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Medical Card

Free GP visits and hospital care, based on your income. Prescriptions are not free, there's a per-item charge with a monthly cap, refunded annually if you pay over it.

Last checked August 2026 · Updated 27 September 2026

What it is

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.

Who can get it

Under 70, your weekly income after tax is at or below your own limit. That limit starts with a basic rate: €184 a week for a single person living alone under 66 (€201.50 at 66 to 69). It is €164 for a single person living with family (€173.50 at 66 or over) and €266.50 for a couple or lone parent with dependent children (€298 at 66 or over). An amount for each dependant is then added, plus allowable expenses like rent or mortgage, childcare and travel to work
If you are 70 or over, a separate, higher GROSS income test applies instead: €550 a week for a single person, €1,050 a week for a couple. Over those limits you may still get a GP visit card. If you have high medical costs you can apply for a general medical card or GP visit card instead, where a discretionary card can also be considered
You live in Ireland and intend to live here for at least a year

Good to know

Prescriptions are not free: €1.50 per item if you're under 70 (capped at €15 a month per person or family), €1.00 per item at 70 or over (capped at €10 a month), refunded annually if you pay over the monthly cap.
If you don't qualify on the standard means test but have significant medical or care costs, you may still get a discretionary medical card.
A child diagnosed with cancer in the last 5 years, or a child getting Domiciliary Care Allowance, can get a medical card with no means test. The cancer route still needs an application and a medical report; the DCA route is registration only.
Emergency medical cards exist for a terminal illness (a prognosis of 24 months or less) or end-of-life care, active within 24 hours, with no means test, and they never need to be renewed.
If you already had a medical card and got one of these payments at the full rate for 12 months in a row, you may keep the card for 3 years after you start work: Jobseeker's Allowance or Benefit, One-Parent Family Payment, the Back to Work Family Dividend, Illness Benefit, Invalidity Pension, Disability Allowance, Blind Pension and approved employment or education schemes. Carer's Allowance is not on the list. If you become unemployed during the 3 years, the retention ends. This is where people lose it, because it does not happen automatically. You have to submit a new medical card application saying you are applying on that basis. Your dependent family members can keep theirs too, even if they start work in those 3 years. After the 3 years, if you are still working, you are assessed under the normal rules.
The HSE says this plainly and it is the most useful line on their whole site: if your only household income is a social welfare payment, you qualify for a medical card and should apply. So apply rather than assuming you will be assessed out.
The income limit is only part of the story. This is what wrongly puts people off. Your limit is built from three things added together: a basic rate for your circumstances, an amount for each dependant, and your ALLOWABLE EXPENSES. Those cover rent or mortgage, mortgage protection, home insurance, childcare, travel to work, maintenance payments and nursing home or home care costs. The HSE's own worked example takes a single person living alone from €184 a week to €395.62 once rent and travel to work are counted in.
Savings do not count the way people fear. The first €36,000 of savings for a single person is ignored completely (€72,000 for a couple). Above that the HSE counts a set weekly amount for every €1,000 you have: €1 a week per €1,000 on the next €10,000, then €2 per €1,000 on the €10,000 after that. It counts this set amount, not the interest you actually earn.
If you are refused a medical card, the HSE automatically checks whether you qualify for a GP visit card. You do not need a second application.
Register for a FAMILY CERTIFICATE and give it to your pharmacist. Without it you pay over the monthly cap and then have to wait for an annual refund.

How to apply

Applications go through HSE. The official page has the full eligibility rules and the application itself.

Go to the official page →

Checked against the official source on 8 August 2026. Last updated on 27 September 2026. Always confirm the details on the official page before applying.

Questions people ask

Are prescriptions free with a medical card?

No. There's a charge of €1.50 per item if you're under 70, capped at €15 a month per person or family, or €1.00 per item if you're 70 or over, capped at €10 a month. You're refunded annually if you pay over the monthly cap.

Can I get a medical card if I don't pass the means test?

Possibly. If you have significant medical or care costs, you may qualify for a discretionary medical card even if your income is over the standard limit.

Can I keep my medical card if I start working?

Possibly, for 3 years. You must already have a medical card and have been getting a listed payment at the full rate for 12 months in a row. The list includes Jobseeker's, One-Parent Family Payment, Illness Benefit, Invalidity Pension and Disability Allowance. Carer's Allowance is not on it. It is not automatic. You must submit a new medical card application stating that you are applying on that basis. Plenty of people lose the card simply by assuming it carries over. Your dependent family members can keep theirs too, even if they start work during those 3 years.

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