Budget 2018 at Glance

Budget 2018 at Glance

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Social welfare payments and allowances

  • Christmas bonus payment of 85% to be paid to all social welfare recipients in 2017.
  • From last week of March, €5 per week increase in all weekly social welfare payments, including disability allowance, carer’s allowance, Jobseekers’ Allowance and State pension.
  • €20 increase in the earnings disregard for the One Parent Family Payment and Jobseekers’ Transitional scheme.
  • The threshold for the Family Income Supplement will rise by €10 per week for families with three children. €2 per week rise in the rate of the qualified child payment.
  • There will be a €2.50 increase in the Telephone Support Allowance for those receiving the Living Alone and Fuel allowances.
  • The home carer credit will rise by €100 to €1,200.

Download the Budget Factsheet from the Department or Employment Affairs& Social Protection.

Housing

  • The Housing Assistance Payment Scheme will increase by €149m. Funding for homeless services will increase by €18m to more than €116m
  • 4,000 extra social housing units to be delivered next year.
  • Commitment to accelerate the delivery of social housing from 2019.
  • Extra €500m for direct building programme to see 3,000 additional new build social houses by 2021.

Health

  • Reduction in prescription charges for all medical card holders under 70 from €2.50 to €2 per item.
  • The monthly cap drops from €25 to €20, with the threshold for the Drugs Payment Scheme dropping from €144 to €134.

Tax and USC

  • Entry point for single earners to increase from €33,800 to €34,550.
  • Point at which income earner attracts higher rate of income tax to rise next year by €750 per annum.
  • Entry point to USC to remain at €13,000.
  • 2.5% USC rate to be reduced to 2% with the ceiling for the new rate increased from €18,772 to €19,372.
  • 5% USC rate reduced to 4.75%.

Mortgage Interest Relief

  • Mortgage interest relief will be cut next year in a move that will affect about 300,000 homeowners. The relief for people with loans from 2004-2012 is being continued to 2020 but at just 75% the rate in 2018, 50% in 2019 and 25% in 2020.

Cigarettes

The excise duty on a packet of 20 cigarettes will rise by 50 cents.

  • The excise duty on a packet of 20 cigarettes will rise by 50 cents.