Health and Safety Benefit
Up to €254 a week if you are sent home on health and safety leave while pregnant or breastfeeding. Lower rates apply on lower earnings.
Last checked June 2026
What it is
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.
Who can get it
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding and in employment
- Your employer has granted you health and safety leave because a workplace risk cannot be removed or avoided
- You are covered by social insurance (PRSI)
- Your employer pays your normal wage for the first 3 weeks, then this benefit takes over.
- It stops when Maternity Benefit begins, at 14 weeks after the birth, or at 26 weeks if you are breastfeeding.
- The payment is taxable if you pay tax, but no USC or PRSI is charged on it.
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 14 June 2026. Always confirm the details on the official page before applying.
Questions people ask
How much is Health and Safety Benefit?
Up to €254 a week if you are sent home on health and safety leave while pregnant or breastfeeding. Lower rates apply on lower earnings.
Who pays me first?
Your employer pays your normal wage for the first 3 weeks, then Health and Safety Benefit takes over.
When does it stop?
It stops when Maternity Benefit begins, at 14 weeks after the birth, or at 26 weeks if you are breastfeeding.
Related guides
- National Childcare Scheme
- ECCE (free preschool)
- Child Benefit
- Working Family Payment
- Back to Work Family Dividend
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