Q. I am caring for my elderly mother and do not qualify for the carer’s allowance or benefit, but recently I heard about the carer’s support grant, what is it and might I qualify?
A. The Carer’s Support Grant is paid to carer’s once a year by the Department of Social Protection (DSP). It used to be called the Respite Care Grant.
You can use the grant in whatever way you like, be it for respite care or similar. In June of each year (usually on the first Thursday of the month), the DSP pays the grant automatically to carers getting the Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, and the Domicillary Care Allowance. If you are not getting one of these payments, you can still qualify for the Carer’s Support Grant, which is not means tested or taxable.
To qualify you must be: aged 16 or over; be ordinarily resident in Ireland; caring for a person on a full-time basis for at least six months of the year (including the first Thursday in June); and living with the person being cared for (if you don’t live with them, you must meet certain criteria – for example, the person must be able to contact you quickly and directly).
In addition, during this six-month caring period, you cannot: work more than 18.5 hours per week (as an employee or in self-employment); take part in an education or training course for more than 18.5 hours a week; get Jobseeker’s Allowance or Jobseeker’s Benefit or Sign on for credited contributions; or live in a hospital, convalescent home, or similar institution.
In 2025, the Carer’s Support Grant will be €2,000, paid on June 5, 2025.
If you are providing care for more than one person, you can get a Carer’s Support Grant for each person you are caring for.
If you are getting Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, or Domiciliary Care Allowance, you do not need to apply for the Carer’s Support Grant, you will automatically get it. If you are not getting one of the above payments, you should fill in a Carer’s Support Grant application form (CSG1) for each person you are caring for.
Application forms are available at your local Citizens Information Office. You can apply for for any given year from April of that year until December 31 of the following year.
