Social welfare Ireland: Thousands of parents set for first of two €280 boosts within weeks

Thousands of parents are in line for the first of two double Child Benefit payments within weeks.

As part of Budget 2025, the government announced two double payments before Christmas for any parents who claim Child Benefit.

It means parents will get a handy €280 per child.

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The first double payment will be made as part of November Child Benefit, which will be paid on the 5th of November.

The second will be paid in December Child Benefit, on the 3rd of December.

The payment is automatically doubled, so there is no need to apply for it if you already receive Child Benefit.

The two double payments come as new parents will see a whopping triple rate of the monthly payment from January.

The brand new 'baby boost' triple Child Benefit was also announced as part of Budget 2025 earlier this month. It adds up to €420 and will be available to all new parents as the first Child Benefit payment of their child's life.

The mothers of babies born in December will now be eligible to receive the €420 grant when they receive their first child benefit payment in January. The Budget had previously indicated that the grant would be paid to every baby born from just after midnight on January 1, 2025.

Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys told the Dáil that she was contacted by many women since the budget announcement whose babies are due to arrive in December.

Ms Humphreys said they were worried their babies would arrive too late for the double child benefit payment that month but too early for the newborn grant which will be paid from January. She then clarified that parents of babies born in December 2024 would be eligible for the baby boost payment, which will be rolled out from January 2025.

Child Benefit is €140 a month for each child. It is a ‘universal’ payment. This means you can get it regardless of your income and social insurance (PRSI) record. It is paid on the first Tuesday of every month.

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