Accommodation Recognition Payment for hosting refugees from Ukraine

The Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) is a tax-free payment of €800 per month for each property used to provide accommodation to refugees from Ukraine. The payment increased to €800 per month from 1 December 2022.

The accommodation must be provided for at least 6 months and meet the required standards.

You cannot get this payment if there is a rental agreement with the person being hosted. However, the payment is not affected if they contribute towards costs such as utilities and food.

The ARP can be back dated to 4 March 2022 or from when you started providing accommodation. The rate of payment was €400 per month until 1 December 2022.

It is not taken into account in the means test for any grants or payments from the Department of Social Protection or other public bodies.

To qualify for the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) you must:

• Be aged 18 or over
• Be the owner of, or a tenant in, the accommodation being provided and have the consent of any other owners or tenants
• Be providing (or have provided) accommodation for at least 6 months to at least one person covered by the EU Temporary Protection Directive
• Have at least one person who is covered by the EU Temporary Protection Directive living in the property on the last day of the calendar month to get a payment for that month

Garda vetting is not required.

The accommodation must be in Ireland and meet the required standards. These standards apply even if you are providing the accommodation in your own home. You can find more detail on the required standards and a useful checklist for your property.

The absence protocol and the Christmas 2023 absence policy do not apply to refugees from Ukraine living hosted accommodation.

You do not have to wait 6 months before applying for the ARP. However, when you apply you must make a commitment to provide the accommodation for at least 6 months.

Do I have to repay the ARP if I provide accommodation for less than 6 months?

You must make a commitment to provide the accommodation for 6 months. However, if you are unable to meet the 6-month commitment, you do not have to repay the ARP paid to you for the months that the person covered by the EU Temporary Protection Directive lived in your accommodation.

You must notify the Department of Social Protection that the person has left your accommodation.

The Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) is a set monthly rate of €800 per property from 1 December 2022. It was previously €400 per month.

If there are other costs and you are experiencing financial difficulty, you can apply for the Additional Needs Payment. The Additional Needs Payment is decided on a case-by-case basis.

Getting paid

The ARP is paid on the second Tuesday of each month.

It will be paid by Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) to the bank account on your application. Payments can be made to an Irish, UK, SEPA, N26 or Revolut bank account.

You can apply for the Accommodation Recognition Payment online using MyWelfare.

You will need to supply the following information:

• Your name, PPS number and address
• Details of the accommodation including the Eircode
• The date you started providing accommodation to people covered by the EU Temporary Protection Directive and the end date (if it has ended)
• The name and PPS number of each person covered by the EU Temporary Protection Directive that you are providing accommodation to, the date they began living in the accommodation and the date they left (if they have left the accommodation)

The Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) is administered by the Department of Social Protection (DSP). If you have questions about your payment, contact the DSP by phone on 0818 70 80 90 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) or by email at ARP@Welfare.ie

If you have a question about the scheme or on accommodation standards, contact the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth by phone on (01) 6473000 or by email at ukrainerecognitionpayment@equality.gov.ie

You can get support and practical information about providing accommodation to refugees from Ukraine from offer a home, offer hope.