S.I. No. 245/2026 - Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) (Amendment) (No. 3) (Carer’s Benefit and Carer’s Allowance - Income Limit and Earnings Disregard) Regulations 2026

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 12th June, 2026.

I, DARA CALLEARY, Minister for Social Protection, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 4 (amended by section 14 and reference 1 of the Schedule to the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 (No. 24 of 2024)), section 100 (3) (amended by section 12 of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2007 ) and by Rule 1(5) and Rule 4(3) of Part 5 of Schedule 3 to the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (No. 26 of 2005), with the consent of the Minister of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, hereby make the following Regulations:

Citation and construction

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) (Amendment) (No. 3) (Carer’s Benefit and Carer’s Allowance - Income Limit and Earnings Disregard) Regulations 2026.

(2) These Regulations and the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) Regulations 2007 to 2025 shall be construed together as one and may be cited together as the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) Regulations 2007 to 2026.

Definitions

2. In these Regulations—

“Principal Regulations” means the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) Regulations 2007;

“Regulations of 2024” means the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) (Amendment) (No. 18) (Carer’s Benefit and Carer’s Allowance - Earnings Disregard) Regulations 2024 ( S.I. No. 653 of 2024 )

Commencement

3. These Regulations come into operation on 2 July 2026.

Earnings disregard

4. The Principal Regulations are amended—

(a) in article 57 —

(i) in sub-article (3) (amended by article 4(a)(i) of the Regulations of 2024), by the substitution of “€1,000” for “€625.00”, and

(ii) in sub-article (4) (amended by article 4(a)(ii) of the Regulations of 2024), by the substitution of “€1,000.00” for “€625.00”,

and

(b) in article 144 —

(i) in paragraph (a) (amended by article 4(b)(i) of the Regulations of 2024), by the substitution of “€1,000.00” for “€625.00”, and

(ii) in paragraph (b) (amended by article 4(b)(ii) of the Regulations of 2024), by the substitution of “€2,000.00” for “€1,250.00”,

The Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation consents to the making of foregoing Regulations.

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

28 May, 2026.

JACK CHAMBERS,

Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

28 May, 2026.

DARA CALLEARY,

Minister for Social Protection.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

These Regulations provide for increases in the income limit and earnings disregard which apply to Carer’s Benefit and Carer’s Allowance, which form part of the Budget measures announced on 7 October 2025.

In the case of Carer’s Benefit, the weekly earnings limit is being increased from €625 to €1,000 per week with effect from 2 July 2026.

In the case of Carer’s Allowance, the weekly means disregard is being increased from €625 to €1,000 for a single person and from €1,250 to €2,000 for a couple, with effect from 2 July 2026.