Fuel Allowance
IMPORTANT: The INOU does not process or manage applications for Fuel Allowance. The INOU does not have access to your Social Welfare file and cannot provide any update on the status of your application or accept requests for changes of payment to your Fuel Allowance application. Please visit the Department of Social Protection for more information Thank You.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Fuel Allowance is a means tested payment to help with the cost of heating in your home during the winter period. The Fuel Allowance season lasts 28 weeks.
Fuel Allowance is paid to people who are on a qualifying long-term social welfare payment (see below). Only one application for Fuel Allowance is paid to a household.
Qualifying for Fuel Allowance
You may qualify for a Fuel Allowance if you are resident in the state,
and
getting one of the following payments:
- Jobseeker's Allowance for more than 390 days (over 15 months) if the person satisfies the qualifying conditions
- State Pension (Contributory or Non-Contributory)
- Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory or Non-Contributory) Pension
- Blind Pension
- Invalidity Pension
- Disability Allowance
- Deserted Wife's Benefit or Allowance
- One-Parent Family Payment
- Guardian's Payment (Contributory or Non-contributory)
- Farm Assist
- Pre-Retirement Allowance
- Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance
- Jobseeker's Transitional payment
- Half-rate Carer's Allowance with another qualifying social welfare payment
And
You live alone or only with:
- A dependent spouse, civil partner or cohabitant and/or dependent children
- A person in receipt of a the qualifying payment who is also eligible for a Fuel Allowance in their own right
- A person in receipt of Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit and who is providing care full-time to the Fuel Allowance applicant or their own qualified spouse, civil partner, cohabitant or qualified child(ren)
- A person getting short-term Jobseeker's Allowance or basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance (less than 391 days for JA and less than 15 months/456 days for BASI)
And
You and other members of your household are unable to provide for your heating needs on your own resources. People on non contributory payments are generally accepted as satisfying the means test.
Note: Days of unemployment on Jobseeker’s Benefit count towards the 391 days if the Jobseeker’s Benefit claim was immediately before the award of Jobseeker’s Allowance.
Payment Rates
The rate of payment is €33 per week or €924 in total (which can get in two lump sum payments) from October to April each year. You can usually apply for this payment during the beginning of October and the payment lasts until April each year.
You can choose to get this payment made weekly or the total allowance in two lump sums, one in early October and a second in January of the following year.
Note: The lump sum payment option is currently not available to participants of Employment Support Schemes getting payments under the Rural Social Scheme, Tús, and Community Employment, as these payments are not made directly by the Department. This option is also unavailable to people on Supplementary Welfare Allowance as it is a short term scheme.
How to Apply for Fuel Allowance
To apply for this allowance, you need to fill in a Fuel Allowance Scheme application form. It is best practice to apply before the start of the winter season (early October).
Please be aware that the DSP cannot backdate your allowance.
You can find this form at your local post office or DSP office or by clicking on this link.
Re-applying
When the Fuel Allowance is awarded a person does not have to re-apply every fuel season, however, an annual review of a sample of Fuel Allowance customers can be carried out by the DSP. Part or all, of this review sample may be met as part of an overall review of scheme entitlements.
Contact Us
Telephone
You can speak, in complete confidence, to an Information Officer in the Information and Advocacy section directly at 01 - 856 0088 , Monday - Thursday 9.30 am to 5.00 pm and Friday 9.30am to 4.00pm.
Online
Use the online Contact Us forms on the INOU website
- Contact us Forms
- Advocacy Services
- Social Welfare Appeals
- Jobseekers Allowance (JA)
- Jobseekers Benefit (JB)
- Jobseekers Benefit Self-Employed (JBSE)
- Jobseekers Transition (JST)
- Back to Work Supports
- Other Social Welfare payments
- Supplementary Welfare (SWA)
- Work Experience Options
- Education Options
- Other Benefits and Supports