Invalidity Pension

Invalidity Pension is a weekly payment to people who cannot work because of a long-term illness or disability and who are covered by social insurance (PRSI).

At 66, you transfer automatically to the State Pension (Contributory) at the full rate.

Invalidity Pension is taxable.

You can get the Free Travel scheme with Invalidity Pension. You may also get extra social welfare benefits such as the Household Benefits Package.

Budget 2025

It was announced in Budget 2025:

• A double week payment to people getting Invalidity Pension (October 2024)
• Once-off payment of €400 (November 2024) - see below.
• Invalidity Pension will increase by €12 with proportional increases for qualified adults (January 2025).
• The Increase for a Qualified Child (IQC) will be renamed the Child Support Payment. The weekly rate will increase by €4 from €46 to €50, for children under 12 years of age. It will increase by €8 from €54 to €62 for children aged 12 years and over (January 2025).

Once-off payment of €400

You'll get one payment of €400, even if you are getting another payment that qualifies for this once-off payment.

To qualify for Invalidity Pension you must meet both:

• Social Insurance (PRSI) rules – see below
• Medical rules – see below

Social insurance (PRSI) rules

Only PRSI contributions at Class A, E, H and S count for an Invalidity Pension. Most employees are covered by Class A.

You must also have a certain number of PRSI contributions to get an Invalidity Pension.

To get Invalidity Pension you must have at least:

• 260 (5 years) paid PRSI contributions
• 48 weeks of paid or credited PRSI contributions in the last or second last completed year before the start date of your permanent incapacity for work. The start date is decided by the Department of Social Protection (DSP). It is usually after you have been unable to work for one year. But it can be less than one year if you are permanently incapable of work for life.

If you need your social insurance contributions paid in another EU/EEA member state to help you qualify, then your last contribution must have been in Ireland. Read more about combining social insurance contributions from abroad.

You cannot use voluntary contributions to meet the PRSI rules.

Medical rules

To get Invalidity Pension you must meet the PRSI rules and be unable to work because of an illness or disability.

To meet the medical rules, you must:

• Have been incapable of work for at least 12 months and be likely to be incapable of work for at least another 12 months (you may have been getting Illness Benefit or Disability Allowance during that time)

Or

• Be permanently incapable of work (in certain cases of very serious illness or disability, you can transfer directly from another social welfare payment or from your job to Invalidity Pension).

A Deciding Officer in the DSP will decide if you meet the medical and PRSI rules for Invalidity Pension.

Invalidity Pension and work

You cannot do paid work and get Invalidity Pension. You must get permission from the DSP before starting voluntary work.

If you want to return to work or self-employment, you may be able to transfer to Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB). You will qualify for Partial Capacity Benefit if the restriction on your capacity for work is assessed as moderate, severe, or profound.

Education and training

If you want to do an education or training course and keep your Invalidity Pension, you must contact the Invalidity Pension section and get written permission before you start.

You may get an increase in your payment for an adult dependant, but it will depend on their income.

You may get an increase in your payment for a child dependant. You will not get an increase in your payment for child dependant if your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant has an income of over €400 a week. You will get a half-rate increase for a child if your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant earns between €310 and €400 a week. This only applies to claims made after 5 July 2012.

Tax and Invalidity Pension

Invalidity Pension is a taxable source of income. The DSP informs Revenue that you are getting Invalidity Pension and the amount paid to you.

Social insurance contributions from abroad and Invalidity Pension

You may have lived and worked in another country at some stage in your life. Ireland has social security arrangements with other countries that allow you to combine social insurance contributions that you have paid in Ireland with social insurance contributions that you have paid in another country.

Find out how social insurance contributions from abroad are calculated for Invalidity Pension.

To apply for Invalidity Pension, fill in an Invalidity Pension application form (INV1) (pdf). You can get a form from your Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office.

You can apply for Supplementary Welfare Allowance while you are waiting for your Invalidity Pension claim to be processed. SWA is a means tested payment. In a means test the Department of Social Protection examines all your sources of income. To get SWA, your income must be below a certain amount.

Moving from Illness Benefit to Invalidity Pension

If you have been getting Illness Benefit for 468 days, the DSP will medically assess you to find out if you still qualify for Illness Benefit and if you may meet the medical criteria for Invalidity Pension. Following this assessment, you may be sent an IP application form (INV2).

This does not stop you from applying for Invalidity Pension in the normal way using application form (INV1).

You can get help to fill in your form from your local Citizens Information Centre, Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office.

Appeals

If you think you have been wrongly refused Invalidity Pension or you are unhappy about a decision of a Deciding Officer, you can appeal this decision.