One-Parent Family Payment

The One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) is a payment for people under 66 who are bringing children up without the support of a partner.

To get OFP, your children must be under a certain age.

You can work and get OFP. However, to get OFP your income must be below a certain amount.

Extra Benefits

If you get the One-Parent Family Payment, you can use the Household Budget Scheme to help you manage your bills.

You may also get other benefits such as:

• Fuel Allowance
• Working Family Payment
• Medical card
• Help with your rent

Working Family Payment (WFP) is not included when your income is assessed for OFP.

To qualify for the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) you must:

• Be aged under 66
• Be the parent, step-parent, adoptive parent or legal guardian of a child under a certain age (see ‘Age limit for a child’ below)
• Be the main carer of at least one child under the age limit. The child must live with you. OFP is not paid if the parents have joint equal custody of a child or children.
• Pass a means test. A means test looks at any income you have (see ‘How your income is assessed for the One-Parent Family Payment’ below)
• Live in Ireland and meet the habitual residence condition (read about exemptions from the habitual residency condition)
• Not be living with a spouse, civil partner or cohabiting

If you are separated, divorced or your civil partnership is dissolved you must:

• Have been living apart from your spouse or civil partner for at least 3 months. This does not apply to cohabitants (cohabitants are a couple living together, but not married or in a civil partnership)
• Be inadequately (not properly) maintained by your spouse or civil partner (if your civil partner is the parent of the child)

If your spouse or civil partner is in prison:

• They must be sentenced to at least 6 months in prison, or have spent at least 6 months in custody.

To get the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) you must have at least one child under 7 years of age.

Exceptions to the age limit

You may get OFP for a child aged 7 or over, in the following cases:

• You are getting Domiciliary Care Allowance, half-rate Carer's Allowance or Blind Pension
• After the death of a spouse, partner or civil partner

Domiciliary Care Allowance

If you are getting Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) for a child, you can get OFP until the child reaches 16 or the DCA stops. You must meet the other qualifying conditions for OFP.

You will also get a Child Support Payment (previously called an Increase for a Qualified Child or IQC) for any other children in the family until they reach 18 (or 22 if in full-time education) while DCA and OFP are paid.

Carer’s Allowance

If you are getting OFP and providing full-time care and attention to one of your children or for an adult (such as a sibling or a parent), you can keep your OFP and also claim half-rate Carer’s Allowance, until your youngest child’s turns 16. You must meet the conditions for both schemes.

Your OFP will include a Child Support Payment (previously called an Increase for a Qualified Child or IQC) for any other children in the family until they reach 18 (or 22 if in full-time education) as long as you are getting Carer’s Allowance.

Death of a spouse, partner or civil partner

If you applied for the One-Parent Family Payment because you are parenting alone following the death of your spouse, partner or civil partner, you may get OFP for 2 years from the date of death. You cannot be paid OFP after your youngest child reaches 18 even if it is less than 2 years after the date of death.

Blind Pension

Blind Pension can be paid with OFP. This means that a person who qualifies for OFP and Blind Pension can get both payments. You can get both Blind Pension and OFP and any Child Support Payment (previously IQC) paid with both Blind Pension and OFP until your youngest child turns 16.

What happens when my child is over the age limit?

Your OFP will stop when your youngest child reaches the age limit. The Department of Social Protection (DSP) will tell you the end date for your payment.

You may get the Jobseeker's Transitional payment. This is a payment for people parenting alone whose children are aged between 7 and 14 (the payment ends when the youngest child reaches 14).

You can find out more about what happens when your OFP ends.

You can also get information and advice about your options from:

• Your local Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office, or
• Your local Citizens Information Centre

One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) is a means-tested payment.

In a means test, the Department of Social Protection (DSP) examines all your sources of income. To get OFP, your income must be below a certain amount.

You can check the latest version of the SW 19 Social Welfare Rates of Payment booklet for the amount of OFP payable with your means.

The main items included in the means test are:

Cash income

Some cash income may not be included in the means test (see ‘Income from work’ below).

Capital

For example, the value of savings, investments, shares or any property you have (but not your own home). The first €20,000 of your capital is not taken into account.

Find out more about capital not included in the means test.

Income from work

The first €165 of your gross weekly earnings (wages and profit from self-employment) is not taken into account in the means test.

Half the remainder of your gross earnings per week is assessed as means and you may get a reduced rate of OFP.

Social insurance contributions, superannuation/PRSA contributions and trade union subscriptions are not taken into account when calculating your gross earnings.

If your pay from work is reduced

You may get an increase in your One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) if your wages are reduced. Send a current payslip (showing your reduced pay) with a letter from your employer, confirming your new work hours and pay, to the Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office dealing with your OFP.

If you are also getting the Working Family Payment (WFP), your WFP rate will stay the same. However, if the number of hours you work is reduced to below 19 hours a week (38 hours a fortnight), you are no longer entitled to WFP.

If you are on the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), you should contact your local authority to find out if you can get a reduction in your weekly HAP rent contribution. If you rent from a local authority or housing association you should contact them to find out if you can get a reduction in your rent.

If you are not getting a medical card or GP visit card, you should find out if you now qualify.

Income from maintenance

Maintenance payments for you are assessed in the means test. However, child maintenance payments are not included. Payments the other parent makes towards mortgage or rent is considered to be for the benefit of a child or children and is not assessed.

If you are getting maintenance from more than one person, all the payments are added together and the total is assessed. However, only half of your income from maintenance is assessed as means.

If you have housing costs, your rent or mortgage repayment up to a maximum of €95.23 per week can be offset against maintenance payments for you. Half the balance is then assessed as means. You must provide proof of rent or mortgage payments.

Read more in our page about how maintenance is assessed as means.

You can keep your One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) if you are in education.

You may have the option to transfer to the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) or to stay on your current payment and apply for a student grant. You need to find out which option is of greatest benefit to you.

You cannot get BTEA and a student grant together. Find out more about social welfare payments and student grants.

Childcare

You can find out if any childcare supports are available to you while studying, training or working.

As long as your youngest child is under the age limit, you will get a Child Support Payment (previously called an Increase for a Qualified Child or IQC) for any other children in the family until they reach 18 (or 22 if in full-time education).

One-Parent Family Payment is a taxable source of income.

To apply fill in a One-Parent Family Payment application form (pdf).

Send it with your supporting documents to the Department of Social Protection - see 'Where to apply' below.

When to apply

If you are widowed or a surviving civil partner, you should apply within 3 months of your spouse's or civil partner's death.

If you are single, you should apply within 3 months of the birth of your child.

If you are separated, divorced or no longer in a civil partnership, you must have been living apart for 3 months before applying for the One-Parent Family Payment.

If you are a prisoner's spouse or civil partner, you should apply when your spouse or civil partner:

• Has been in custody for at least 6 months without being sentenced or
• Starts their sentence (they must have been sentenced to at least 6 months)

You can find out about making a late claim for social welfare.

Collecting your payment

Your OFP can be paid directly into your bank account, or you can collect your OFP at your local Post Office.

You will need your Public Services Card (PSC) or Social Services Card (SSC) to collect your payment at the post office.

If you are using an SSC, you will also require photo ID. Any of the following forms of photo ID can be used with your SCC:

• Driving Licence
• Passport
• Irish Residence Permit

If you have lost your PSC or SSC card, or your card has expired, contact your nearest Intreo Centre for assistance.

If you think you have been wrongly refused the One-Parent Family Payment, or you are unhappy about a decision of a social welfare Deciding Officer, you can appeal this decision.

Send your application for the One-Parent Family Payment to your Intreo Centre or local Social Welfare Branch Office.

If you wish to talk to someone about your entitlements, you can contact your local:

• Citizens Information Centre
• Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office.

You can also contact Treoir and One Family for support and information when you are parenting alone.