All social welfare payments went up by €5 per week in last year's Budget and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe confirmed a similar increase will kick in early next year

By Claire Healy

9th October 2018, 1:39 pm

Updated: 9th October 2018, 2:30 pm

SOCIAL welfare recipients will get an extra €5 per week from next March – announced in today’s Budget.

All social welfare payments went up by €5 per week in last year’s Budget and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe confirmed a similar increase will kick in early next year.

It’s understood the increase could kick in around March 25 for 1.47 million recipients.

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection tweeted: “Minister Regina Doherty has announced a €5 increase in the max rate of all weekly payments, with proportionate increases for people on reduced rate payments & for qualified adult dependants.

“Jobseekers aged under 26 will receive the full €5 increase.”

Meanwhile, working lone parents on One-Parent Family Payment or Jobseekers Transitional Payment can now earn up to €150 without it affecting their payment – this is an increase of €20 in the weekly earnings disregard.

nd the social welfare Christmas bonus has been fully restored in today’s Budget.

The Christmas bonus is given to welfare recipients in late November or early December and the same is likely to occur this year.

The bonus was restored to 85 per cent last year – but this year is the first time in ten years that it has been restored to 100 per cent.

1.2 million people will benefit when the bonus kicks in before Christmas.

he Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection confirmed: “For the first time in a decade, a 100% Christmas Bonus will be paid to 1.2 million customers.

“In early December 2018, €264.3 million will be spent on the Christmas Bonus.”

Meanwhile, parents are set to receive an extra two weeks of parental leave but it won’t kick in until next year – as the Back to School allowance goes up by €25 per child.

The new Paternity Benefit scheme will kick in from November 2019.

The measure will be increased up to seven weeks over time, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe vowed.