Fuel Allowance will now be available in two lump sum payments this winter
Employment and Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty has announced today that Department of Social Protection customers who receive the Fuel Allowance will have the option to receive the payment in two lump sum payments this year.
Up until now, the Fuel Allowance has been paid on a weekly basis between October and April.
The rate of payment is €22.50 per week which amounts to €585 per fuel allowance season.
Fuel Allowance is a means assessed payment to assist householders receiving long-term social welfare payments unable to provide for their own heating needs.
Speaking the Department of Social Protection’s Pre-Budget Forum in Dublin Castle, Minister Doherty said: “I am pleased to announce that from October when the new Fuel Season begins, our customers who receive the Fuel Allowance will have the option to receive their payment in two lump sums – one at the start of the fuel season in October and the second in January.
The value of the lump sums will be €292.50 each.
“I understand that a number of representative groups who attend the Pre-Budget Forum every year have suggested that the Department should consider offering a lump sum facility to customers of the Fuel Allowance.
I believe that it should be used on a trial basis for the next fuel season to enable people to buy fuel in bulk and potentially avail of special offers or discounts on the purchase of the particular fuel that meets their specific needs.”
