Updates following Budget 2014
One Family has summarised the announcements of Budget 2014 in relation to a number of areas of relevance to people parenting alone or sharing parenting.
Budget 2014People parenting alone and sharing parenting |
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Changes to Social Welfare payments for 2014 |
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| Basic rate of payment | The weekly rate of payment is staying the same in 2014 for all weekly social welfare payments for those of working age and pensioners. | No change. |
| One Parent Family Payment | There will be no change to the rate of payment in 2014.
For those in employment the new rate of income disregard of €90 a week will be introduced in 2014, reduced from €110 in 2013. This means that the first €90 of earnings will be ignored and half of the remainder of earnings will be assessed to give a new rate of One Parent Family Payment. |
No change.
Income Disregard reduced. |
| Child Benefit | The rate remains at €130 and this will be for each child, as announced in December 2012. | No change. |
| Maternity Benefit | The rate of payment will be standardised at €230 for new claimants; this is a change from a maximum payment of €262 and a minimum of €217.80. The change will come into effect from January 2014. | Payment standardised. |
| Fuel Allowance | Rate of payment will remain and there is no reduction in the number of weeks. | No change. |
Secondary Payments |
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| Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance | Unchanged for all children under 18. In 2014 it will be paid for those aged 18 and over in secondary school but not for those in third level education. | No longer payable to children in third level education. |
| Fuel Allowance | It will remain at €20 a week for the 26 weeks. | No change. |
| Rent Supplement | No changes announced for single people with children but an increase in contribution for couples, from €35 to €40 weekly. | No change for single people with children. |
| Mortgage Interest Supplement | This scheme will be closed to new entrants and will be wound down over a four year period from January 2014 for existing recipients. | Closed to new entrants and winding down. |
One Parent Families in Work |
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| Family Income Supplement | Household income thresholds remain at 2013 levels. | No change. |
| Income Tax, PRSI and Universal Social Charge | Unchanged in 2014. | No change. |
| One Parent Family Tax Credit | This is being replaced by a Single Person’s Child Carer tax credit of the same value – €1,650 – only available to the principal carer. | This tax credit of €1,650 was previously available to both working parents sharing parenting. Now only one parent – the principal carer – can avail of it.
One Family is actively clarifying a number of questions and concerns this change raises and will update in more detail as soon as possible. |
Other |
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| GP Visits | Free GP care for children aged 5 and under announced. | Free GP care for children aged 5 and under announced. |
| Medical Card | Prescription charges increase from €1.50 to €2.50 for medical card holders. | Prescription charge increased to €2.50. |
| Third Level Students | The student contribution charge for third-level institutions will increase by €250 to €2,750 – increases by €250 until it reaches €3,000 in 2015. | Increased. |
| Primary School Books | A further €5m to be allocated to extend the books-to-rent in primary schools. | Increased. |
