Household Benefits Package

The Household Benefits Package (HBP) helps with the cost of your electricity or gas bill and the TV licence.

You do not have to be living alone to get the Household Benefits Package. However, only one person in a household can get the Package.

You can get the Household Benefits Package if you are aged 70 or over. You do not need to be getting a State pension and the package is not means tested.

People under 70 can also get the HBP, but additional rules apply – see ‘How to qualify for the Household Benefits Package’ below.

Keeping well and warm in winter

The cold weather can be difficult when you are older or have a disability or a long-term illness. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland provide information and advice about the supports that can help you to keep well and warm during the winter (pdf).

You can use comparison websites to check gas and electricity prices.

To get the Household Benefits Package, you must:

• Be living in Ireland (full-time, all year round)
• Be the only person in your household getting the HBP
• Be aged 70 or over
• Be aged under 70 and meet the additional rules for ‘People aged under 70’ set out below
• Have the electricity or gas bill in your name if you are applying for to have an Electricity or Gas Allowance paid as a credit on your bill

You do not need the bill to be in your name if you are applying to get the Electricity or Gas Allowance paid as cash to your bank or post office account, or if the bill is in your landlord’s name (see ‘What is covered by the Household Benefits Package?’ below).

People aged under 70

If you are under 70 you can get the Household Benefits Package, if you are getting a qualifying social welfare payment – see below.

If you are under 70 and living with your spouse, cohabitant or civil partner, you can get the HBP if you are getting a qualifying social welfare payment and:

• You are getting an increase in your qualifying social welfare payment for them (see list of qualifying social welfare payments below), or
• They are getting their own qualifying social welfare payment listed below, or
• They are getting a social welfare payment not listed below and they satisfy a means test

You can live with other adults (who are not your spouse, cohabitant or civil partner) and get the HBP.

Qualifying social welfare payments for people under 70

You are between 66 and 70:

• State Pension (Contributory)
• State Pension (Non-Contributory)
• Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension
• Deserted Wife's Benefit
• Carer's Allowance (full or half-rate payment), but you must be living with the person you are caring for.
• An ordinary Garda Widow's Pension from the Department of Justice
• An equivalent Social Security Pension or Benefit from a country covered by EU Regulations or from a country with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement

If you are aged between 66 and 70 and not getting one of the payments above, you may qualify for the Household Benefits Package if you pass a means test - see ‘The means test' below.

Qualifying social welfare payments if you are under 66:

• Disability Allowance
• Invalidity Pension
• Blind Pension
• Incapacity Supplement (for at least 12 months) with Disablement Pension (for at least 12 months)
• Carer's Allowance (full or half-rate payment), but you must be living with the person you are caring for.
• An equivalent Social Security Pension or Benefit from a country covered by EU Regulations, or from a country with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement

Widowed people or surviving civil partners

You can qualify for the Household Benefits Package, if you are widowed or a surviving civil partner aged between 60 and 65 and your late spouse or civil partner was getting the Household Benefit Package before their death. To qualify you must have lived together when the Household Benefit Package was first awarded and you must be getting one of the following payments:

• Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) or (Non-Contributory) Pension
• One-Parent Family Payment (Widows/Widowers)
• Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Pension under the Occupational Injuries Benefits Scheme
• An equivalent Social Security Pension or Benefit from a country covered by EU Regulations or from a country with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement
• An ordinary Garda Widow's Pension from the Department of Justice

If you were under 60 when your spouse or civil partner died, you can get the Household Benefits Package when you turn 60 if you meet these conditions.

The means test

If you are aged between 66 and 70 and are not getting a qualifying social welfare payment, you must pass a means test. In a means test, the Department of Social Protection (DSP) examines all your sources of income. Your weekly income must be below a certain amount to pass the means test.

The amount of means that you are allowed to have for the HBP is the current maximum rate of State Pension (Contributory) including any increases that you might get for your age, living alone and dependants, plus €200.

The main items included in the means test are:

• Cash income that you or your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant may have. Some cash income may not be included in the means test.
• Capital, for example, the value of savings, investments, shares or any property you have (but not your own home). Find out more about capital not included in the means test.

If you are applying for the Household Benefits Package and you need to pass a means test, a separate means test form will be sent to you to fill in.

Renting a room in your home

You can rent a room in your home and have an income from rent of up to €269.23 a week (€14,000 per year) without it affecting your Household Benefits Package.

The person renting the room in your home must use the room for a minimum of 28 consecutive days and cannot be an employee or an immediate family member.

Hospital stays

You can stay in hospital for up to 13 consecutive weeks and continue to get the Household Benefits Package.

Change of circumstances

You must notify the Department if your circumstances change. For example:

• You change address
• You change energy provider
• You move into residential care

If you change address you must re-apply for the Household Benefits Package, even if you still meet all the conditions.

There are 2 allowances in the Household Benefits Package:

Allowance 1

• Electricity Allowance of €35 monthly (€1.15 per day)

or

• Natural Gas Allowance of €35 monthly (€1.15 per day)

Allowance 2

• Free Television Licence

Electricity or Gas Allowance

If you have an electricity and natural gas supply, you must choose between the Electricity Allowance and Gas Allowance. You can choose only one.

The Allowance does not cover the cost of installing an electricity or natural gas supply to your home.

Allowance paid as cash

If you are getting the Allowance paid as cash, this is paid either to your bank account or post office account on the first Tuesday of each month (if you are collecting your Allowance from the post office using your Public Services Card, you have 90 days to collect your payment).

Your name does not need to be on the bill if you are getting the Allowance paid as cash.

Allowance paid as a credit on your bill

If your energy supplier is Electric Ireland for electricity, or Bord Gáis for gas, the Allowance can be paid directly to your energy supplier as a credit against your bill each month. The bill must be in your name if you want the Allowance paid as a credit.

The Department of Social Protection (DSP) will contact Electric Ireland or Bord Gáis, who will then apply the Allowance, including any backdated credit, onto your next bill. You pay for any electricity or gas you use above the Allowance in the normal way.

Changing energy supplier

If you change your energy supplier, you must tell the DSP. You must provide proof of your new energy supplier (for example, a gas or electricity bill) from the date you changed over.

If the bill is in your landlord’s name

The Allowance can be paid if the electricity or gas bill is in your landlord’s name. However, you must be living in self-contained accommodation and your landlord will need to confirm in writing, that you are a tenant and paying your own energy bills.

If you don’t use up your gas or electricity allowance

If you don’t use all of your monthly Allowance, you carry it forward to your next bill. You can carry it forward if you switch, to a different energy provider, but you will have to contact your previous provider for a refund.

Once you qualify for the Household Benefits Package, you can get a Free Television (TV) Licence from your next TV Licence renewal date. To get your Free TV Licence, you must select the Television Licence option on the HBP form when you apply.

You will get a free TV licence for as long as you get the Household Benefits Package. You can find out more about the Household Benefits Package.

You can apply online for the Household Benefits Package using MyWelfare.ie, if you have a MyGovID account.

If you cannot apply online, you can fill in the Household Benefit Package application form (pdf) and return it to the Household Benefits Package section:

If you wish to talk to someone face-to-face about your entitlements, you can visit your local Citizens Information Centre, Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office.