Home › All grants › Carer's Allowance

Carer's Allowance

Up to €270 a week under 66 or €308 at 66 or over for one person. If you give full-time care to more than one person, the rate is increased by 50% of the standard personal rate. Half rate is €135 or €154. These are maximum rates. The means test can reduce the payment, down to nil. A Child Support Payment is added for each qualifying child, except with half rate.

Last checked October 2026

What it is

Means-tested payment if you care for someone full-time. Since 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 certain other payments? You can keep it in full and get Carer's Allowance at half rate on top. Budget 2027 announced two changes: the maximum weekly rate rises to €280 under 66 and €318 at 66 or over from January 2027; the weekly income disregard rises to €1,150 for a single person and €2,300 for a couple from July 2027.

Who can get it

You provide full-time care and attention, which means at least 35 hours a week spread over 5 to 7 days
The person you care for is 16 or over and expected to need that care for at least 12 months, or is under 16 and getting Domiciliary Care Allowance
You are not working, studying, training or doing voluntary work for more than 18.5 hours a week combined. You must also show the person you care for has adequate care while you are out
You pass a means test on your income and savings (and your spouse or partner's, if you have one)
You are 18 or over (Carer's Benefit and the Carer's Support Grant both start at 16, so a younger carer may still get those)
You are habitually resident in Ireland

Good to know

Rates depend on your age: under 66 it's €270 a week at the full rate or €135 at half rate; 66 or over it's €308 full rate or €154 half rate.
If you give full-time care to more than one person, the rate is increased by 50% of the standard personal rate. This is the rule in the Department's Operational Guidelines for Carer's Allowance.
A Child Support Payment is added for each qualifying child, €58 or €78 a week depending on the child's age. You get the full rate if you are parenting alone or the half rate (€29 or €39) if you live with your spouse or partner, and it is not paid at all with half-rate Carer's Allowance.
The weekly income disregard used in the means test rose sharply from July 2026, to €1,000 for a single person and €2,000 for a couple, so it is worth checking again even if you did not qualify before.
Carer's Allowance is taxable income. Since 1 January 2026 it has been included on the list of taxable payments information the Department gives to Revenue. If you file a tax return, you must still include it.
Already getting a payment like the State Pension, Illness Benefit, Invalidity Pension, Disability Allowance or One-Parent Family Payment? You do not have to choose. You can keep that payment in full and get Carer's Allowance at half rate on top, €135 to €154 a week, once you meet the normal caring and means test conditions. It does not work alongside Jobseeker's Allowance or Benefit, Working Family Payment, Supplementary Welfare Allowance, the Back to Work Family Dividend, the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance, Community Employment, Tús or the Rural Social Scheme.
You do not need a payment in your own name. If you are included as a QUALIFIED ADULT on your spouse or partner's social welfare payment, you can claim half-rate Carer's Allowance on that basis too, and you keep the qualified adult increase in full. That covers a lot of people who assumed they were out because the payment is in their partner's name. One exception: if their payment is a working scheme payment like Community Employment, you have to come off it first.
If your spouse or partner is on Tus, Gateway, Community Employment or the Rural Social Scheme, Carer's Allowance is paid at the FULL rate, not half. That is up to €270 a week under 66 or up to €308 at 66 or over, rather than half rate.
The payment does not stop the moment life gets in the way. You keep it for up to 13 weeks if you or the person you care for is in hospital, 12 weeks if they go into a nursing home full time and up to 3 weeks a year while you take a holiday. If the person you care for dies, it continues for 12 weeks.
SAVINGS: the first €50,000 of capital is ignored. After that €1 a week is assessed for every €1,000 of the next €10,000, €2 per €1,000 of the next €10,000 and €4 per €1,000 above €70,000. The interest itself is not counted, the capital value is and your family home never counts. If you are married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting, your partner's means count too and your means are taken as half of the couple's total.
Two of you can SHARE the caring on alternate weeks. You share one Carer's Allowance and one Carer's Support Grant between you, but you each get Free Travel.
A late claim can be backdated up to 6 months if you can show good reason for the delay.
Carer's Allowance brings free extras: a Free Travel Pass automatically for every recipient, the annual Carer's Support Grant, a GP Visit Card, and the Household Benefits Package if you live with the person you care for. These come with the half-rate payment too. Since January 2025 Carer's Allowance is also a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance, though you still have to pass the Fuel Allowance means test. Half-rate Carer's Allowance is left out of that means test.

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 7 October 2026. Always confirm the details on the official page before applying.

Questions people ask

How much is Carer's Allowance in 2026?

Up to €270 a week at the full rate under 66 and up to €308 at 66 or over for one person. If you give full-time care to more than one person, the rate is increased by 50% of the standard personal rate. Half rate is €135 under 66 or €154 at 66 or over. These are maximum rates. The means test can reduce the payment, down to nil. A Child Support Payment is added for each qualifying child, except with half rate.

Is Carer's Allowance means tested?

Yes. Since July 2026 the weekly income disregard is €1,000 for a single person and €2,000 for a couple, a big rise, so it is worth checking again even if you did not qualify before.

Is Carer's Allowance taxable?

Yes. It is taxable income. Since 1 January 2026 it has been included on the list of taxable payments information the Department gives to Revenue. If you file a tax return, you must still include it.

Can I get Carer's Allowance if I already get the State Pension or another payment?

Yes, in many cases. You can keep your other payment in full and get Carer's Allowance at half rate as well, as long as you meet the normal caring and means test conditions. It works alongside payments including the State Pension, Illness Benefit, Invalidity Pension, Disability Allowance and One-Parent Family Payment, but not with Jobseeker's Allowance or Benefit, Working Family Payment, Supplementary Welfare Allowance, the Back to Work Family Dividend, the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance, Community Employment, Tús or the Rural Social Scheme.

What extra supports come with Carer's Allowance?

A Free Travel Pass automatically, the annual Carer's Support Grant (€2,000 per person cared for), a GP Visit Card, and the Household Benefits Package if you live with the person you care for. Since January 2025 you can also apply for Fuel Allowance on the strength of it, subject to the Fuel Allowance means test. You must also be habitually resident in Ireland to qualify.

Related guides

Not sure if this one is you?

Describe your situation in your own words and the assistant shows every support you might qualify for, this one included. Free, no sign up, anonymous.

Check what you might qualify for →

Was this helpful?