Launching Carer's Allowance Support in Ireland

As part of our expansion into Ireland, we're building a dedicated support service for Carer's Allowance (CA) — a means-tested weekly payment from the Department of Social Protection (DSP) for people who provide full-time care and attention to someone who needs it.

What Carer's Allowance is, briefly

CA is currently worth up to €248 a week if you're caring for one person, rising to €372 a week if you're caring for two or more people. On top of the weekly payment, carers can also receive the Carer's Support Grant — a once-yearly payment of €1,850, usually paid in June. You can still work, study or train for up to 18.5 hours a week outside the home and continue to qualify, which surprises a lot of people who assume any employment rules them out.

Who it's for

If you're providing regular, full-time care to someone — a family member, partner, or someone else — whose condition means they need continuous supervision or full-time care, CA is worth checking, even if you're doing some part-time work, study or training. The means test on your own income and savings, and the question of whether the care recipient's needs meet the DSP's 'full-time care' threshold, are where most carers get stuck — which is exactly the part we're building support around.

What we're building

• An Irish-specific eligibility check covering the hours-of-care test, the means test, and the 18.5-hour work/study allowance.
• Guidance on describing the care recipient's medical condition and support needs in the way the DSP actually assesses them.
• Support understanding how the rate changes if you're caring for more than one person, and how the Carer's Support Grant fits alongside the weekly payment.
• Clarity on how a care recipient's own disability payment (such as Disability Allowance) interacts with your CA claim.

To be clear about what we are: we're an independent, technology-led application support service, not the Department of Social Protection. Applying for CA directly through MyWelfare.ie or your Intreo Centre is always free. Where we aim to add value once the paid service launches is in the preparation and evidence-gathering that so often makes the difference between an award and a refusal.

Coming soon

Our Irish Carer's Allowance service isn't live yet — we're still building and testing it properly. Register your interest below and we'll be in touch the moment it's ready.