Kerry carers can earn more and still keep allowance under new changes
Announced last Thursday, the income disregard will rise from €450 per week to €625 per week for single carers, and from €900 per week to €1,250 per week for carers with a spouse or partner.
In practical terms, the changes would see a carer in a two-adult household earning up to €69,000 receive the full carer's allowance, while those with incomes up to €97,000 may still qualify for a partial payment.
The new changes will immediately benefit 196 family carers in Kerry who are currently receiving the carer's allowance and will receive higher payments due to the threshold increase.
The minister said the reforms will also extend eligibility for the carer's allowance 'to more people in Kerry than ever before', once the rules come into effect on July 3. It's believed that 99 per cent of current recipients, nationally, will qualify for the full-rate payment.
Welcoming the changes, Minister for Children, Disability, and Equality Norma Foley, said carers make a vital contribution to the wellbeing of their loved ones and also to wider society.
She added that Fianna Fáil remains committed to abolishing the means test for carer's allowance and this latest announcement is a positive step forward in that direction.
'The change represents an 88 percent rise in income thresholds since June 2022, reflecting Fianna Fáil's continued commitment to supporting carers in a meaningful and practical way,' Minister Foley said.
The carer's allowance supports over 100,000 carers across Ireland. In 2025, spending on this allowance is expected to exceed €1.24 billion.
In addition, the Department of Social Protection provides non-means-tested supports such as the Carer's Benefit and the annual Carer's Support Grant of €2,000, which was recently paid to more than 138,000 carers on June 5.
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