LAST UPDATE | 1 May

CHILD BENEFIT PAYMENTS have been extended to families with 18-year-olds who remain in full-time education or who have a disability.

Heather Humphreys, the minister for Social Protection, said the first payments will be made next week.

Child Benefit is paid on the first Tuesday each month at a monthly rate of €140 per child.

The extension to 18-year-olds was announced as part of Budget 2024 last year, and was initially due to come into effect from September this year.

However, in February Humphreys announced that it would be introduced in May instead.

“We expect that some 60,000 children will benefit annually as a result of this significant change,” Humphreys said.

The minister said the change will benefit “thousands of families across the country”, who up until now saw their Child Benefit end as soon as their child turned 18.

In the case of a child who turned 18 after May 2023 and is still in full-time education, their families will be eligible to receive the Child Benefit payment from May 2024 up to the child’s 19th birthday.

The parent or guardian will not need to reapply if the child is in full-time education and the Department of Social Protection holds a current education certificate

The Department of Social Protection said that parents or guardians will be contacted directly if they need to provide an updated education certificate.

It added that for people who need to update their payment details, the quickest way to change payment details is online at MyWelfare.ie.

Child Benefit is currently paid to over 650,000 families in respect of over 1.2 million children, with an estimated expenditure of more than €2.1 billion in 2024.

“With many children now starting primary school at age five, together with the increase in pupils doing transition year, there has been an increase in the number of 18-year-olds still in secondary education,” Humphreys said.

“I believe the extension of Child Benefit to 18-year-olds in full-time education is a long-term change for the better and will support families across Ireland into the future.”