THOUSANDS are set for a major boost as a huge payment is set to land in accounts in just days.
The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) helps families with the cost of school uniforms and shoes.
And it is only two weeks until the payment is made on the week of July 14.
Many families get the payment automatically, so they don’t need to apply.
If you are set to receive it automatically, you should have been notified on your MyWelfare account or by post by 9 June 2025.
If you weren’t notified, you will need to apply for the payment.
Applications opened on June 9, and the closing date is September 30, so despite payments starting in July you can still apply.
Since June 17 this year, families who get the Foster Care Allowance can also apply for the BSCFA.
You can get the payment if you have a child that qualifies, and:
- You are getting a qualifying social welfare payment, or are participating in an approved employment, education or training support scheme. See a list of qualifying payments and schemes on Gov.ie
- Your household is within the BSCFA income limits (see ‘Income limits’ below)
- You and each child you claim the BSCFA for are resident in Ireland.
If you are getting a social welfare payment, you must be getting a Child Support Payment (previously called an Increase for a Qualified Child or IQC) with it, but there are some exceptions to it.
If you get a qualifying social welfare payment but don’t get a Child Support Payment, you can claim the payment if:
- The rules of your payment do not provide for a child payment (for example, Maternity Benefit and Adoptive Benefit), or
- Your spouse or partner’s income is over the specified limit for your payment, but your overall household income is within the BSCFA income limits (see ‘Income limits’ below).
But you must meet the other rules for getting BSCFA.
You child must be aged between 4-17 on 30 September in the year you apply, or aged between 18-22 and returning to full-time second-level education in a recognised school or college in the autumn of the year you apply
And your child must be resident in Ireland.
Your total household income must be less than the amounts set out in the table below.
The total household income includes:
- Your weekly social welfare or Health Service Executive (HSE) payments, and
- Any other income you may have, including wages
- Capital (such as savings, investments, and any property you have excluding your own home)
When your income is assessed from your wages, the DSP looks at your income before it’s taxed, but they don’t include PRSI and a standard travel allowance of up to €20 a week.
However, some social welfare payments are not included in the means test.
Payments not included in the means test include:
- Child Benefit
- Rent Supplement or another SWA income supplement
- Working Family Payment
- Back to Work Family Dividend
- Guardian’s payments
- Domiciliary Care Allowance
- Blind Welfare Allowance
- Foster Care Allowance
- Higher Level education grants
- Rehabilitative employment (up to €165 per week)
- Housing Assistance Payment (HAP)
WEEKLY INCOME LIMITS
The Department of Social Protection (DSP) counts all dependent children when applying the income limit.
This includes:
- Your children who are aged under 4
- Your children aged 18 to 22 who are in third level education.
All capital is assessed in the means test, including savings, investments, shares and property that’s not your own home.
The income limit is increased by €62 for each additional dependent child.
If your child is aged between 4 and 11, the rate of payment is €160.
If they are between 12 and 22, the payment is €285.
