Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Support Grant in Ireland (2026)

Carer’s Allowance is a means-tested weekly payment for people in Ireland who provide full-time care, at least 35 hours a week, to someone who needs it. In 2026 it is up to €270 a week for a carer under 66, or €308 for a carer aged 66 or over. Since 2 July 2026 the first €1,000 of a single carer’s weekly income (€2,000 for a couple) is ignored in the means test. Carers also get the €2,000 Carer’s Support Grant each June, which is not means tested.

In short

• Carer’s Allowance 2026: €270 a week (under 66) or €308 (66 or over) for one person cared for. Caring for two or more: €405 or €462.
• Means test: income disregard of €1,000 a week (single) or €2,000 (couple) from 2 July 2026. The first €50,000 of savings is ignored, and the carer’s own home is not counted.
• Hours: at least 35 hours of care a week over 5 to 7 days. Outside work, study or training is capped at 18.5 hours a week.
• Carer’s Support Grant: €2,000 in 2026 per person cared for, paid in June, no means test.
• Carer’s Benefit: €271 a week for up to 104 weeks, for people with PRSI who stop work to care.
• Budget 2027: €10 a week more from January 2027, and disregards rise to €1,150 and €2,300 from July 2027.

2026 rates at a glance

Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Benefit can include a Child Support Payment for your children: €58 a week for a child under 12 and €78 for a child aged 12 or over (half rates of €29 and €39 apply in some cases).

Who qualifies for Carer’s Allowance

According to Citizens Information, you must:

• be 18 or over and habitually resident in Ireland;
• care for someone aged 16 or over who is so incapacitated that they need full-time care and attention for at least 12 months, or a child under 16 who gets Domiciliary Care Allowance;
• provide care for at least 35 hours a week, over 5 to 7 days;
• not work, be self-employed, volunteer, train or study for more than 18.5 hours a week;
• not live in a hospital, convalescent home or similar institution (and neither can the person you care for);
• pass the means test.

You do not have to live with your parent to qualify, though the Household Benefits Package that comes with the payment is only available if you do. The person’s GP fills in the medical form (CARMed1), and the Department of Social Protection decides whether the care counts as full-time. Describe a typical day honestly: help with washing, dressing, toileting, meals, medication, supervision for dementia, and nights.

Caring alongside home support

Many carers also have HSE home support visits for their parent. What matters for Carer’s Allowance is whether you still provide full-time care overall, which the Department decides, so mention any home support on the form. Our home support guide explains how to apply for the HSE service.

The means test, explained

The means test looks at your household, not the person you care for. Your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant’s income counts too.

Income

The Department counts cash income, mainly earnings, after deducting PRSI, pension contributions and trade union subscriptions. From 2 July 2026, a single carer’s first €1,000 of weekly income is ignored. For a couple, the first €2,000 of combined weekly income is ignored. If means are above that, you get a reduced rate, set out in the Department’s SW19 rates booklet, rather than nothing.

Savings and property

Capital includes savings, investments, shares and property other than your own home. The first €50,000 is ignored. For a couple, combined capital is halved before the €50,000 is applied.

Worked examples

• Aoife, single, works 15 hours a week and earns €420 a week after PRSI. She has €20,000 in savings. Both are under the limits, so she gets the full €270.
• Declan and Mary: Declan cares for his father full time. Mary earns €1,850 a week after PRSI and pension contributions. That is under the €2,000 couple disregard, so Declan gets the full €270 a week.
• Same couple, Mary earns €2,200 a week. They are €200 over the disregard, so Declan gets a reduced rate. He should still apply, because any rate of Carer’s Allowance brings the €2,000 Carer’s Support Grant automatically.

If you already get another payment

If you get another social welfare payment, such as a State Pension, you may keep it and get half-rate Carer’s Allowance on top. This is not allowed alongside some payments, including Jobseeker’s Allowance, Jobseeker’s Benefit and Carer’s Benefit, and half-rate does not include the Child Support Payment.

What else comes with Carer’s Allowance

• The Carer’s Support Grant of €2,000, paid automatically in June (it was paid on 4 June 2026).
• Free Travel and a GP visit card.
• Household Benefits Package, if you live with the person you care for.
• Fuel Allowance, subject to its own means test.
• PRSI credits, which protect your future State Pension.

Carer’s Allowance is taxable income, though if it is your only income you are unlikely to pay tax on it.

The Carer’s Support Grant

The Carer’s Support Grant is €2,000 in 2026, paid for each person you care for, so caring for two people means two grants. If you get Carer’s Allowance (full or half rate), Carer’s Benefit or Domiciliary Care Allowance, it is paid automatically, usually on the first Thursday of June.

If you do not get any of those, you can still apply on form CSG1. You must be 16 or over, ordinarily resident in Ireland, and have cared full time for at least 6 months, including the first Thursday in June. In that period you cannot work or study for more than 18.5 hours a week or get a Jobseeker’s payment. There is no means test. You can apply from April of the year until 31 December of the following year, so a missed 2026 grant can still be claimed in 2027.

Carer’s Benefit and Carer’s Leave

Carer’s Benefit is for people who give up work, or cut their hours, to care. It is based on PRSI rather than a household means test. In 2026 it pays €271 a week for one person (€406.50 for more than one), for up to 104 weeks for each person cared for. You need at least 156 PRSI contributions since you started work, plus recent contributions (for example 39 in 2024 for a 2026 claim), and to have worked at least 16 hours a week for 8 of the previous 26 weeks. You can work up to 18.5 hours a week, with earnings up to €1,000 a week after tax and deductions from 2 July 2026.

Separately, employees can take Carer’s Leave: up to 104 weeks of unpaid leave to provide full-time care, with your job kept for you. You do not need to qualify for Carer’s Benefit to take it.

Domiciliary Care Allowance

If the person you care for is a child under 16 with a severe disability, Domiciliary Care Allowance is €380 a month in 2026. It is not means tested, the child must need substantially more care than other children of the same age for at least 12 months, and you normally live with the child at least 5 days a week. DCA also brings a medical card for the child, the Carer’s Support Grant, and an easier Carer’s Allowance claim, because you skip the medical form. DCA ends at 16, when the young person can apply for Disability Allowance in their own right.

Tax credits for carers

Revenue’s 2026 figures include the Home Carer Tax Credit of up to €1,950 (for jointly assessed married couples or civil partners where one partner cares for a dependent person at home, and the carer’s own income is low), the Incapacitated Child Tax Credit of €3,800, and the Dependent Relative Tax Credit of €305 (where the relative’s income is €18,548 or less). If the family pays for private care instead, see the relief for employing a carer in our home support guide.

How to apply

1. Apply for Carer’s Allowance online through MyWelfare.ie, using a verified MyGovID account, or post form CR1.
2. Send the CARMed1 medical form (completed by the person’s doctor), plus employer or education forms if they apply, within 21 days of an online application.
3. Processing can take time. If you have no income while you wait, ask about Supplementary Welfare Allowance.
4. Tell the Department about changes, such as a hospital stay (payment continues up to 13 weeks) or a move into a nursing home (it continues for 12 weeks).

When caring at home is no longer enough

Full-time caring is hard, and many carers reach a point where a nursing home is the safer choice. Under Fair Deal, your parent pays a contribution based on their own income and assets, and the HSE pays the rest. Your income as a carer is not part of their assessment. See Fair Deal explained, nursing home costs in Ireland and the nursing home loan. If you were your parent’s carer and live in their home, you may also be able to defer repayment of that loan. Our checklist for choosing a nursing home helps when time is short. For the emotional side, our guide to guilt about moving a parent into care is written for UK families but applies just as well in Ireland.

Frequently asked questions

How much is Carer’s Allowance in Ireland in 2026?

The maximum is €270 a week if you are under 66 and care for one person, or €405 if you care for two or more. If you are 66 or over, it is €308 for one person or €462 for two or more. Budget 2027 adds €10 a week to the maximum rates from January 2027.

How much can you earn and still get Carer’s Allowance?

From 2 July 2026, the first €1,000 a week of a single carer’s income is ignored, or €2,000 of a couple’s combined income. PRSI, pension contributions and union dues come off earnings first. Above that, a reduced rate is paid. You also cannot work or study outside the home for more than 18.5 hours a week.

How many hours do you have to care to get Carer’s Allowance?

At least 35 hours a week, spread over 5 to 7 days. The person you care for must need full-time care and attention for at least 12 months, which their doctor confirms on the CARMed1 form. The Department of Social Protection decides whether the care is full-time.

Who gets the Carer’s Support Grant and how much is it?

The grant is €2,000 in 2026 for each person you care for, and it is not means tested. It is paid automatically in June to people on Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit or Domiciliary Care Allowance. Other full-time carers can apply on form CSG1 if they have cared for at least 6 months and work no more than 18.5 hours a week.

What is the difference between Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Benefit?

Carer’s Allowance is means tested and has no PRSI requirement. Carer’s Benefit is for people who leave work to care and have enough PRSI contributions. It pays €271 a week in 2026 for up to 104 weeks per person cared for. It has a weekly earnings limit of €1,000 instead of a household means test.

Does Carer’s Allowance stop if my parent goes into a nursing home?

Not straight away. If the person you care for moves into a nursing home full time, Carer’s Allowance continues for 12 weeks. Send the Department a letter from the nursing home confirming the admission date. During a hospital stay for medical treatment, payment can continue for up to 13 weeks.

Sources

• Citizens Information: Carer’s Allowance
• Citizens Information: Carer’s Support Grant
• Citizens Information: Carer’s Benefit
• Citizens Information: Domiciliary Care Allowance
• Revenue: Tax credits, reliefs and rates charts
• gov.ie: Operational guidelines, Carer’s Allowance
• HSE: Nursing home loan (deferral for carers)

General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Figures for 2026, checked October 2026.

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 29 October 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.