HomeCaring Periods Scheme

The HomeCaring Periods Scheme can help you get a higher rate of State Pension (Contributory) if you spent time out of work to care full-time for:

• A child (or children) aged under 12
• A child (or children) aged 12 or over and who needed an increased level of care, or
• An adult who needed an increased level of care.

How does the scheme work?

When calculating your State Pension (Contributory), the Department of Social Protection (DSP) looks at your social insurance record.

If you spent time out of work caring for someone, the DSP can add a 'Home Caring Period' to your social insurance record. See ‘Do I qualify for the HomeCaring Periods Scheme’ below.

You can get up to 1,040 HomeCaring Periods (equivalent to 20 years’ employment) included on your social insurance record.

You can’t qualify for this scheme and the Homemaker's Scheme at the same time, as each scheme calculates your pension entitlement in different ways.

You can apply for the HomeCaring Periods Scheme if you:

• Were born on or after 1 September 1946, and
• Cared for someone full time (see ‘What counts as full-time care’ below).

At the time you provided the full-time care, you must have:

• Been aged over 16, and under pension age
• Living permanently in Ireland (except in cases where provisions under EU posted worker regulations apply)
• Not been working or in a training course for more than 18.5 hours a week (see ‘Rules on working and the HomeCaring Periods Scheme’ below)
• Not made voluntary social insurance contributions or been given credited contributions
• Not been getting a social welfare payment, with the exception of Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance, Carer's Support Grant, or Child Benefit.

Rules on working and the HomeCaring Periods Scheme

You cannot be employed for more than 18.5 hours a week.

You must make sure that adequate provision is in place to provide care to the person that you are caring for while you are working.

You must have a limited income from work. You may get a HomeCaring Period added to your social insurance record for a week that you were employed:

• On a part-time basis before April 1991, or
• On a part-time basis after April 1991 and earned less than €38 per week.

Read the rules about work and the HomeCaring Periods Scheme on Gov.ie.

If you meet the qualifying conditions above, you can get a ‘HomeCaring Period’ added to your social insurance record for each week you cared full-time for:

• A child (or children) aged under 12, including children who were adopted or fostered
• A child (or children) aged 12 or over who needed an increased level of care
• An adult who needed an increased level of care

You are automatically considered to have been a full-time home carer of someone if you got Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, or Domiciliary Care Allowance for them.

The person you care for must not have been getting full time assistance within their own residence from someone other than you for the week in question.

Only one person can get a HomeCaring Period on their social insurance record for helping a particular person at a time.

Caring for a child under 12

You were a full-time home carer of a child under 12 for any week that you:

• Lived with the child, and
• Carried out full parental responsibility.

Caring for an adult, or a child aged 12 or over

You were a full-time home carer of an adult, or a child aged 12 or over, for any week that you continuously supervised and assisted them throughout the day.

For example, you may have helped with:

• Personal care
• Making and giving food
• Nursing care

Time spent in hospital

You were still a full-time home carer if either you, or the person you cared for, had medical treatment in a hospital (or another treatment in an institution) for up to 13 weeks.

Time spent in rehabilitation, training, or day care

You were still a full-time home carer if the person you cared for was attending:

• A non-residential course of rehabilitation
• A non-residential day care centre approved by the Minister for Health
• Training

You must qualify for the State Pension (Contributory) before you can use the HomeCaring Periods Scheme. This means you need at least 520 social insurance contributions (10 years’ contributions) to qualify for HomeCaring Periods.

If you qualify for the scheme, the Department of Social Protection (DSP) calculates your State Pension (Contributory) using the Total Contributions Approach (TCA), also called the ‘Aggregated Contributions Method’. This means they count your total number of social insurance contributions, rather than calculating your yearly average.

If you have at least 2,080 social insurance contributions (the equivalent of 40 years’ full-time employment), you will qualify for a maximum personal rate of State Pension (Contributory).

Fewer than 2,080 paid contributions

If you have fewer than 2,080 paid social insurance contributions, the DSP will check if you qualify for the maximum rate of pension using:

• Up to 520 credited contributions (10 years), and
• Up to 1,040 HomeCaring Periods (20 years)

Your combined total of credited contributions and HomeCaring Periods can’t be more than 1,040 (20 years).

Fewer than 2,080 contributions, even with HomeCaring Periods

If your combined total of paid contributions, HomeCaring Periods, and credited contributions is less than 2,080, you will qualify for a reduced rate of pension.

For example:

Mary has a combined total of 1,560 of paid contributions, made up of HomeCaring Periods and credited contributions.

1,560 (Mary’s total contributions) ÷ 2,080 (the maximum number of contributions) = 75%

So, Mary’s rate of State Pension (Contributory) will be 75% of the maximum rate.

Current rates of State Pension (Contributory)

See the current rates of State Pension (Contributory) for:

• People who qualified before September 2012
• People who qualified from September 2012 onwards
• People who defer their pension up to the age of 70

If you think you qualify for the HomeCaring Periods Scheme, you can apply when you reach pension age and are applying for a State Pension (Contributory).

To apply, fill in the Pension Caring Support application form, and send it to the Pension Caring Support Section of the Department of Social Protection (see postal address under ‘More information’ below).

Note: The new ‘Pension Caring Support’ application form is not yet available online. In the meantime, applicants can email pensioncaringsupports@welfare.ie or LoCall 0818 690690.

Supporting documents

You don’t need to send any supporting documents with your application for the HomeCaring Periods Scheme. However, the DSP may ask you for certain documents when reviewing your application (such as birth or marriage certificates, or medical reports).

Read detailed information about the HomeCaring Periods Scheme on Gov.ie.

For help completing the application form, you can contact:

• Your local Intreo Centre or Branch Office, or
• Your local Citizens Information Centre.

You can send your Pension Caring Support application form to: