Department give update on back-to-school payment following reports of a delay

The government has finally confirmed when the Back to School Allowance payments will be sent out following delays.

Parents previously reported that they hadn't heard any update about these annual social welfare payment since sending in their applications. The payment, ranging from €260 to €385, is available to apply for until the end of September. The Department of Social Protection has now revealed which applications they are currently working on. They told RSVP: "The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. “Minister Humphreys has increased the rates of payment this year by €100 per child to reflect the ongoing cost of living pressures facing families. [caption id="attachment_432819" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Credit: Getty[/caption] “This means that €260 will be paid in respect of children aged 4-11 years old, and €385 will be paid in respect of children aged 12 years and over in second level education." They added that the BSCFA payments will be made automatically without the need for the family to apply. Since the scheme opened on June 8th, the Department has received 42,240 BSCFA applications, the spokesperson said. Each application is being processed in date order and the Department is now currently processing the application that were received on July 31st. They are also working to process the applications as quickly as possible in order to maximise the number processed ahead of the upcoming school year. Similar to previous years, the scheme is open until the end of September and applications will still be received after the schools have reopened.

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