Back to Work Family Dividend
€58 a week per child under 12, or €78 a week per child aged 12 or over, for your first year back at work. In your second year that halves to €29 or €39 a week per child. Capped at 4 children.
Last checked July 2026
What it is
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.
Who can get it
- You have at least one qualified child
- You were getting Jobseeker's Allowance/Benefit, One-Parent Family Payment or Jobseeker's Transitional payment for at least a year before starting work or self-employment
- From 5 January 2026, Disability Allowance and Blind Pension also count as qualifying payments
- You are no longer getting Working Family Payment, since the two can't be paid together for the same child in some cases
- It is paid whether you move into a job or start self-employment.
- It stops if you go back on the qualifying welfare payment, or once you've had it for the full 2 years.
- Apply to the Department of Social Protection when you start work, it is not automatic.
How to apply
Applications go through DSP. The official page has the full eligibility rules and the application itself.
Go to the official page →Checked against the official source on 15 July 2026. Always confirm the details on the official page before applying.
Related guides
- National Childcare Scheme
- ECCE (free preschool)
- Child Benefit
- Working Family Payment
- One-Parent Family Payment
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