Double child benefit to be paid to 638,000 families

THE double child benefit announced in Budget 2023 will this week be paid to 638,000 families to assist with cost of living.

The child benefit for November will double from €140 to €280 for 1.2 million children nationwide.

According to the Department of Social Protection, the double child benefit payment will be received in families’ bank accounts from today, Tuesday, November 1.

Announcing the details during a visit to the Ballyroan Community and Youth Centre in Rathfarnham this morning, Minister Heather Humphreys said: “Child Benefit is an extremely important income support that reaches hundreds of thousands of hardworking families.

“As Minister, I’m deeply conscious of the difficulties families are facing right now in meeting their bills.”

Minister Humphreys added that over the coming weeks she will be announcing details of further lump payments to support people with their household bills.

These include the €400 lump sum fuel allowance payment, the €200 payment for people living alone, the €500 payment for carers, the €500 support for people with disabilities and the €500 payment for those in receipt of the Working Family Payment.

These will be followed by the payment of the Christmas Bonus in December.

“This €1.2 billion package of lump sum payments is about helping families and our most vulnerable with the rising costs they are facing over the winter period”, she said.

The double child benefit this month is costing a total of €170 million.