All the social welfare, cost of living, and bill changes in July with plenty of good news
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There is plenty of good news lined up for the month of July.
Between a rule change for a social welfare payment and another scheme remaining open for applications, there is a lot people need to know.
Here is everything you need to know for the month of July:
Social welfare
Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance
The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) have opened this month. Some people will automatically qualify for the scheme, with the Department of Social Protection (DSP) expected to let you know if this is the case using your MyWelfare account, or by post.
If you don't hear from the DSP by the end of June, you must apply for BSCFA online, even if you got the BSCFA payment last year. Payments for the schemes will begin being made from the week starting Monday, 14 July.
If your child is aged between four and 11 on 30 September, you could qualify for a cash boost of €160, whereas, if your child is aged between 12 and 22, you may receive €285. You can find out more about the payment here.
Carer's Allowance
Carer's Allowance is a weekly social welfare payment to people who care for someone because of their:
Age
Disability, or
Illness (including mental illness)
To qualify for the payment, your income must be below a certain amount. If you care for two or more people, your rate of Carer's Allowance is increased by 50% (maximum) each week.
If you get another social welfare payment, you may get half-rate Carer's Allowance. In July 2025, the Carer's Allowance income disregard will increase to €625 for a single person and €1,250 for a couple.
You can find out more information here.
Bills
Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) for commercial electric vehicles
An emissions-based approach to VRT for category B commercial vehicles is being introduced from 1 July 2025. This will introduce a lower 8% rate for category B vehicles with CO2 emissions of less than 120 grams per kilometre and vehicles with CO2 emissions greater than 120g/km will be at 13.3%.
Rent Pressure Zones
From 20 June 2025, all private and student-specific accommodation tenancies in Ireland now come under Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) rules. landlords can increase rent once a year by either the rate of inflation or by 2%, whichever is lowest.
You can find out more information about it here.
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