Press release
First Child Benefit Payments for 18 Year Olds issue today
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
The first Child Benefit payments for 18-year-olds in full-time education will be paid today following changes made by the Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD.
Child benefit is paid on the first Tuesday of each month at a rate of €140 per child. 60,000 18 year olds who are in full time education or who have a disability will benefit from the change which takes effect today.
Announcing the payments today, Minister Humphreys said:
With many children now starting primary school at age five, together with the increase in pupils doing transition year, there has been an increase in the number of 18-year-olds still in secondary education.
Child Benefit is one of the only mechanisms available to me to support and put more money back into the pockets of working families.
I believe the extension of Child Benefit to 18-year-olds in full-time education is a long-term change for the better and will support families across Ireland into the future.”
Child Benefit is currently paid to over 650,000 families in respect of over 1.2 million children with an estimated expenditure of more than €2.1 billion in 2024.
Child Benefit is paid on the first Tuesday each month at a monthly rate of €140 per child.
In the case of a child who has already turned 18 provided they are still in full-time education, they will be eligible for payment again from today up to their 19th birthday.
The parent/guardian does not need to reapply if the child is in full-time education and the Department holds a current education certificate. The payment will be reactivated from today as long as the certificate is valid, and payment will continue for as long as a valid education certificate is in place or the child turns 19, whichever comes first.
If the child turns 18 after May 2024, Child Benefit will automatically be extended to either the 19th birthday or the expiry date of the current education certificate.
In cases where the education certificate expires prior to the 19th birthday, a new education certificate will be issued to the parent/guardian before it expires. This must be completed and returned to allow payment of Child Benefit to resume.
The Department will contact a parent/guardian directly if they need to provide an updated education certificate.
For people who need to update their payment details, the quickest and easiest way to change payment details is online at MyWelfare.ie.