Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance

The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BTSCFA) helps you meet the cost of uniforms and footwear for children going to school.

The BTSCFA scheme is open from 20 June 2022 until 30 September 2022.

The BTSCFA will be paid automatically to many families in the week beginning 13 July 2022. If you are paid automatically you don’t have to apply for the BTSCFA. You will get a letter before 20 June 2022 to let you know that you will be paid automatically.

If you haven't got a letter by 20 June 2022, you must apply for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance online – see ‘How to apply’ below.

The closing date for applications is 30 September 2022.

Rules

You may qualify for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance if you are:

• Getting a social welfare payment (including Working Family Payment and Back to Work Family Dividend or a Health Service Executive payment, or
• Taking part in an approved employment scheme (back to work scheme) or
• Taking part in a recognised education or training course, or
• Getting a Daily Expenses Allowance (formerly called Direct Provision Allowance) for a child in education (or for yourself if you are 18–22 and returning to full-time second-level education), or
• Involved in an Area Partnership Scheme, or
• Attending a FET (formerly Fás) training course

Your child must be aged between 4-17 on 30 September. If they are aged between 18-22, they must be returning to full-time second-level education in a recognised school or college in the autumn of the year you are applying.

In general, you must be getting an Increase for a Qualified Child (IQC) with your payment. There are some exceptions to this. For example, you may be getting a qualifying payment but you are not getting an increase for your child (because the rules of the scheme do not provide for a child payment) – Maternity Benefit and Adoptive Benefit are examples. You can still claim BTSCFA if you satisfy the other criteria.

You may qualify for BTSCFA, if you are not getting an IQC because your spouse or partner's income is over the specified limit for your payment, but your overall household income is within the BTSCFA limits.

You cannot claim BTSCFA for a child who is not resident in the State.

Foster children are not eligible for the BTSCFA because the financial support parents get from Tusla – the Child and Family Agency (Foster Care Allowance) – includes help with the cost of clothing and footwear for the child.

Note that if you have applied for a social welfare payment, or have appealed a decision not to award you a social welfare payment and are waiting for a decision on your application, you should apply for the BTSCFA before the scheme closes. Your entitlement to the BTSCFA will be decided when you get a decision on your application or appeal.

MORE INFORMATION HERE: https://bit.ly/3Q0QcEl