why you were living there.
5. Details of Your Children
   If you have children, you will need to fill in their names, dates of birth, their PPS numbers, and whether they live with you or not. You can also indicate at the top whether you wish to apply for an increase if you have qualified children. If your child is between the ages of 18-22, you’ll need a written confirmation from the school to attach.
6. Other Payments
   In the same form, you can also indicate if you want to apply for, the living alone increase, the household benefits package, the free electricity or gas allowance, or the free TV licence.
7. Payment Details
   Here you will need to fill in your payment details including the name of your bank with your IBAN and Bank Identifier Code (BIC). If you would prefer to collect your payment, you will need to detail the post office from which you want to receive your payment.
8. Checklist
   Run through the checklist to double check what you’ve already filled in and what you’ve left. This is important so you don’t leave anything out when making your application for the disability payment and it’s good to help you keep track.
9. Medical Report
   You’ll need to fill in the medical report section. You’ll need to provide details of your disability or illness, along with your working situation, and your education details. There is a list of conditions you will need to tick off to ensure that you do qualify for the ‘substantially restricted’ requirement of the payment.
10. Declaration
    You will need to sign the declaration at the end to ensure that you’ve provided all the information to the best of your ability and make the date when it was signed.
11. Permission to Release Medical Details
    The last part of the form is just to give permission for the DSP medical assessors to access your medical information. There are two parts to this, Part A is for you to fill in and Part B is for your doctor.

After you have completed the disability allowance form, you can then send it off to the DSP for them to assess your situation and determine whether you qualify for the payment.

How Much Is the Disability Allowance in Ireland?

The disability allowance rate depends on a lot of factors such as your employment status and whether you have any dependents that you need to maintain. These are the current disability allowance rates as of 2024:

Source: Citizen Information
Last Updated: November 2024

From January 2025, the Disability Allowance will increase by €12 proportional increases for qualified adults and people on reduced rates of payment.

In addition to this, the Increase for a Qualified Child (IQC) will be renamed the Child Support Payment. The weekly rate will increase by €4 from €46 to €50, for children under 12 years of age. It will increase by €8 from €54 to €62 for children aged 12 years and over. (January 2025).

What Is the Phone Number for Disability Allowance?

The main phone number for Disability Allowance is (043) 334 0000, Monday to Friday, 9am - 6pm.

When you apply for the disability allowance, or if you want to ask a question about your payment, you will need to get in touch with the Department of Social Protection and talk to their Social Welfare Services Office.

You can use a number of different contact methods:

What Extra Benefits Am I Entitled to on Disability Allowance?

If you qualify for and receive the disability allowance, you will also be eligible for extra social welfare benefits to help you out with your day-to-day.

There are a range of different benefits that provide help for transport, housing, and energy:

1. Free Travel
   For persons over the age of 66, you’re usually entitled to free travel throughout Ireland. If you have the disability allowance and are under 66, you will also be entitled to free travel.

2. Household Benefits Package
   The household benefits package is a payment from the government to help you out with your household costs.

   It can include an electricity or gas allowance, or a free TV licence so you’re not paying the full price for living if you’re struggling financially. If you receive the disability allowance you can be entitled to the household benefits package as well.

3. Living Alone Increase
   If you are living alone and qualify for the disability allowance, you can also receive a supplementary payment to help you out with costs.
4. Fuel Allowance
   The fuel allowance is available for people who are struggling to meet their heating needs. If you qualify for the disability allowance, you can also receive the fuel allowance and especially if you need a lot of heating for your disability.

There are also a number of other extra benefits that you might also qualify for on the disability allowance.

You should double check exactly what your eligibility is so you don’t miss out on making things easier for yourself in the light of the current cost-of-living crisis.