THE Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance will be paid to 124,000 families, in respect of 220,000 children, from today. 

The Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD announced today that payment of the allowance had commenced.

The Minister also confirmed that the extra €100 payment she announced last week to assist families with back to school costs will be paid into bank accounts from next Monday, July 18.

The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance remains open for applications until September 30.

A total of €84 million has been secured for the scheme this year – an increase of €26 million.

In total, it is estimated that 151,000 families and 262,000 children will benefit from the scheme by the time it closes at the end of September.

This particular scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families towards the cost of school clothing and footwear.

The scheme supported over 137,000 families with Back to School costs last year.

Minister Humphreys increased the allowance by €10 in Budget 2022, with additional changes to make more one-parent families eligible.

As part of the Government’s €67 million back-to-school package announced last week, Minister Humphreys increased the allowance by €100 per child.

This means that for 2022, the total amount being paid for each qualified child aged 4–11 years will be €260 and the rate payable for each eligible child aged 12 and over will be €385.

The payment will be made in two stages for those who receive their allowance this week.

The original awarded amount will be paid this week, followed by the additional €100 payment per qualifying child next week.

Any future payments awarded will include the €100 increase for each child in a single payment awarded to the family.

Furthermore, Ukrainian families who have moved to Ireland due to the war will also benefit under the scheme.

Making the announcement on Monday, Minister Humphreys said: “My Department will process and issue payments to some 124,000 families this week and I would urge all families to check their eligibility for this important scheme and apply before 30 September.

“I would advise anyone seeking further information on this scheme to contact their local Intreo Centre or visit MyWelfare.ie.”