Supplementary Benefits and Schemes

Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA)

This is a weekly payment for people who have insufficient means or no income. For example, you can receive SWA while waiting for a claim for another payment to be processed or if you are not entitled to any other weekly payment. The rate is €197.80 with extra rates of €131.30 for a qualified adult (dependent) and €24 per dependent child.

Apply to: your local health centre.

Diet Supplement

This is a payment to help with the cost of a special diet prescribed by your doctor or hospital consultant. To get a supplement, you need a certificate from a hospital consultant or registrar verifying the medical condition and the nature and duration of the diet. Different rates of supplement are paid depending on the type of diet.

Apply to: Community Welfare Officer at your local health centre

Heating Supplement

This is a payment to help people who have extra heating needs with heating costs (for example, people who are ill or have a disability or who live alone).

Apply to: Community Welfare Officer at your local health centre

Exceptional Needs Payment

Exceptional Needs Payment is a single imbursement to help meet essential, one-off, exceptional expenditure which you could not reasonably be expected to meet out of your weekly income. For example, the payments can be for bedding or cooking utensils for someone setting up a home for the first time. This may be paid to people who are getting the basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance or other social welfare or HSE payments, or to anyone working less than 30 hours per week and on a low income. The habitual residence condition does not apply to Exceptional Needs Payments.

Apply to: Community Welfare Officer at your local health centre

Household Benefits Package

Persons with a disability receiving certain payments are automatically entitled to this benefit. People who require constant care and their carers may also qualify.

The allowances that make up the Household Benefits Package are:

  • Electricity Allowance or Electricity (Group Account) Allowance, or
    Natural Gas Allowance or Bottled Gas Refill Allowance
  • Telephone Allowance
  • Free Television Licence

Apply to: Household Benefits Section Social Welfare Services, College Road, Sligo.

National Fuel Scheme

The National Fuel Scheme is intended to help households that depend on long-term social welfare or HSE payments and are unable to pay for their heating needs. The fuel scheme runs for 30 weeks from September to April.

Apply to: the section in the Department of Social and Family Affairs that pays your benefit, or if you are getting a payment from the HSE, apply to your local health centre.

Living Alone Increase

This is a weekly supplementary payment made to people receiving certain payments from the Department of Social and Family Affairs and living alone. The payment is for people aged over 66 years but those under this age may also qualify if they are living alone and receiving Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension or Blind Pension. You do not necessary have to live entirely alone or alone at all times.

Apply to: the section in the Department of Social and Family Affairs that pays your main pension or other payment.

Free Travel Pass

The Free Travel Pass is available to people aged 66 years and over and to certain incapacitated people under this age. It allows you unlimited free travel on public transport and on a number of private bus and ferry services. People who are entitled to free travel are also entitled to have their spouse or partner travel free with them. In addition, if you are unable to travel alone for medical reasons, you may get a Companion Free Travel Pass which allows a person over the age of 16 years to accompany you, free of charge.

Apply to: Free Travel Section, Social Welfare Services, College Road, Sligo