Budget 2026

Issued 9 October 2025

Budget

The Irish government has now released its 2026 Budget, which contains a range of changes for people with disabilities and families and carers.

The full list of updates are:

Services

  • €3.8bn in funding to the Department of Children, Disability and Equality for disability services
  • 250 new residential places for people with disabilities
  • 6,500 funded private assessments for children to address waiting lists
  • 150,000 Home Support & Personal Assistant Hours for people with disabilities
  • 1,717 additional SNA’s & 860 additional SEN teachers
  • Additional capacity for 2,800 special school places
  • Additional 250 acute and 280 community hospital beds
  • 500 additional nursing home places
  • Additional 1.7 million home support hours

Payments

  • Weekly payments for the Carer’s Allowance/Benefit and Disability Payments will increase by €10
  • Proportional increases for those on 1/2 rate Domiciliary Care Allowance will increase by €20 per month
  • Fuel Allowance will increase by €5 per week
  • No change to annual Carer Support Grant
  • Once-off payments given in previous budgets have been phased out – these were:
    • Disability Support Grant
    • Living Allowance Lump Sum payment
    • Fuel Allowance Lump Sum
    • October Double payment
    • Electricity Credit

Tax changes

  • Carers Allowance Means Test - income disregards will increase to €1000/€2000 per week from July 2026
  • Working Family Payment income threshold will increase by €60 per week
  • Working Family Payment will now be an eligible payment for Fuel Allowance
  • Christmas Bonus will be paid in December

Source: Care Alliance and Disability Federation Ireland