Find the support you might be missing.

A refund of income tax and DIRT you have already paid, to go towards the deposit on a NEW home you buy or self-build and live in yourself. First-time purchasers only, and if you are buying with someone else you must all be first-time purchasers. THE CONDITION PEOPLE TRIP ON: you must take out a mortgage with a qualifying lender for at least 70% of the purchase price, or of the approved valuation on a self-build. Buying outright with no mortgage rules you out entirely. The property must be worth €500,000 or less, you must live in it as your main home for five years, and your tax affairs must be in order. It runs to 31 December 2029. A self-build does not need a Revenue-approved contractor, but does need a solicitor registered as a HTB approver.

Shared-equity help for first-time buyers of a new home.

A government mortgage from your local council for people who cannot get a big enough loan from a bank. THE BIG DIFFERENCE FROM HELP TO BUY AND THE FIRST HOME SCHEME: it covers SECOND-HAND homes and self-builds, not just new builds. You normally need to be a first-time buyer, BUT THERE ARE TWO WAYS ROUND THAT: the Fresh Start principle if you are divorced or separated or came through insolvency or bankruptcy, and separately if you only ever owned a property through INHERITANCE. There is also a faster route if your landlord has served you a notice of termination. You can borrow up to 90% of the market value, with price ceilings by county: €415,000 in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow, €375,000 in Cork, Galway City and Meath, then €345,000 and €310,000 elsewhere. Income limits are €80,000 single and €85,000 joint. You need two years of continuous employment as the main earner, one year if you are the second earner on a joint application, and evidence that two banks turned you down or offered too little. Aged 18 to 70. It cannot be combined with the First Home Scheme, but it CAN be the mortgage behind an Affordable Purchase or Starter Home Purchase home.

Buy a new home below market price; the council takes an equity share equal to the discount, redeemed later. Since July 2026 the government's own campaign material also calls this the Starter Home Purchase Scheme, same scheme, new consumer-facing name, nothing about the terms has changed. THE CONDITION PEOPLE TRIP ON: this is built around a mortgage. Your price is worked out from your maximum mortgage capacity, and to be eligible that capacity must be no more than 85.5% of the home's full market value, worked out without any Central Bank exemption. In other words the scheme is for people who cannot borrow enough, not for people buying with cash. Your savings are counted too. Mainly for first-time buyers, though the Fresh Start rule also covers you if you are separated or divorced, or came through insolvency with no stake in your former home. Couples must apply jointly. Your council runs it and advertises homes as they come up.

Long-term homes let at cost, not market rates.

Cost Rental Tenant in Situ (CRTiS). If you are renting privately and your landlord serves a valid notice to end the tenancy because they intend to sell, the State can buy the home through the Housing Agency and let you stay on as a cost-rental tenant at below-market rent. You must not be in a position to buy it yourself, own no other home, be assessed by the local authority as at risk of homelessness, not be getting HAP or RAS, and have a net household income under €66,000 in Dublin or €59,000 elsewhere. Bring your notice of termination to your local authority to start.

Lets eligible council tenants buy their home at a discount.

If your mortgage arrears are not sustainable you voluntarily hand ownership to your lender, an approved housing body or local authority arrangement takes over and you stay in the same home as a social housing tenant paying a rent based on your income. You keep an option to buy the home back if your finances improve. New limits on home value and positive equity apply since 1 November 2024, and you must be eligible for social housing.

Free debt, financial, legal and insolvency advice if you are in serious arrears on your home mortgage and at risk of losing it. MABS runs it with the Insolvency Service, the Legal Aid Board and the Citizens Information Board, and vouchers pay a professional to advise you so the help costs you nothing.

A temporary tax credit for homeowners whose mortgage interest rose since 2022. Worth 20% of the increase, up to €1,250 for 2025 and up to €625 for 2026. Your mortgage balance must have been between €80,000 and €500,000 at the end of 2022.

If you own a property that has been vacant for 12 months or more and it suits social housing, the council or an approved housing body pays for the necessary repairs upfront. You lease the property to them for social housing and the repair cost is gradually offset against the rent they pay you, so you do not need the money in hand to bring the place back into use.

Also called Croí Cónaithe, which is the name the government campaigns under. Up to €50,000 to refurbish a vacant home, or up to €70,000 if it is confirmed derelict. Once your application is approved you have 18 months to complete the works, and the council can extend that at its discretion. TWO CONDITIONS CATCH NEARLY EVERYONE: the building must have been built before 2008, and it must have been vacant for at least two years when you apply. Agricultural buildings such as sheds and barns are NOT eligible, no matter what they are being turned into. Applications are from named owners only, never a company, and it covers rural areas as well as cities, towns and villages. For the derelict top-up you need the property on the Derelict Sites Register or an independent report confirming it is structurally unsound. Converting a whole former commercial or public building into homes pays more: €70,000 for two units, or €90,000 for three or more, rising to €90,000 and €110,000 if that building is derelict. Note there is a separate application form for the commercial conversion route. Apply to the local authority where the building is, and their vacant homes officer is the person to ask for.

Converts vacant space above a shop or other commercial premises into a home. Up to €95,000 for the first unit created, plus up to €20,000 each for a second and a third-or-more unit, so a maximum of €135,000 per building. The building must have been built before 2008, the above-shop space vacant for 2 years or more, and the ground floor must stay in commercial use. You must be a named individual or household, not a company, and you need to live in or rent out the finished units for at least 10 years or repay part of the grant if you sell early. Launched April 2026.

A government-backed loan that lets a first-time buyer OR a Fresh Start applicant (divorced or separated, or after insolvency or bankruptcy) buy AND renovate a vacant or derelict property in one loan, bridging the gap until the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant pays out. You must be aged 18 to 70 and unable to get enough finance from a commercial lender, and area property-price ceilings apply (from €415,000 in Dublin down to €310,000 elsewhere). It is a fixed-rate mortgage plus an interest-only bridging loan for the grant amount. Distinct from both the Local Authority Home Loan and the Vacant/Derelict Property Grant, and can run alongside the grant.

A discounted serviced site in a town or village to build your own home on, up to €30,000 off the price. The council puts in the roads, footpaths, water and drainage first. First-time buyers and Fresh Start applicants come first, but you do NOT have to be either: an older or disabled person selling their current home to move into a town or village qualifies, and so does anyone else selling up to move to one. It has to be your own home to live in, not a rental or a development. IT IS NOT A FREE DISCOUNT, and this is the bit to understand before you sign. You must live there at least five years, and if you sell or it stops being your main home within ten years you repay the State: 100% of the discount up to five years, 75% between five and ten, nothing after ten. A charge goes on the property to secure it. Two deadlines can cost you the lot: apply for planning within 3 months of approval or the site reverts to the council, and start building within 12 months of getting permission or the whole discount is repayable. One site per applicant, and if several people qualify for the same site it goes to a lottery. Ask your council for the Vacant Homes Officer.

Income tax relief on the cost of doing up an older property in a designated Special Regeneration Area to live in as your home. Now bigger than most people realise: extended to 31 December 2030, the building age rule widened from pre-1915 to pre-1975 for the residential reliefs, and since 8 April 2026 it covers areas in 11 places, the original six cities plus Athlone, Drogheda, Dundalk, Letterkenny and Sligo. A new Living over the Shop element was also added from January 2026 for converting space above commercial premises.

Covers the full cost of testing, assessment and repair work if your home was damaged by pyritic heave in the floor hardcore. For owner-occupied homes built between 1997 and December 2013 in Dublin, Kildare, Meath or Offaly, with a Building Condition Assessment showing significant damage. Applications close 30 November 2026.

A 100% grant to remediate a home structurally damaged by defective concrete blocks (mica or pyrite in the blocks themselves), up to an overall cap of €462,000 per home. Open to homeowners in Carlow, Clare, Donegal, Limerick, Mayo, Sligo and parts of Fingal, Meath and Wexford (Carlow and parts of Meath were added on 8 July 2026), for your principal private residence or a home you rent out that was registered with the RTB on or before 1 November 2021. The Housing Agency sets the grant for your home case by case. This is separate from the older Pyrite Remediation Scheme, which covers pyritic heave in the floor hardcore in the east of the country.

Government funding to fix urgent fire safety defects in apartments and duplexes built between 1991 and 2013, where the problem came from a breach of the building regulations that applied at the time. The owners' management company applies to the Housing Agency, not individual owners, and it covers emergency works like fire alarms and detection. It is an interim scheme ahead of a larger statutory redress scheme still being set up.

Repairs to protected structures and homes in conservation areas. Funded by the Department but administered by your local authority, you apply to your council and the council decides the awards. A competitive grant, not everyone who qualifies gets funding, and it runs on an annual application window, check the official page for when applications are currently open.

Larger conservation works on significant historic buildings. For 2026 the fund focuses on grants of €50,000 to €200,000; smaller jobs go to the Built Heritage scheme above.

Towards renewing or repairing the thatched roof of a house you live in: up to €3,810 or two-thirds of the cost, rising to €6,350 (up to 80%) if you hold a medical card, and higher again on the specified offshore islands.

Attic insulation is usually the most cost effective upgrade there is, because a house loses 20% to 30% of its heat through the roof. Attic is up to €2,000, rising to €2,500 for first-time buyers and for homeowners on qualifying welfare payments. Wall insulation is up to €8,000 across three types, cavity, external and internal, with a higher cavity amount again for those on qualifying welfare payments. Worth knowing if you have insulated before: homeowners who already took a wall insulation grant can now apply for a SECOND wall measure, which was not allowed until recently. Grant approval must be in place before any work starts.

Since 2026 you can get a grant for energy-efficient windows and doors on their own, with no full retrofit needed. The home must be built before 2011 with walls and attic already well insulated, and you must use an SEAI-registered contractor and apply before the work starts.

Toward a heat pump and related upgrades where your home is suitable. Replacing an existing heat pump that hasn't had SEAI support before gets a smaller amount, up to €6,500.

Smart controls that match your heating and hot water to how you actually use the house, a flat €700 whatever the property type. The home needs an MPRN and must have been built and occupied before 2011. One thing to check before you go any further: you CANNOT get this if you are applying for, or have already claimed, a heat pump system grant. They are alternatives, not a pair. This one improves the heating system you have, the heat pump grant replaces it. Owner occupiers, companies, registered charities, holiday homes, Approved Housing Bodies and non-private landlords can all apply. Paid to you once the work is done, or taken off up front if a One Stop Shop manages it.

Managed deep retrofit up to a BER B2, one contractor handles it all. A whole-home upgrade can include new windows and doors as part of the works. Private landlords can use this route, but commercial landlords cannot.

Free energy upgrades for eligible lower-income households. The waiting list can be long, but you may be able to apply directly for individual attic or wall insulation grants instead, without losing your place on the list.

A low-cost, government-backed loan to help fund SEAI grant-eligible home energy upgrades.

A fully funded solar panel system, up to 2kWp with battery storage and at no cost, for a home where someone depends on electrically powered medical equipment such as an oxygen concentrator, dialysis machine or ventilator. You qualify by being registered in the life support category of ESB Networks' Priority Services Register with your electricity supplier, and since 2025 all homeowners on that register can be considered. It is run through the suppliers rather than by open application, so make sure you are on the register and they will contact eligible customers. Some conditions apply to the property, so confirm with your supplier.

Toward rooftop solar panels for your home.

No VAT on the supply and fit of solar panels on a private home, since 1 May 2023, so the price you are quoted already has the VAT taken off.

Your electricity supplier pays you for the solar electricity you send back to the grid, at a rate per unit (kWh) that shows up as a credit on your bill.

Up to €1,200 toward a solar thermal system that heats your hot water, for homes built and occupied before 2021.

To adapt a home so someone can live in it: a stair lift or through-floor lift, grab rails, a fixed track hoist, ramps, a downstairs bathroom or bedroom, or an extension. The maximum rose to €40,000 from December 2024, and it can cover 100% of the cost if household income is under €37,500. If you are terminally ill, or you could come home from hospital or residential care once the work is done, you are PRIORITY 1, the top of three priority levels, so say that clearly on the form. Bigger jobs like a stair lift, a hoist or an extension need an Occupational Therapist report first, but you do not have to pay for that out of your own pocket: your council can arrange the assessment for you after you apply, the HSE community occupational therapy service is free and takes self-referrals (there can be a wait), and if you do use a private OT and your grant is approved, up to €300 comes back to you as part of the grant. Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit paid for the person who needs the grant is not counted in the income test. THOSE WORKS ARE EXAMPLES, NOT THE LIMIT: the 2024 regulations only say the work must be reasonably necessary to make the house more suitable for someone with an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual impairment, and there is no fixed list. Councils do assess applications for children with autism, and have funded safer doors, light control and calmer colour schemes. The line that catches people out is fabric versus kit: the grant changes the structure or fabric of the home, it will not buy the sensory equipment that goes inside. A multi-disciplinary assessment from healthcare professionals is needed for that kind of application. If a disabled child's parents live apart, a second grant can be paid on the second home. A NEW BUILD COUNTS, which very few people know. The regulations cover a house whose construction has not started yet once planning permission is granted, and a house built less than 12 months ago, so a family building a home for a disabled child or adult can use this grant. The maximum is half the figure for an existing house, so €20,000 where an existing house would get €40,000, down to €6,000 in the highest income band. Apply BEFORE the work goes in: no grant is paid for works already started or finished before an application has been submitted and approved, so adaptations built into the house first cannot be funded afterwards. A house already part built is a genuine grey area and only the council can rule on it. To be clear which half of that is unique: THE NEW BUILD ROUTE is this grant only, it is not in Housing Aid for Older People or the Mobility Aids Grant. THE DO-NOT-START-WORK RULE APPLIES TO ALL THREE, word for word in the regulations, so never start work before written approval on any of them.

The smaller, faster grant for basic access work: grab rails, a stair lift, access ramps, a level access shower. Up to €8,000, covering 100% of the cost. WATCH THE INCOME RULE, because it does not work like its two sister grants: there is no sliding scale here, just a single band. If household income after disregards is above €37,500 this grant pays nothing at all, where the Housing Adaptation Grant would still pay 85%, 75%, 50% or 30% right up to €75,000. So if you are over the limit, apply for the Housing Adaptation Grant instead, which covers the same works, and Citizens Information says so outright. Below the limit it is the quicker route, with less paperwork. The same income disregards apply here as on the other two grants and they can bring you under €37,500, so work them out before you rule yourself out.

Essential repairs and improvements to keep older people living at home, such as structural repairs, rewiring and heating. The maximum grant is €10,700, covering up to 100% of the cost if your gross household income is up to €37,500, then tapering (85% up to €43,750, down to 30% up to €75,000, none above that). It is for people aged 66 or over (younger people only in cases of hardship) and is means-tested on your gross household income. Since 1 January 2025 the grant will not pay for a new standalone fossil-fuel boiler, though repairs and electric or biomass heating are still covered, and you may also qualify for the free Warmer Homes Scheme.

Free small DIY jobs for older people: minor gardening and painting, bulbs and plugs, hanging curtains, security locks, smoke alarms and fixing trip hazards. Volunteers cover Dublin, Cork and Galway, and maintenance teams travel anywhere in Ireland where a job helps someone avoid hospital or get home from it sooner. Call 0818 911 109.

Funds adaptations like stairlifts, grab rails and downstairs bathrooms for council tenants who are older or have a disability. The social housing version of the Housing Adaptation Grant, applied for through your local authority.

A monitored personal alarm, a pendant you press in an emergency, for people aged 65 or over of limited means who live alone, live alone for large parts of the day, or care for someone in the home. You apply through a local community or voluntary group registered with Pobal.

Extra income for farmers and fishers on a low income who give 19.5 hours a week to local community projects, run through local development companies. The minimum weekly payment has been €286.50 since January 2026. From January 2026 it also opened to people with a defined connection to farming or fishing, plus a pilot for anyone aged 50 or over living in a rural area, which means anywhere outside the five cities.

Core CAP income payment on eligible land. Replaced the Basic Payment Scheme.

Front-loaded payment on your first hectares that favours smaller farms.

Annual payment for agri-environmental practices like space for nature.

Support for farming hill, marginal or constrained land.

Payment entitlements for young farmers and new entrants.

Extra income payment for young farmers in their early years.

A €30 million area-based payment for tillage farmers, on a digressive per-hectare rate: €110/ha for the first 1-100ha, €90/ha for 100-125ha, €70/ha for 125-150ha, and €50/ha above that. You need a valid 2025 BISS application declaring at least 1 hectare of an eligible crop (barley, oats, wheat, rye, triticale or oilseed rape). Applied for online via MyAgFood. Distinct from the Tillage Investment Scheme, which is a TAMS capital grant for grain stores and equipment, not an area payment.

A €100 million fund (€20m a month for 5 months) helping farmers and agricultural contractors with fuel costs, at a rate anticipated around 20 cent per litre of Marked Gas Oil (green diesel), subject to the overall budget. The scheme's funding window covered March to the end of July 2026, confirm on the official page whether late applications are still being accepted before you apply.

A means-tested weekly payment for low-income farmers aged 18 to 66, run through the same DSP welfare system as Jobseeker's Allowance. You must satisfy a means test on your farm income and other means. Apply through your local Intreo Centre or Branch Office.

Payments for farmers in Priority Areas for Action who put in water quality measures such as sediment traps, riparian margins and catch crops, starting with a fully funded Rainwater Management Plan. Applications are accepted to the end of 2027. Check your Eircode on the EPA map first to see if your land is in a Priority Area.

The main agri-environment scheme. Replaced GLAS.

Payments to convert to and maintain organic farming.

Payment for ploughing in straw to build soil carbon.

Per-hectare payment for growing protein crops like beans, peas and soya. Applied for with your BISS application.

Payment for beef suckler herds that improve genetics and cut emissions.

Payment per ewe for welfare actions like lameness control.

A cluster of schemes for people who breed or produce sport horses and ponies, funded by the Department of Agriculture through National Breeding Services and run by Horse Sport Ireland. Open to studbook breeders, producers and owners anywhere on the island of Ireland, Northern Ireland included. The Mare Breeding Package pays up to €200 a horse towards pre-breeding screening, the Starting Scheme up to €1,000 towards six weeks of training, and the Mare X-Ray Screening Scheme covers 70% of the screening cost capped at €245 excluding VAT. The bigger ones ask more of you: Premium Retention pays up to €6,000 over six months to keep a high merit mare or stallion aged 5 to 7 but needs a completed studbook selection, and Schooling I and II pay up to €1,500 and €3,000 for eight weeks with a producer, with Schooling II also needing dam line performance and an approved sire. Embryo transfer and environmental testing schemes run as well. The animal must be studbook registered and in your own name, and you need an Equine Operator profile, or an Equine Establishment Number in Northern Ireland. Schemes run first come first served until the budget is gone. Seven of the eight are now closed for 2026, with deadlines that ran from 31 March to 31 July, and three were oversubscribed. The High-Performance Stallion Health and X-Ray Scheme has not opened yet and its deadline is still to be confirmed, so stallion owners should keep watching. Schemes open on a rolling basis from February to May, so the mailing list on the Horse Sport Ireland breeding page is the way to catch the next one. One thing to know before you plan around 2027: Horse Sport Ireland went into examinership on 24 August 2026 after a legacy legal liability crystallised, and the High Court appointed an interim examiner. HSI says it continues to operate and that examinership is a rescue process meant to secure its future, but the next round is not guaranteed while that is going on.

Pays 75% of the vet cost, up to €1,000 per greyhound, to treat a career-ending bone injury picked up while racing or trialling at a licensed stadium. Fractured hocks, long bones and multiple metacarpal or metatarsal fractures are the sort of thing it covers. Open to all owners and trainers who have paid the vet bill. The condition is that the greyhound retires from racing immediately after treatment and every effort is made to rehome it, and it can never be sold or given away for racing again. You send the paid vet invoice, a vet certificate from the track vet or treating vet, and the application form.

Pays up to 75% of the cost of improving your kennels, to a maximum of €2,500, for licensed participants in greyhound racing. The 2026 programme was announced on 21 April with a €100,000 fund and stays open until the money is fully allocated, so it is first come first served. It will NOT fund work needed to fix problems found in a welfare inspection: meeting the baseline standard is the kennel owner's own responsibility, and this is for going beyond it.

Support for welfare measures on dairy-beef calves.

Annual welfare payment per breeding ewe, separate from the Sheep Improvement Scheme.

For suckler farmers, on calves born on your holding between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026. There are three actions and the first is one most farmers already do: meal feeding at weaning is mandatory and pays up to €35 a calf. Vaccination is optional at up to €15 a calf, and faecal or forage testing is optional at up to €25, so up to €75 a calf on up to 45 calves. New for 2026, the bluetongue (BTV-3) vaccination is funded as one of the options. Apply on myagfood.ie by 5pm on Wednesday 23 September 2026. The Department states plainly that there is no facility for late applications. Payments start in December 2026. You can be in this and the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme at the same time.

Payment for weighing dairy-beef calves. Separate from the Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme.

The main compensation scheme if your herd has a TB breakdown and reactor animals are removed: up to €5,000 for a pedigree cow or in-calf heifer, up to €5,000 for a pedigree stock bull (up to 3 per breakdown episode), and up to €3,000 for any other individual bovine animal. You pick an Independent Valuer from DAFM's list, and a V8 (accept/reject) and V13 (the valuation) form process the claim, done online via AgFood.ie. You can appeal a valuation you disagree with.

For herds under a single continuous TB restriction where full depopulation isn't used. You need more than 10% of the herd removed, or, in a dairy herd, not less than 9.5% of the dairy cows. Rates are banded by animal type and months post-calving: dairy cows €100/month for months 1-5 then €65/month for months 6-10, suckler cows €52/month for months 1-7 then €40/month for months 8-12, and a flat €30/month for all other animals. Capped at 199 reactors, and at 12 months if you aren't denied permission to move animals.

Paid per animal removed under a TB depopulation measure. Non-feedlot rates: €280 for dairy cows, in-calf heifers and pedigree bulls over 12 months, €180 for suckler-equivalent animals, and €120 for all other animals (feedlot and dealer herds get nil). Rates are for a 4-month rest period, pro-rated for shorter periods.

For herdowners feeding more animals than on the same date the previous year because a TB restriction is stopping them from selling or moving stock. Worth €50/month per suckler cow or €30/month per dairy cow or other bovine, capped at €300 a month for up to 4 months. The scheme itself only runs from 1 November to 30 April each year.

Part of the bovine TB Action Plan, this grant helps farmers stop TB spreading from badgers by fencing off setts and buying badger-proof feed and water troughs. It pays 40% of the cost of eligible materials up to €2,000 excluding VAT, so a maximum grant of €800. New applications for 2026 have closed, but if you were already approved, the purchase window runs 1 July to 31 August 2026. It runs in annual rounds, so check the official page for the next one.

Grant aid at 40% towards milking and milk storage equipment: milking machines and cluster units, robotic milkers, auto washers, bulk tanks and milk silos, plate coolers, ice builders, water heaters and ICAR-certified milk recording meters. Ceiling €90,000, €160,000 for a partnership. Applications run in tranches, so check the current closing date before you commit to the spend.

Grant aid at 40% for licensed organic operators, rising to 60% if you are also a current participant in the Organic Farming Scheme. It covers the animal housing and storage list plus organic-specific kit: polytunnels, fixed and mobile free-range poultry houses, produce and potato stores, mechanical weeders and crop netting. Ceiling €90,000, €160,000 for a partnership.

Grant aid at 40% for pig and poultry investments, with its own much higher ceiling of €500,000 rather than the usual TAMS figure. It covers housing, ventilation and control systems, insulation, heat recovery and heat pumps, feed and water systems, medicine dispensers and weighing gear.

Grant aid at 70%, the highest rate in TAMS, for storing imported slurry, soiled water and farmyard manure: circular slurry stores, precast concrete tanks with covers, geo-membrane lined stores, manure pits and protective fencing. Ceiling €90,000 for individuals and €160,000 for Registered Farm Partnerships. It sits separate from your other TAMS ceilings, so it does not eat into them.

The higher-rate route through TAMS: 60% instead of the standard 40%, across the full investment list, from animal housing, slurry storage and sheep fencing to dairy, tillage and equine. You must be over 18 and under 41 and set up on the holding within the last five years. Ceiling €90,000, €160,000 for a partnership, plus a separate €90,000 for nutrient storage.

The higher-rate route through TAMS for women farmers: 60% instead of the standard 40%, across the full investment list, from animal housing, slurry storage and sheep fencing to dairy, tillage and equine. You must be over 18 and under 67 at the date you apply, and it covers one holding only. Ceiling €90,000, €160,000 for a partnership, plus a separate €90,000 for nutrient storage.

Grant aid at 60% for handling and safety equipment, and the scheme with the best odds of getting through: 100% of eligible farm safety applications were selected in the last tranche. It covers fixed and mobile sheep handling units, sheep races, footbaths, rollover crates and weighing scales, cattle crushes and races, calving and bull pens, tank covers, protective fencing around a slurry store, hydraulic motors that replace a PTO shaft, rewiring and yard lights. Ceiling €90,000, or €160,000 for a registered farm partnership. A fixed sheep handling unit needs planning permission, mobile equipment does not.

Grant aid at 40%, rising to 60% for nutrient storage, towards animal housing and slurry storage. It covers sheep housing slatted or solid floor with penning, calf houses and creeps, calving and bull pens, cubicles, slurry tanks and circular stores, manure pits, silage pits, meal bins, cattle underpasses, farm roadways and sheep fencing. It also covers EQUINE farmers: stables and American barns, tack rooms, feed and forage stores, all-weather arenas, lunge rings, gallops, horse walkers, and post and rail, horse tape or horse mesh fencing. For the equine route you need at least 5 hectares declared under BISS and at least 3 equines on the Equine Census the year before you apply, and the enterprise held for 5 years after payment. Ceiling €90,000, €160,000 for a partnership, with a separate €90,000 nutrient storage ceiling on top. Sheep fencing needs a sheep enterprise kept for 5 years after payment.

Grant aid at 60% for solar PV panels, inverters, controllers and rechargeable batteries on the farm. Its €90,000 ceiling is ring-fenced and separate from your other TAMS ceilings, so it does not eat into them.

Grant aid at 60% for low-emission slurry gear: trailing shoe and shallow injection attachments with macerator, slurry tankers, umbilical systems, lay-flat hose and flow meters. Its ceiling is separate at €40,000, €60,000 for a partnership, and does not come out of your €90,000 TAMS ceiling.

Grant aid at 40% for tillage equipment and storage: grain stores, dryers, elevators and mills, GPS-ready sprayers and fertiliser spreaders, min-till and direct drills, and potato planting, grading and storage gear. Ceiling €90,000, €160,000 for a partnership. You need at least 15 hectares of eligible land.

Grant aid at 50% for oyster, mussel, fish and seaweed farmers investing in production, safety or environmental upgrades, capped at €500,000 for this call. You must already hold a statutory aquaculture licence and any Foreshore Act consent, both in good standing. Applications close at 5pm on Friday 11 September 2026. Sites inside a marine Special Area of Conservation or Special Protection Area that are awaiting a licence determination are excluded.

Helps pay for safety equipment on a fishing boat: 60% of the cost for vessels under 12 metres and 40% for vessels of 12 metres and over. Your vessel must be on the Irish Register of Fishing Boats. It is an open call with no closing date, so you can apply at any time. Grant aid counts towards the €40,000 fisheries de minimis ceiling over three consecutive fiscal years, and individual items carry their own maximum eligible costs.

Up to 40% towards safety equipment for a licensed marine tourism vessel of 15 metres or under operating in Irish coastal waters, so angling charters, dive boats and sightseeing operators. It is an open call with no closing date. Grant aid counts towards the €40,000 fisheries de minimis ceiling over three consecutive fiscal years.

Establishment grant plus yearly premiums for up to 20 years.

Plant small native woodland (under 1 ha) without a felling licence.

Combine trees with grazing or crops on the same land.

Grants for existing forest owners: thinning (Woodland Improvement), forest roads, and ash dieback reconstitution.

From age 55 you might pay no Capital Gains Tax when you sell or pass on your business or farm. Selling to a third party, the threshold is €750,000 if you are 55 to 69 and €500,000 from 70 on, while transfers to family have their own higher limits. Despite the name, you do not actually have to retire to claim it.

Tax credit up to €5,000 a year for 5 years to support a phased handover.

Covers 50% of the vouched legal, accounting and advisory costs of planning your farm's succession, up to €1,500. For farmers aged 60 or over who are not already in a succession partnership, farming at least 3 hectares for 2 or more years. The 2026 round runs 1 January to 30 November. Distinct from the Succession Farm Partnership tax credit above, this pays for the advice that gets you there.

Covers up to 50% of the vouched legal, advisory and financial services costs of setting up a Registered Farm Partnership, to a maximum of €1,500. The partnership must be brand new to the DAFM register and include a Young Trained Farmer as a partner: under 41 with at least a Level 6 agricultural qualification when the partnership went on the register. Tranche 3 runs 17 August to 30 September 2026 and covers partnerships whose registration reached the Department after Tranche 2 closed, so you need your Farm Partnership Registration Number already issued. The Department emails eligible partnerships the form, you do not apply cold. Leave VAT out of your declared costs, including it makes the application ineligible, and invoices must show the amount excluding VAT. Applications are scored and you need at least 40 marks, with a partner over 60 alongside the young trained farmer scoring highest.

Full stamp duty relief when land transfers to a qualifying young farmer.

Enhanced 100% relief on increases in farm trading stock.

Relief from Capital Gains Tax when you sell and buy land to consolidate a fragmented holding. Needs a Teagasc certificate. Runs to end 2029.

Cuts stamp duty to 1% on transfers of farmland between close relatives. Runs to end 2028.

Cuts the taxable value of inherited or gifted farmland by 90% for Capital Acquisitions Tax. You must pass an asset test and an active farmer test: farm it yourself, hold an agricultural qualification like the Green Cert, or lease it to a qualifying farmer.

The agricultural qualification that unlocks the young-farmer supports: stamp duty relief, stock relief, the higher TAMS grant rate, the young farmer payment, and the active-farmer condition for agricultural inheritance relief. Available full-time, part-time for over-23s, or by distance learning through Teagasc and the agricultural colleges, including Teagasc Mayo.

Payment for joining discussion groups to improve farm practice.

Helps advisors support farmers' mental health. Often overlooked.

Advice and schemes to cut the high rate of farm accidents.

85% of the cost of repairing, upgrading or replacing a septic tank or domestic waste water treatment system, up to €12,000. A FAILING TANK ON ITS OWN DOES NOT QUALIFY YOU, which is the thing almost everybody gets wrong. You need one of three doors: an Advisory Notice after a council inspection, or your house being in a Prioritised Area for Action, or in a High Status Objective Catchment Area. RENTERS CAN APPLY with the owner's permission, and doing up a vacant or derelict house counts too. It can also pay to connect you to the public sewer instead of fixing the tank. The last two routes need a letter from your council confirming your house is in the area, and there is an Eircode map you can check. For the sewer option, the council compares the cost of connecting against the cost of fixing the tank and decides. Conditions: it must be your main home, not already on a public sewer, not built in the last 7 years, and you must not have had a septic tank grant in the last 7 years. Renting only counts if it is a private long-term let and you live there. No holiday lets, no commercial properties, no caravans or mobile homes. Routine servicing, maintenance and de-sludging never qualify. There is a minimum spend of €750 on the area-based routes. Ask your council for the Rural Water Liaison Officer.

Toward a new or upgraded private well for your home.

Covers up to 100% of the cost, up to €5,000, to replace lead water pipes in your home. Not means tested.

Grant aid toward providing or upgrading a private group water supply, plus an annual subsidy. The maximum grant per household rose from €15,000 to €20,000, announced 27 July 2026 as part of a new Capital Funding Programme for the Rural Water Sector.

For buying an electric or hydrogen truck or bus. The grant pays a share of the price difference between the zero-emission vehicle and its diesel equivalent: 60% for a small enterprise, 50% for a medium one and 30% for a large one, capped at €500,000 per undertaking per budgetary year. It covers N2 and N3 trucks and M2 and M3 buses and coaches. Sole traders can apply, the scheme is open to any enterprise, private, public or commercial. Applications open on 1 November and close on 30 September, or earlier if the fund runs out, so do not leave it to the last week.

For a new electric commercial van, separate from the passenger car grant. €3,800 for a small van (N1S) with a list price of €60,000 or less, and €7,600 for a large panel van (N1L) at exactly 3,500kg with a list price of €90,000 or less. The catch nobody mentions is on the small van: it gets nothing if the price is under €15,000, so there is a floor as well as a ceiling on that one. Applied at point of sale through an approved dealer.

€1,000 towards a new electric motorcycle (category L3e, over 45km/h) and €500 towards an electric moped (category L1e-B, up to 45km/h). The list price must be under €60,000. Applied at point of sale through an approved dealer, the same route as the car grant.

Pays for an independent assessor to look at your fleet and write you an electrification and charging plan: up to €4,000 for a fleet of 5 to 50 vehicles and up to €8,000 for 51 or more. You need at least 5 company vehicles. This is the piece that comes before buying anything, for a business wondering where to start. SEAI expects the grant to cover the assessment, but if the assessor charges more you pay the difference. Not open to public sector bodies.

Toward the cost of a new approved electric car.

The ICE2EV pilot let you scrap an older petrol or diesel car and put €5,000 towards a new electric one, on top of the €3,500 EV grant. It opened on 1 July 2026 and filled within hours, reaching its 2,000-car cap, so it is now closed to new applications. The standard €3,500 SEAI EV grant is still open, and a review will decide whether the scrappage top-up returns.

Toward installing a charge point at a house with its own off-street parking. People living in apartments should look at the apartment charging grant instead.

Reduced vehicle registration tax on electric vehicles.

Toward installing EV chargers at apartments and shared parking, where the home charger grant does not apply.

Since September 2025 children aged 5 to 8 travel free on all TFI public transport with a Child 5-8 Leap Card, ordered on leapcard.ie. Under-5s were already free. A different thing to the DSP Free Travel Scheme for older people.

Your employer buys you a bike or e-bike and you pay it back from salary, so you save the tax, USC and PRSI on it. Covers up to €3,000 for a cargo or e-cargo bike, €1,500 for an e-bike, or €1,250 for a standard bike, plus safety equipment, and you can use it again every 4 years.

If you leave PAYE employment to start your own company, you might be able to claim back income tax you already paid in earlier years. You do it by investing cash in new shares in the company, working full-time in the business and holding those shares for 4 years. One of the few reliefs that gives you money back from your employed past to fund what you are building next.

Sell qualifying business assets and you might pay Capital Gains Tax at 10% instead of the usual 33%. The lifetime limit is €1,500,000 of gains for disposals on or after 1 January 2026, up from €1,000,000. It is a lifetime cap, not a per-sale one, so it covers everything you dispose of over the years.

Start-up grant for new small businesses in their first 18 months.

Keep part of your welfare while you get a new business going.

A tax credit for self-employed people and company directors who do not get the PAYE Employee Tax Credit. It is worth the lower of €2,000 or 20% of your qualifying earned income. Many sole traders do not realise they can claim it. If you also have PAYE income, the two credits together cannot come to more than the Employee Tax Credit.

Helps research whether a new business idea is viable before you launch.

A six month part-time development programme for women in RURAL Ireland who are starting a business, or who have recently started one. ACORNS stands for Accelerating the Creation Of Rural Nascent Start-ups. It is built around round table sessions run by Lead Entrepreneurs, women who have started and grown their own businesses in rural Ireland, on the idea that you learn most from someone who has done it. Two ways to qualify: you recently set up a business you own or part own that has made sales no earlier than the end of June 2023, OR you are at an advanced stage of planning a new venture with a clear idea of what you want to achieve. Rural means anywhere outside the administrative city boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford, so most of the country counts. You register your interest on the website and an application form is emailed to you. Applications for ACORNS 12 close on Friday 18 September 2026, and the cycle runs from October 2026 to April 2027. It is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine through the Rural Innovation and Development Fund, and previous cycles have run at no charge to the women taking part, with the Lead Entrepreneurs giving their time voluntarily. Over 550 women have been through it in ten years. Questions to info@acorns.ie or 01 845 0770.

Keep an income at your Jobseeker's Benefit rate for up to 9 months while you start a business.

50% of eligible costs towards software, training and IT configuration, from a minimum of €500 up to €5,000. For businesses of 1 to 50 employees trading 6 months or more that have completed a Digital for Business project in the previous 2 years. Primary agriculture is not an eligible sector.

Solar PV grants of up to €162,600 for businesses, farms, public bodies, schools, community centres and non-profits, covering systems from 1kWp right up to 1000kWp. The commercial big sibling of the home solar grant.

For established small firms growing or adding jobs.

Covers 75% of the cost of energy-saving equipment and upgrades for small businesses.

Many councils run a grant to improve the shopfront or facade of a retail or commercial premises in a town or village centre, often 50% to 75% of the cost up to a few thousand euro. Amounts, eligible areas and deadlines vary by county. Your local authority or Local Enterprise Office runs it, and you must be approved before starting the work.

Three tiers of grant from €30,000 to €150,000 for SMEs developing low-carbon products and processes, ERDF co-funded and launched in July 2026. Regional only, so your business needs to be in the Northern and Western counties.

A voucher worth up to €10,000 for a small business to work with a university or research body on a specific innovation, technical or data question.

A co-funded grant for a company taking on a research and development project to create a new product, service or process.

A feasibility-study grant worth up to €35,000 to investigate whether an R&D or innovation project is technically feasible before you commit to the full project.

A grant worth up to €150,000 to develop and validate a market-entry strategy for a new market or a new product, covering the research and planning before you commit to launching.

EU-funded programme, up to €169 million by 2027, to help the Midlands move on from peat extraction: money for local business diversification, SMEs and start-ups, research and innovation, and community and environmental projects. Only for the designated Midlands Just Transition territory.

Small business loans for firms that can't get bank finance.

Revenue repays part of the Mineral Oil Tax (excise) on diesel bought and used in Ireland for business transport, for licensed road haulage and bus or coach operators using qualifying vehicles. You need a valid road transport licence (Irish or EU) and you claim online through Revenue's ROS system each quarter. The amount is a sliding scale that rises as the diesel price rises, so it changes from quarter to quarter.

A cash incentive for an employer who hires someone who has been out of work for a while, paid monthly to help with the wages.

Helps an employer pay a fair wage to a member of staff with a disability by topping up the cost of their hours.

Universal and targeted supports across 7 levels so a child with a disability can take part in the free ECCE pre-school programme, covering expert advice, equipment and alterations, therapy access and funding for extra staff (Level 7, currently €246 a week to the pre-school). No diagnosis is needed, which most parents do not realise. Since September 2024 it also reaches beyond ECCE hours: a child enrolled in ECCE can be supported for up to a further 15 hours a week during term and up to 30 hours a week out of term, so the support does not simply stop when the ECCE session or the term ends. Your pre-school applies, not you.

Childminders who look after up to 3 children under 18 in their own home pay no income tax on that money if it comes to €15,000 a year or less. You do need to tell the HSE and file a Form 11. Watch the cliff edge: go over €15,000 and the whole lot becomes taxable.

Universal and income-based subsidies toward registered childcare. From September 2026 a fee cap also applies, so a service in the scheme can charge at most €280 a week for a full-time place. More families qualify from then too, as the income limits rise: the lower limit goes from €26,000 to €34,000 and the upper from €60,000 to €68,000.

Free preschool for children in the two years before school.

The old Increase for a Qualified Child under a new name, the extra amount added to your weekly welfare payment for each child who depends on you. Since January 2026 the full rate is €58 a week for a child under 12 and €78 for a child aged 12 or over, with half rates of €29 and €39. Full or half depends on your circumstances: parenting alone usually means the full rate, living with a spouse or partner often means half.

Paid for 24 weeks from the date you adopt your child, at a standard rate of €299 a week in 2026, based on your PRSI record. It works much like Maternity Benefit, just triggered by the adoption rather than a birth. Only one adopting parent in a couple can claim it, so it is worth deciding early which of you takes the leave.

€400 a week for a foster child under 12 and €425 for a child of 12 or over, not means tested and not taxable. The foster child also gets a medical card with no means test, and foster carers can claim the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance too.

Free information, support and advocacy for anyone raising a relative's or a friend's child. Kinship care is when a child lives full time with a grandparent, aunt, uncle, brother, sister, cousin or family friend because they cannot live with their parents. Thousands of families are doing it without ever hearing the term, which is part of why so many of them never claim the Guardian's Payment. Kinship Care Ireland is a national programme run by the charity Treoir. Email info@kinshipcare.ie or ring 087 148 7124.

Around €300 a week for young people leaving care aged 18 to 21 who stay in education or training. It can be extended for up to 2 further years, to age 23, on a clear education or training pathway.

The first €3,000 of gifts from any one person in a calendar year is free of Capital Acquisitions Tax and it does not eat into your lifetime threshold. That means each parent, grandparent or anyone else can give you €3,000 a year with no tax and no return to file. It applies to gifts only, not to inheritances.

Monthly payment for each child under 16, or under 19 if in full-time education or training.

Weekly tax-free top-up for working parents on lower pay.

A weekly payment for people with qualified children who move off certain welfare payments into a job or self-employment, so you don't lose all your child-related support the moment you start work. Worth €58 a week per child under 12 (€78 if 12 or over) in year one, then €29 or €39 in year two, for up to 4 children.

Support for parents raising a child on their own.

A one-off €280 payment for every new baby that qualifies for Child Benefit, on top of the first month's payment.

A yearly tax credit for a parent or guardian of a child who is permanently incapacitated, physically or mentally, and unlikely to be able to support themselves. You can claim for more than one child.

Weekly payment while on maternity leave, if you have enough PRSI contributions.

Two weeks' payment for a parent taking paternity leave in the baby's first 6 months.

Up to 9 weeks' payment per parent during parent's leave in the child's first 2 years.

A weekly payment if you are pregnant or breastfeeding and your job has a risk your employer cannot remove or work around, so you are sent home on health and safety leave. Your employer pays the first 3 weeks.

Annual help with the cost of kitting children out for school. Applications close on 30 September 2026.

An extra tax credit of €1,900 a year for a single parent or carer who has a child living with them, plus a €4,000 increase in your standard rate band. Widely unclaimed. Only one parent (the main carer) can get it.

Free daily meals for children in participating schools, now rolled out to all primary schools. Your school applies and runs it, so ask the school if it is in the scheme.

Free schoolbooks, workbooks and core classroom resources for all primary pupils and, since 2025, all post-primary students. Funded through the school, so there is nothing for parents to claim.

Subsidised transport to school for eligible children.

Extra summer schooling for children with autism, a severe or profound learning disability, or who are most at risk of educational disadvantage. The home-based option funds 10 hours a week for 4 weeks, so you can employ a tutor or SNA yourself. The school-based option runs 2 weeks (post-primary) to up to 5 weeks (special schools) over the summer holidays.

Paid directly to you to fund a private tutor when your child cannot attend school: chronic illness, no school place found yet, early intervention for autism, or a child in care without a placement. Current hourly rates (from 1 June 2026): €51.20 primary, €56.48 post-primary, €43.78 modified rate.

For anyone 18 or over who spent at least 6 months in care in the Republic of Ireland before their 18th birthday. It pays up to €5,000 towards TUITION FEES for further education or training, a new course or one you are already on. You must not be getting a SUSI fee grant, and you need to be able to show why. Applications for 2026 open on 31 August and close at 5pm on Friday 2 October. Tusla will not consider anything late or incomplete, so start it early. Ask your Aftercare Worker or Tusla Support Worker, they have to sign it off.

The main means-tested grant for third-level fees and living costs, including for an approved course in the UK or another EU/EEA country. The priority assessment deadline for the 2026/27 year has passed, but you can still apply, there is a later final deadline, check the official page for the current date.

The State pays the tuition fees for eligible first-time, full-time undergraduates. You still pay the annual Student Contribution.

Covers most of the cost of a Gaeltacht summer course. Up to €950 or 85% of the fee for a three week course, and up to €820 or 85% for a two week course, whichever is less. More than 800 places a year. THE CONDITION PEOPLE MISS: it is only open to students of DEIS post-primary schools, so your school's DEIS status decides it rather than your family income. It is run by Galway and Roscommon ETB rather than the Department, and you apply by emailing them directly. Your school usually confirms eligibility.

Extra help for students facing financial hardship during college.

Funds assistive equipment and supports for students with a disability. Apply through your college's access or disability office.

For students from groups most under-represented in higher education, based on need. Applied for through your college.

Claim 20% tax relief on qualifying third-level tuition fees you have paid, above a yearly disregard amount.

Means-tested grant toward postgraduate fees, with maintenance for those on the special rate.

Reduced-points college places and extra supports for school-leavers (under 23) from disadvantaged backgrounds. Prioritises Traveller, Roma, care-experienced students and young parents. Apply through the CAO.

A college admissions scheme, not a payment. If you are eligible you compete for places at REDUCED POINTS, so 350 points could win you a course that asks for 360. You must still meet the minimum and any course-specific requirements. Open to school leavers under 23 on 1 January, and the list of conditions is wider than people expect: dyslexia and significant literacy difficulties, dyscalculia, ADD and ADHD, autism including Asperger's, dyspraxia, mental health conditions, neurological conditions, physical disability, deaf or hearing impaired, blind or vision impaired, speech and language disorders, and significant ongoing illness. You apply through the CAO by 5pm on 1 February, then Section A of the Supplementary Information Form by 1 March and Sections B and C by post by 10 March. Late CAO applications are NOT considered for DARE, so the February date is the one that matters. You are told the outcome on 23 June, and you can apply to DARE and HEAR together.

Free or heavily subsidised courses to reskill or upskill.

Return to full-time study while keeping a social welfare payment you are already getting.

Part-time further education courses, Government-funded and free of charge.

An annual €500 payment for Back to Education Allowance recipients who have a qualified child.

Paid, work-based training across trades, tech and business.

A €2,000-a-year employer grant on many programmes, and a State training allowance for craft apprentices during off-the-job training.

Up to 8 free counselling sessions for medical card holders aged 18 and over with mild to moderate difficulties. Your GP or another health professional makes the referral, so it is worth asking directly.

Free GP care and hospital services, based on income. Prescriptions have a charge, €1.50 per item under 70 and €1 per item at 70 or over, capped monthly. People aged 70 or over are assessed under separate, higher income limits.

Free GP visits without paying to see your doctor. Everyone aged 70 or over qualifies regardless of income, and every child under 8 qualifies too. If you get Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit, at full or half rate, you also get free GP visits. Anyone aged 8 to 69 can apply on an income test, including if you are just over the medical card limit.

Free dental care for medical card holders aged 16 and over: a yearly exam, any extractions needed, two fillings a year, a scale and polish, and some other treatments.

A free card that covers necessary public healthcare when you are visiting another EU or EEA country or Switzerland. Free to apply for and to renew.

Order a free STI test kit to your door if you are 17 or over and living in Ireland. Results come by text, and if anything needs follow-up, that is free too through the public clinics.

Publicly funded fertility treatment through the HSE. Your GP refers you to a regional fertility hub, and eligible couples can get one free round of IVF or ICSI.

Free prescription and emergency contraception, GP or pharmacist consultations, and LARC (long-acting reversible contraception) fitting, removal and check-ups, for women, girls and transgender or non-binary people aged 17 to 36. Costs an estimated €48m a year.

Caps what your household pays for approved prescribed medicines AND APPLIANCES at €80 a month, whatever the real cost. The word appliances is the bit almost nobody realises. The HSE names two outright: RENTAL OF A CPAP MACHINE and RENTAL OF OXYGEN both count towards the same €80, so a sleep apnoea machine is capped the way a tablet is. Ostomy and urinary products sit on the HSE reimbursement list too, though the scheme pages do not name them, so check with your pharmacist. It is for people without a medical card (medical card holders use their card instead). Household means you, your spouse or partner and your dependent children. Use ONE pharmacy each month, because the cap is counted per pharmacy and splitting your prescriptions is how people overshoot it.

Free bowel cancer screening for people aged 57 to 71 (widened from 58-70 on 1 April 2026). You get a free home FIT test kit every 2 years, and a free follow-up colonoscopy if the result needs it.

Free cervical screening (smear test) for women and anyone with a cervix aged 25 to 65. It is every 3 years from age 25 to 29, then every 5 years from 30 to 65. The test checks for HPV, the main cause of cervical cancer, so changes can be found and treated early.

Free breast screening (mammogram) for women aged 50 to 69 who live in Ireland and have a PPS number. You are invited by letter roughly every 2 years. It can pick up breast cancer early, before there are any signs.

Free diabetic eye screening for everyone in Ireland with type 1 or type 2 diabetes aged 12 or over. Diabetes can damage the eyes over time, so regular screening catches changes early, and any treatment you need is free too. Usually offered once a year.

A free nasal-spray flu vaccine for all children aged 2 to 17, given through participating GPs, pharmacies and some primary schools. It is a spray, not an injection, and it helps protect children and the people around them each winter.

The free heel prick test offered to every newborn baby in Ireland, usually on day 3 to 5. It now screens for 11 rare but serious conditions, after Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) were added in April 2026. About 99.9% of parents in Ireland agree to it.

A free chickenpox vaccine for babies born on or after 1 October 2024, given at 12 months alongside the other routine childhood vaccines. Available since 1 October 2025, through your GP.

A free once-off antibody injection called nirsevimab, given in the maternity hospital soon after birth, protecting your baby from RSV through their first winter. It is offered to babies born during the RSV season, roughly September to February, plus premature and higher-risk infants.

Since 1 June 2025 the cost of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medicines is covered for anyone with a prescription, to help with the menopause. You still need a Drugs Payment Scheme card or a medical card, and a small pharmacy dispensing fee of around €5 an item can still apply, but the medicine itself is free.

Free medicines, appliances and aids for a FIXED list of 16 conditions, with no means test and no prescription charge for what it covers. THE THING PEOPLE TRIP ON: it is not a general long-term illness scheme, it is that list and nothing else. The conditions are acute leukaemia, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus (gestational diabetes is excluded), epilepsy, haemophilia, hydrocephalus, intellectual disability, mental illness in someone under 16, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, parkinsonism, phenylketonuria, spina bifida and conditions arising from thalidomide. If your condition is not on that list, this is not your scheme, and a medical card or the Drugs Payment Scheme is the route instead. It does not depend on your income.

Help with dental, optical and hearing costs from your PRSI.

A means-tested weekly payment for people who are blind or vision impaired, to help with extra living costs.

A means-tested weekly payment for people who are blind or have serious sight loss, up to €254 a week. You need an eye test from an eye surgeon to confirm your vision. Distinct from the Blind Welfare Allowance above, a separate, smaller HSE payment you may be able to get on top of this one, not instead of it.

Get certain public healthcare in another EU or EEA country and claim back the cost, up to what it would cost the HSE here.

The HSE can pay for surgery or treatment in the EU, EEA, UK or Switzerland when the treatment you need is not available in Ireland, or not available in time given your condition. A public hospital consultant must refer you (a GP referral is not enough), you apply on the E112 (S2) form, and the HSE must approve it before you travel or start treatment.

€770 a year towards a wig, hairpiece or head covering if you have lost your hair because of cancer treatment. You do not need a medical card and you do not need a PRSI record, which is what makes this different from the hair replacement payment under Treatment Benefit. Your care team or your GP prescribes it and gives you a prescription or letter for a supplier, then the prescription and the invoice go to the HSE. If the wig costs more than €770 you pay the difference.

A tax allowance of €825 a year if you are blind or vision impaired and own a trained guide dog from an accredited supplier such as Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. It is given at the standard 20% rate, so it is worth €165 a year off your tax bill. Claim it through Revenue with confirmation from the supplier.

A tax allowance of €825 a year, worth €165 at the standard 20% rate, if you have a trained assistance dog. That covers mobility, seizure alert, hearing alert and autism assistance dogs. The dog must come from an organisation accredited by Assistance Dogs Europe. Separate from the Guide Dog Allowance, which is specifically for guide dogs.

You may be able to get pads, pull-ups and other continence products free of charge from the HSE. A healthcare professional has to assess you first and decide the most suitable product. Severity matters: public health nurses can supply pads for people with severe leaks, while mild to moderate leakage is generally pointed towards supermarkets and pharmacies. Start with the public health nurse at your local HSE health centre.

Claim 20% tax relief on most non-routine health costs: GP and consultant fees, prescriptions, non-routine dental, physiotherapy and fertility treatment. Nursing home costs qualify at your highest rate. Claim through Revenue myAccount, up to four years back.

You can claim back the VAT paid on certain aids and appliances bought for a person with a disability, things like walk-in baths, commode chairs and adapted domestic aids. Claim through eRepayments in myAccount or on paper Form VAT 61A, within 4 years of the purchase. Vehicles are not covered here, they come under the separate Disabled Drivers scheme.

Paid, mentored work placements for graduates with disabilities, funded by the Department of Social Protection. Joining the WAM database is what gets you matched with employers, so that is the step to take.

A means-tested weekly payment, up to €254, for people aged 16 to 66 with a disability expected to last at least a year. You can do some work and keep part of the payment.

Practical supports to help a person with a disability get or keep a job, and to help their employer. It replaced the Reasonable Accommodation Fund and the Disability Awareness Support Scheme. It covers a Workplace Needs Assessment (up to €2,500), work equipment and assistive technology (up to €12,000), workplace adaptations (up to €25,000), an in-work support or job coach (up to €12,500 a year), sign language interpreting, a personal reader, and disability equality training for staff (up to €20,000).

Tax relief on buying and adapting a car for a person with a severe disability: VRT and VAT back (from €10,000 up to €22,000 depending on the adaptation), a fuel grant, motor tax exemption and toll relief. You need a Primary Medical Certificate.

A parking card for a person with a permanent medical condition and a severe mobility problem, so they can use disabled parking bays. It belongs to the person, as driver or passenger, not the car, lasts two years and works across the EU. You apply through the Irish Wheelchair Association or Disabled Drivers Association, with a GP certifying eligibility (Primary Medical Certificate holders qualify automatically).

A free HSE assessment for a child who may have a disability, a legal right under the Disability Act 2005. It identifies your child's needs and the health services to meet them. For children born on or after 1 June 2002, applied for by a parent, guardian or a young person of 16 or 17. Once you apply in writing the HSE must start within 3 months, and a Service Statement of the supports follows.

A payment if you have a lasting loss of physical or mental faculty because of an accident at work, an accident travelling directly to or from work, or a disease you picked up from your work. You must have been in insurable employment at the time, and the disablement is assessed at 15% or more. It is paid as a pension (weekly or every four weeks) where disablement is 20% or more, or as a one-off gratuity below that. It is not means tested, and you can get it whether or not you are able to work.

An income tax credit of €1,950 a year if you are blind or have serious sight loss, or €3,900 if you and your spouse or civil partner are both blind. Claimed through Revenue myAccount alongside your other tax credits.

Refunds the cost of medical care and treatment after a work accident or a prescribed occupational disease, where the HSE or Treatment Benefit does not already cover it. That takes in GP visits, prescriptions, physiotherapy, appliances and the travel to get treatment. Plenty of people assume Treatment Benefit is the end of the line, which is exactly why this one gets missed.

A weekly payment if you cannot work in the short term because you are sick and your doctor signs you off, based on your PRSI contributions.

A weekly payment, part of the Occupational Injuries Benefit scheme, if you cannot work because of an accident at work, an accident commuting to or from work, or a disease caused by your job. Paid at the same rate as full-rate Illness Benefit, for up to 26 weeks. Self-employed people are not covered. Distinct from Disablement Benefit below, which is for a permanent loss of faculty, not a temporary incapacity.

A weekly payment of €259.50 for people who can't work because of a long-term illness or disability, based on your PRSI record rather than a means test. Unlike Illness Benefit, this is for conditions expected to last a year or more.

Lets you return to work at reduced capacity while keeping some of your Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension, rather than losing it all the moment you take a job. Your rate depends on a medical assessment banding your restriction as moderate, severe or profound (mild does not qualify), and ranges from €127.00 to €259.50 a week.

State help with the cost of long-term nursing home care.

You can claim income tax relief on nursing home fees you pay, for yourself or a relative, at your highest (marginal) rate of tax, up to 40%. That is far more generous than the standard 20% relief on other health expenses. The home must provide 24-hour on-site nursing care, and you cannot claim on any part of the cost the HSE pays under Fair Deal.

Funded help at home with everyday tasks for older people.

Means-tested payment if you care for someone full-time. Since 2 July 2026 the weekly income disregard has been €1,000 for a single person and €2,000 for a couple, so many more carers now qualify for the full or a partial payment. Already on the State Pension or another payment? You can keep it in full and get Carer's Allowance at half rate on top.

An annual, tax-free lump sum for carers, €2,000 for each person you care for, and you can spend it on whatever you need. If you get Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit or Domiciliary Care Allowance it is paid automatically each June with no application. You can still get it even if you are on none of those payments. You need to be 16 or over, ordinarily resident here, caring full time, and to have been caring for at least six continuous months covering the first Thursday in June. You must live with the person or be quickly contactable by phone or alarm. You will not qualify if you work, study or train for more than 18.5 hours a week, or if you are on Jobseeker's.

A monthly payment for a child under 16 with a severe disability who needs care and attention well beyond what a child that age usually needs, expected to last at least 12 months. It is not means-tested and is assessed on the impact of the disability, not the diagnosis. THERE ARE TWO RATES AND THE SECOND ONE IS EASY TO MISS: €380 a month at the full rate, where the child is at home with you five to seven days a week, and a HALF RATE OF €190 where the child is in residential care but comes home two or more days a week. So a child who attends residential services Monday to Friday and is home at weekends still brings a payment, which a lot of parents assume rules them out. A child in full-time residential care does not qualify. If you care for more than one child who qualifies, you can claim for each child. Everyone getting it also receives the annual Carer's Support Grant (€2,000) each June, and every child DCA is paid for is entitled to a MEDICAL CARD THAT IS NOT MEANS TESTED, which you register for with the HSE. DCA is also the route into Carer's Allowance and Carer's Benefit for a child under 16. The payment stops the month of the child's sixteenth birthday, and the department writes to you three months beforehand. They can then apply in their own right for Disability Allowance, but the conditions are different, so it is not automatic and it needs its own application. Both you and the child must be ordinarily resident in Ireland.

A PRSI-based payment if you leave work or cut your hours to care for someone full-time, for up to 2 years. Since July 2026 the income limit for a job you keep alongside it has been €1,000 a week (up €375), so more working carers can qualify.

A tax credit worth up to €1,950 a year for a married couple or civil partners, jointly assessed, where one of you stays at home to care for a child or a dependent person. CARER'S ALLOWANCE AND CARER'S BENEFIT DO NOT COUNT AS INCOME for this, so a carer getting either can still claim the full credit, which very few people realise. THE PERSON YOU CARE FOR DOES NOT HAVE TO LIVE WITH YOU if they are a relative of yours or your partner's, so an elderly parent living nearby can qualify. And a dependent person means a child you get Child Benefit for, ANYONE AGED 65 OR OVER with no disability needed at all, or a person permanently incapacitated. You get the full credit if you earn under €7,200. Above that it reduces by half the difference, and at €11,100 or more you cannot claim it at all. If the person you care for does not live with you they must be next door, on the same property, or within 2 kilometres, with a phone or alarm link between the two homes. You cannot claim it for your own spouse or civil partner, and you can only claim one credit however many people you care for. You cannot have both this and the increased standard rate band for two-income couples, so Revenue will work out which is worth more to you. You can claim back four years.

If you are married or in a civil partnership but are still being taxed as a single person, you may be missing out. Joint assessment applies automatically once you tell Revenue you are married, no election needed, and it usually works out best where one spouse earns less than the other: the standard rate band can rise to €53,000 for a one-income couple, and most unused tax credits and rate band can be shared between you. If Revenue was never told about the marriage, you stay taxed as a single person indefinitely.

If you pay for a carer for yourself or a relative who is totally incapacitated by physical or mental illness, you can claim income tax relief on the cost at your highest (marginal) rate, up to 40%. The relief is the lower of what you actually pay or €75,000 a year for each incapacitated person. Where more than one person shares the cost, the €75,000 is split between them.

€38 a week through the fuel season, which runs from late September to April, about 28 weeks, and the last one was extended by a further 4 weeks to 1 May 2026. At 66 or over you do NOT need to be on a qualifying social welfare payment at all, which catches plenty of people out: you can have a gross income of up to €534 a week, or €1,068 for a couple, and still qualify. Under 66 you do need a qualifying payment, and the list is long, taking in Carer's Allowance, Blind Pension, Disability Allowance and the Bereaved Partner's pensions among others. WORKING FAMILY PAYMENT IS ON THAT LIST, and if you get it you do not have to apply for Fuel Allowance at all, it is assessed for you, which almost no working family knows. You need to be legally resident and living alone or only with other qualified people, and you cannot get it if your heating is provided in full as part of your accommodation. Savings are treated kindly: the first €20,000 is ignored under 66, and the first €50,000 at 66 or over. Only one Fuel Allowance is paid per household, so if you live with someone aged 66 or over it may be better for them to apply. The 2026/27 season opens in late September.

One-off help with an essential cost you can't meet, like heating or ESB.

If your income is low you can put off paying your Local Property Tax rather than going without to pay it. FULL deferral if your gross income is €25,000 or less as a single person or widow, or €40,000 or less as a couple. PARTIAL deferral, meaning you defer half the bill, up to €40,000 single or €55,000 as a couple. These thresholds run for the 2026 to 2030 valuation period. THE CATCH: it is a postponement, not a write off. Interest builds at 3% a year, down from 4% before January 2022, and the deferred tax plus interest has to be cleared before you can sell or transfer the property. Revenue will not give clearance for a sale while any of it is still deferred. You claim it on your LPT return.

An extra €20 a week added to qualifying pensions and payments for people living on the specified offshore islands, a rate unchanged since January 2021. You do not fill in a separate form, it comes automatically with the qualifying payment. If you have moved to an island and it has not appeared, that is worth a phone call.

Ireland's new pension auto-enrolment scheme, live since 1 January 2026. If you're aged 23 to 60, earning over €20,000 and not already paying into a workplace pension, you're automatically enrolled: you put in 1.5% of pay, your employer matches it, and the State tops up another 0.5%, rising in steps over 10 years to 6% plus 6% plus 2%. Over 800,000 people are already enrolled.

A weekly pension from age 66 based on your PRSI contributions. It is not means-tested, so other income does not reduce it.

If you took time out of paid work to raise your children or to care for someone, these schemes can fill the gaps in your PRSI record so you qualify for a higher State Pension (Contributory). HomeCaring Periods cover time spent caring at home, including children under 12, up to the equivalent of 20 years. Long-Term Carers' Contributions credit each week you gave full-time care once you reach 20 years of caring. You can use both together for periods that do not overlap. THERE IS A SEPARATE APPLICATION AND IT IS EASY TO MISS: the Pension Caring Supports application covers all three of Long-Term Carers Contributions, HomeCaring Periods and the Homemaker's Scheme, and you are assessed for whichever fit your circumstances. Apply on MyWelfare.ie with a verified MyGovID, or ask for the paper form by email at pensioncaringsupports@welfare.ie. The Pension Caring Supports team is on 01 471 5898 or 0818 690 690. The Homemaker's Scheme is the one people miss most: it disregards up to 20 years spent raising children under 12 since 6 April 1994, and it works on the yearly average method rather than the total contributions approach, so it can help someone the other two do not.

If you are taking a career break, a year out, or otherwise stepping away from paid work and not claiming a welfare payment, you can pay voluntary PRSI contributions to protect your State Pension (Contributory) record while you are not earning. You need at least 520 paid PRSI contributions already on your record (10 years) and must apply within 5 years of the tax year you last worked or paid PRSI. It only protects long-term benefits like the pension, not short-term ones like Illness Benefit or Jobseeker's Benefit, and it is different from signing on for credits, which needs you to be unemployed and genuinely looking for work.

A means-tested weekly pension from age 66 for people who do not qualify for the contributory pension. A higher rate applies from age 80.

A weekly payment for people who retire at 65, to bridge the gap until the State Pension starts at 66. Based on your PRSI record.

Money off your electricity or gas bill plus a free TV licence, worth about €420 a year. Turn 70 and it is yours whatever your income, with no means test and no qualifying payment needed. Under 66 you can qualify on Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Blind Pension, Incapacity Supplement, or Carer's Allowance while living with the person you care for. TWO ROUTES CATCH PEOPLE OUT. A BEREAVED PARTNER OR WIDOW AGED 60 TO 65 can get it on a Bereaved Partner's Pension or a Garda Widow's Ordinary Pension, so you do not have to wait until 66. And you qualify if you live with and care for someone getting Constant Attendance Allowance, even if you do not get Carer's Allowance yourself. Between 66 and 70 there is a MEANS TEST route as well as a pension route, so no pension does not mean no package. Renters can get it too. The electricity or gas allowance is €1.15 a day, paid into your bank account or post office on the first Tuesday of each month. Since 8 September 2025 new applicants are paid that way rather than as a credit on the bill. If you rent, your landlord has to confirm in writing that you are the tenant, give the MPRN or GPRN for the address, and confirm you pay your own energy bills. One package per household, and you must live in Ireland full time all year round. The free TV licence starts from its next renewal date, and you apply for it as part of the same application.

Free travel on public transport for over-66s and others.

An extra weekly payment for people who live completely alone and get certain social welfare payments. Worth €22 a week, over €1,140 a year.

An extra €2.50 a week, about €130 a year, for people who get BOTH the Living Alone Increase and the Fuel Allowance. Paid automatically if you qualify, to help with phone or home-alarm costs.

An extra tax credit if you or your spouse are 65 or over: €245 for a single person, €490 for a couple. Claim it through Revenue myAccount.

If you or your spouse are 65 or over, you may pay no income tax at all if your total income is under €18,000 (single, widowed or a surviving civil partner) or €36,000 (married or in a civil partnership), plus €575 for each of your first two dependent children and €830 for each one after that. If your income is just over the limit, marginal relief can still reduce what you owe. Separate from the Age Tax Credit above, and covers income tax only, not PRSI or USC.

If your income is €60,000 or less and you are aged 70 or over, or hold a full medical card, you pay a reduced Universal Social Charge: 0.5% on the first €12,012 and 2% on the rest, well below the standard top rate.

A €305 yearly tax credit if you maintain a relative who cannot look after themselves, or an elderly parent. The relative's income must be under €18,548.

Emergency help from the Community Welfare Service when severe weather like flooding or a storm hits your home, formerly the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme. It runs in three stages: stage one covers immediate needs like food, clothing and fuel with no income test at all, while stages two and three cover essential household contents and structural repairs and are income tested. It was activated for Storm Chandra in January 2026, so it is worth asking about even if you assume you earn too much.

If you have been out of work a long time and take a part-time job of under 24 hours a week, you can swap Jobseeker's Allowance for a flat weekly allowance instead, €160.90 if you are single or €262.40 with an increase for a qualified adult in 2026. The allowance is not taxable, and you keep looking for full-time work while you are on it.

Part-time community work of 19.5 hours a week for people who have been out of work a long time, built to rebuild experience and routine on the way back to a job. New participants get at least €286.50 a week since January 2026 and you keep your secondary benefits, which is the part people worry about most before applying.

Close to Community Employment, Tús is a 12-month community work placement of 19.5 hours a week run through local implementing bodies, paying at least €286.50 a week since January 2026. You normally need 12 months on a jobseeker's payment first, though some groups, such as people getting Disability Allowance, can join without that wait.

A six-month work-experience placement of 30 hours a week with an employer, paid at a flat €369 a week plus any increases for a qualified adult or children, with your secondary benefits kept. You need four months out of work if you are under 30 or six months if you are over 30, and people on One-Parent Family Payment, Disability Allowance or Blind Pension qualify straight away with no waiting period.

A free An Post service that takes a fixed amount out of certain weekly welfare payments and sends it straight to your bills, things like local authority rent, ESB, gas or phone. Deductions are capped at 25% of the weekly payment, so it cannot swallow the lot. It is a way of spreading bills rather than extra money coming in.

A means-tested weekly payment, up to €254, if you are unemployed and looking for work and do not qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit.

A weekly payment, up to €254, if you become unemployed and have enough PRSI contributions. If you became fully unemployed since March 2025 you may instead get the new Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit, worth up to 60% of your previous earnings.

A newer jobseeker's payment linked to what you used to earn, rather than a flat rate, for people whose first day of unemployment was on or after 31 March 2025. With at least 5 years of PRSI it pays 60% of your previous gross weekly earnings (up to €450) for the first 13 weeks, then 55% (up to €375), then 50% (up to €300). With 2 to 5 years of PRSI it pays 50% (up to €300) for 26 weeks. The minimum is €125 a week. You must be fully unemployed, under 66, and available for full-time work.

A payment for lone parents whose youngest child is aged 7 to 13, bridging the gap after One-Parent Family Payment ends. It relaxes the usual jobseeker rule that you must be fully unemployed, so you can work part-time and still get it. The personal rate is €254 a week plus a Child Support Payment for each child, and the first €165 of your weekly earnings is not counted, with half of the rest assessed.

A basic safety-net payment if you have little or no income, including while you wait for another welfare claim to be processed. Around €252 a week for a person aged 25 or over.

€850 towards a funeral where someone died from a work accident, an accident on the direct journey to or from work, or an occupational disease. It sits under the Occupational Injuries scheme, which means only one week of PRSI needs to have been paid, a far lower bar than most PRSI-based payments.

Where a death came from a work accident or an occupational disease, or the person was on a disablement pension of 50% or more, the family might qualify for a Bereaved Partner's Pension, an Orphan's Pension and a Funeral Grant. Cohabitants were brought into the partner's pension in July 2025. These are separate from the standard bereaved partner pensions, so it is worth checking which route leaves you better off.

You can inherit the house you live in completely free of inheritance tax if it was your main home for the 3 years before, you own no other property, and you keep living there for 6 years after. Sell within those 6 years without replacing it and the tax is clawed back. Unlike an inheritance, a gift of a house only qualifies if you are a dependent relative. Claimed on the IT38 return.

A once-off €8,000 payment for a widow, widower, surviving civil partner or surviving cohabitant with dependent children. Formerly the Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner Grant.

€237 a week for anyone bringing up a child who is not their own. Most people think it only applies when a child's parents have died, and that is the single biggest reason it goes unclaimed. A child also counts if one parent is dead, unknown, or has abandoned them and failed to provide for them, and the other parent is unknown or has abandoned them and failed to provide. That covers a lot of what is called kinship care, so grandparents, aunts, uncles, older brothers and sisters, family friends and neighbours can all claim. You do not need to be a legally appointed guardian, the child just has to live with you and be in your care. Two versions, both €237: Contributory if either parent or step-parent ever paid 26 weeks of PRSI, with no means test, and Non-Contributory, means tested on the child's own means rather than yours. Paid until the child turns 18, or 22 in full-time education. You cannot claim this and the Foster Care Allowance together, and neither is taxed.

A weekly pension for a widow, widower, surviving civil partner or qualified cohabitant, based on PRSI contributions and not means-tested. Up to €299.30 a week at 66 or over. Formerly the Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Contributory Pension.

A means-tested weekly pension for a bereaved partner who does not qualify on PRSI contributions.

An extra income tax credit for a widowed parent or surviving civil partner with a dependent child, on top of the normal Single Person Tax Credit, for 5 years after bereavement: €3,600 in year one, €3,150 in year two, €2,700 in year three, €2,250 in year four, €1,800 in year five, then nil. One credit only, no matter how many children you have. Claimed through Revenue myAccount.

Covers essential travel costs for people leaving a violent home, including fuel for your own car if you are driving yourself. There is no means test for the first three months and it can be extended for another three months with one. There is no set rate, it is worked out from what you need.

Every employee has the right to up to 5 days of fully paid domestic violence leave in any 12-month period, paid at your normal rate. It is time off to deal with the effects of domestic violence, whether that is for yourself or for a close family member: to find somewhere safe to stay, get medical help, go to court, see a solicitor or the Gardaí, or sort out counselling or supports. It has been law since 27 November 2023. You do not have to give evidence to your employer, and it is separate from sick leave or annual leave.

State compensation if you were personally injured as a result of a violent crime, or hurt while preventing a crime or saving someone's life. It covers your vouched out-of-pocket expenses (medical, dental, prescriptions, glasses, travel for treatment) and lost earnings, and since a 2025 court judgment it now also covers pain and suffering. You must have reported the incident to the Gardaí (or GSOC/Fiosrú if a Garda was involved) and apply as soon as possible, ideally within 3 months, though the Tribunal can accept a late application up to 2 years on in exceptional circumstances. No application fee, but legal costs are not reimbursed even if you use a solicitor. Apply to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal, Department of Justice, or email criminalinjuries@justice.ie.

Pays a Gaeltacht household €14.50 a night for every Irish language student it puts up, which works out at about €304.50 per student for a three week course. A house taking 16 students across three courses earns a few thousand euro over a summer. More than 500 families do it and it is worth around €6 million a year. New host families can also claim a one off start up grant of up to €6,000, or 80% of eligible costs, towards fire safety equipment and certain furniture. THE CONDITION THAT CATCHES PEOPLE: you must be recognised by the Department before you take a single student, which means an application, Garda vetting through CONCOS, a registration visit and an engineer's certificate. Applications after 1 May are not processed until September, so start a year out, and do not adapt the house until the written recognition arrives.

EU-backed funding for rural enterprise, community and environment projects, delivered locally through Local Action Groups. It funds private businesses as well as community groups, under enterprise development, rural tourism, agricultural diversification, rural food and the green economy. For LEADER, rural means everywhere in Ireland except inside the boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway. TWO CONDITIONS PEOPLE TRIP ON: you must show you can fund the matching contribution yourself to cover the full cost of the project, and you must keep it operational as funded for five years from the date of the final payment. Your project also has to fit the Local Development Strategy your area's group has written. You do not apply centrally: contact your Local Action Group or its implementing partner and register an expression of interest first. Current programme runs 2023 to 2027.

Funding for small-scale infrastructure and supports in designated disadvantaged rural areas, run each year under a set of measures.

Improves a private lane or back road serving homes or farms. The council covers most of the cost and you pay a small share, capped at €1,200 per household. Apply through your local authority.

Investment to bring life back to rural towns and villages, from tackling dereliction and vacancy to new public spaces, applied for by your local authority on behalf of the community.

Small capital grants for community groups and facilities, run locally by your Local Community Development Committee. It replaced the Community Enhancement Programme in 2024.

Funds walking trails, greenways, blueways and other outdoor amenities in the countryside, in tiers from €40,000 up to €500,000. Applied for by your local authority or a state body, so community groups bring the project to them.

Capital grants of €10,000 to €100,000 to upgrade, refurbish and improve existing community centres.

Co-funds salary costs for community-based social enterprises delivering local services, including a contribution toward manager posts. Administered by Pobal on behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht. A 2026 open call for new applicants is running, with full applications from shortlisted groups due 28 August 2026.

Capital grants for sports clubs and community organisations to build or improve sports facilities and buy equipment. Up to €200,000 for facilities (less on a short lease) and up to €70,000 for equipment. gov.ie now calls it the Community Sport Facilities Fund, formerly the Sports Capital and Equipment Fund, so you will see both names. It runs in rounds through the OSCAR system. THE THING CLUBS GET CAUGHT BY: registration closes BEFORE the application deadline, and in the last round that was 11 days earlier, so a club that waits for the round to open can be locked out with a perfectly good project. Registering is free, takes minutes and can be done before a round opens. Schools and third level can apply, but only jointly with a sports club.

Direct funding for Ireland's elite international athletes towards training and competition costs, from €18,000 to €40,000 a year depending on level. You are nominated through your sport's national governing body against strict performance criteria, so it is for athletes competing at European, World, Olympic or Paralympic level. There is no general grant for amateur or club-level athletes; a club can apply for facilities and equipment instead.

Every county has a Public Participation Network. It is how community, voluntary and environmental groups register to hear about local funding, have a say in council decisions and nominate representatives. Free to join. Not a grant itself, the way community groups stay connected to what is available locally.

Yearly funding for registered animal welfare charities in Ireland, covering the day-to-day cost of animal rescue, rehoming, veterinary care and public education. It runs annually, usually opening for applications in spring; the 2026 round has already closed, so watch for the next call.

Grants for community and voluntary groups, charities, schools, faith and cultural organisations running projects that help migrants and their new communities settle and integrate. The 2026 fund is €4.5 million across three strands: €100,000 to €300,000 over up to three years, €15,000 to €100,000 for a year, and €1,000 to €10,000 for smaller projects. Applications for 2026 close at noon on Wednesday 2 September 2026.

Funds community and voluntary groups, such as historical societies or Tidy Towns, to care for, record and share local heritage: from conservation works on a historic building, monument or graveyard to oral history recordings, surveys, podcasts and online archives. It runs annually, usually opening in late January or February and closing in March; the 2026 round is already shut.

A full guide to moving back to Ireland, covering residency, social welfare, healthcare, housing, schools and bringing your family.

Helps older Irish-born emigrants living in rented accommodation abroad apply for social housing in their home area when they return.

Free, confidential information and advocacy for Irish emigrants returning home, on accessing services, welfare and bringing family back.

Bring your car home and register it without paying Vehicle Registration Tax, if you lived abroad and owned and used the car for at least six months before moving back, and bring it in within 12 months.

Moving back from outside the EU, your household belongings and personal vehicles can come in free of customs duty and VAT, once you owned and used them for at least six months before the move.

In the year you move back, the employment income you earned abroad before you arrived is not taxed in Ireland, but you still get the full year's tax credits.

Time and funding for an individual artist, musicians included, to research and develop their practice. Individuals only, not bands; normally resident in the Republic of Ireland.

Funding for artists with disabilities to develop their practice, administered by Arts & Disability Ireland on behalf of the Arts Council. Four strands: New Work (up to €15,000), a research strand (up to €5,000), Mentoring (up to €3,000) and Training (up to €1,000). Round 2 opens 10 August 2026 and closes 29 September 2026.

Smaller, flexible support for an individual artist to develop their work or skills. Individuals only, not bands or groups; resident in Ireland.

Funds a specific music project, from live performance to recording. Open to individual artists, groups and organisations based in Ireland. Rounds open a few times a year; the July 2026 round has closed, so check the Arts Council site for the next call.

Funds commissioning a musician or composer to create new music or opera, or a festival commission. Music up to €17,000, opera up to €45,000.

Funds recording or publishing work in the traditional arts. Open to individuals, groups, bands and organisations.

Funds touring existing work across Ireland to reach more people. For individual artists and organisations based here; the grant is based on the shortfall.

Self-employed professional artists on Jobseeker's Allowance can be excused from the usual labour-market activation for their first year out of work, so that year goes into developing their practice instead. You need at least half of the previous year's income to have come from your art plus a certificate from one of the listed professional bodies. It covers visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film and circus.

Income of up to €50,000 a year from original creative work, books, plays, musical compositions, paintings and sculptures, can be exempt from income tax if Revenue determines the work has cultural or artistic merit. It is a determination you apply for, not something automatic. Worth knowing that USC and PRSI are still due on the money.

Grants toward musical instruments, covering up to 75% of the cost. Separate strands for amateur groups, professional musicians and venues. You must be based or resident in Ireland.

Ireland's national music education programme for children and young people. Subsidised performance music tuition across many instruments and styles, run locally through Music Education Partnerships. What is on offer and what it costs depend on your area.

Helps Irish professional artists and musicians present work abroad, covering travel, freight and accommodation. For performing outside Ireland, not into it; you need a confirmed international presenter. There are four grant rounds a year and applications are NOT accepted outside them. The next deadline is 23:59 on 5 November 2026, for work presented internationally from 15 February 2027 onwards.

A weekly payment of €325 for professional artists and creative arts workers, now a permanent scheme after the 2022 pilot. It runs in three-year cycles for 2,000 recipients, chosen by random selection from eligible applicants. Applications for the 2026 to 2029 round opened in April 2026 and have since closed, so this round is full. Watch for the next application window.

Showcase slots and travel support for Irish acts playing major international music festivals. You need an invitation from the festival first.

Development and production funding for film, TV drama, animation and documentary. Mainly for Irish-registered production companies.

Your county or city council's arts office runs its own grants, bursaries and awards for local artists. Amounts and deadlines vary; you usually need to live in the area.

If you have been on Rent Supplement for 18 months or more the council sources longer-term rented housing for you and you pay a rent based on your income. The big difference from Rent Supplement is that you can take a full-time job and stay on RAS, with your rent simply recalculated.

If you rent privately with HAP or RAS and your landlord is selling up, your council can buy the home and keep you in it as their tenant. You need a valid notice of termination given because the landlord plans to sell, a risk of homelessness, an RTB-registered tenancy and the property in the social housing support system for two years or more. This is the HAP and RAS route, separate from the Cost Rental Tenant in Situ Scheme for renters on neither payment.

Launched in June 2026 across the four Dublin councils for owners of vacant or newly built properties: the council pays you a guaranteed monthly rent directly, at up to 100% of market rent, on contracts of up to 8 years while the home houses social housing tenants, and the rent keeps coming even during vacancy periods. Dublin City Council leads it.

Individual landlords renting out residential property might qualify for relief worth up to €1,000 in 2026 and 2027, up from €600 in 2024 and €800 in 2025. It is capped at 20% of your rental income, and there is a clawback: sell up or stop letting within 4 years of your first claim and Revenue takes it back.

If you are doing up a property that has sat empty for 6 months or more, you can deduct up to €10,000 per premises of the costs of getting it ready, repairs, advertising and the like, against your rental income. The scheme runs to the end of 2027. Same catch as the other landlord reliefs: stop letting within 4 years and it is clawed back.

Landlords who get an approved SEAI retrofitting grant can also deduct up to €10,000 per premises against rental income, so you get the grant and a tax deduction on what you spent yourself. It covers works from 2023 to 2028, and from 2026 you can claim it on up to 3 properties, up from 2. The deduction is your spend net of the grant.

A tax credit worth 20% of your rent, up to €1,000 a year, or €2,000 for a jointly assessed couple, for the 2024 to 2028 tax years. IT ALSO RUNS BACK TO 2022, at the lower rate of €500, or €1,000 jointly, for 2022 and 2023, and those years are still claimable. The 2022 claim closes on 31 December 2026 under the four year rule, so that one is real money with a deadline on it. For renting your home, a place for work or an approved course, or a child's digs. ONE THING RULES YOU OUT COMPLETELY: you cannot claim it if you are a supported tenant, meaning you get the Housing Assistance Payment, Rent Supplement or the Rental Accommodation Scheme, and paying a top-up on top of that support does not change it. You also cannot claim it if your landlord is a housing association or approved housing body.

If you rent privately and qualify for social housing support, your council pays the rent to your landlord and you pay a small weekly amount based on your income.

Short-term help with private rent if a drop in income means you can no longer afford it. Mostly for short-term cases now; longer-term renters are pointed to HAP. There is also a fast-track route for anyone leaving domestic abuse: if you are referred by Tusla, a Tusla-funded service, the Gardaí or the HSE, you can get Rent Supplement straight away with no means test for the first 3 months (extendable to 6), so money is not the reason you cannot leave. After 6 months you can apply to your local authority for longer-term help like HAP.

If you are homeless or at risk of homelessness right now, your local authority can assess your needs and, where possible, provide emergency accommodation, including family hubs for families with children. Contact your local authority's housing or homeless section directly.

If you rent out a room in your own home, you can earn up to €14,000 a year tax-free. The limit includes any money for food, laundry or utilities.

A tax-free monthly payment for hosting people from Ukraine with Temporary Protection in your home or a property you own, for 6 months or more, with no rental agreement in place. €400 a month per property from September 2026, down from the €600 that had applied since June 2025. The scheme has been extended to 31 March 2027. Since 3 March 2026 new applications are not accepted for properties that were registered with the RTB at any time since 4 March 2022. The payment is ignored for most means tests, including Fuel Allowance and the Living Alone Increase.

A tax credit of €1,270 a year for a fisher, employed or self-employed, who spends at least 80 days at sea in the tax year on an EU or UK registered fishing vessel. Claimed through Revenue myAccount.

A tax credit of €1,500 a year for permanent members of the Irish Naval Service who spend at least 80 days at sea on a naval vessel in the tax year. It runs for the years 2021 to 2029.

An income tax allowance of €6,350 a year for seafarers who work at least 161 days at sea on a qualifying international voyage in the tax year, set against the employment income earned on board.

If you work in one of the listed occupations, nurses, teachers, tradespeople, physiotherapists and many more, Revenue lets you deduct an agreed amount each year for things like uniforms, tools and registration fees. You claim it in myAccount and you do not need receipts, because the amount for your job is already agreed. Most people miss that you can go back over the current year and the previous 4.

If you live in Ireland but commute daily or weekly to a job in another country and pay tax there, this reduces your Irish tax so that in effect only your non-foreign income is taxed here. It is the classic relief for cross-border workers going north. One thing to watch: if you claim this, you cannot also claim a credit for the foreign tax you paid.

Lets your employer give you up to €1,500 a year in non-cash benefits (vouchers, gift cards) tax-free, across up to 5 individual benefits a year. This is an employer decision, not something you apply for yourself, but worth knowing about if you're negotiating pay or benefits.

If you work from home for all or part of your time, you can claim tax relief on 30% of your apportioned heating, electricity and broadband costs for the days you worked from home. Alternatively, your employer can pay you €3.20 a workday tax-free instead, without you needing to claim anything through Revenue.

Tax relief for employees who travel for work to certain qualifying countries, worth a deduction of up to €50,000 of income (raised from €35,000 from 1 January 2026). You need at least 30 qualifying days abroad in a 12-month period. Philippines and Turkiye were added to the qualifying-country list from 2026.