Parents receiving COVID19 payment now eligible for Back to School Allowance

Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance

From Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Last updated 6 August 2020

1. Important Notice

2. What the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is

3. How to qualify

4. Rates of payment

5. Apply

Important Notice

Payments of Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance for 2020 will be made to qualifying customers in the week starting 13 July. Letters will issue to customers confirming their payment by 6 July.

If you do not receive a letter from us by 6 July, you should submit an application online on www.mywelfare.ie. This requires you having a verified MyGovID and details can be found on www.mywelfare.ie of how to verify.

What the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is

The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is a means-tested once-off payment aimed at helping families with the extra costs when children start school each autumn.

The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme is open from 1 June to 30 September each year

How to qualify

To qualify for Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, you must meet the following conditions:

• you must be in receipt of a qualifying social protection payment or participating in an approved employment, education or training support scheme
• you must be in receipt of an increase for a qualified child (IQC) in respect of each child for whom the allowance is being claimed (except in certain circumstances)

each child being claimed for must be:

aged between 4 and 17 or

aged between 18 and 22, and returning to second-level education in the autumn

the assessable income for your household must be within a set income limit

you and each child in respect of whom the allowance is claimed must be resident in the State

Rates of payment

Child’s age Rate

4 – 11 €150

12 – 22 €275

Remember, children between 18 and 22 years old must be in second-level education to qualify.

For more information and to apply for the scheme click here.