Child benefit payments likely set to double in the next Budget

Parents and guardians could be in for a major cash boost in the coming months as child benefit payments might be doubling.

The Government is now considering doubling the payment of €140 to €280 per child as part of Budget talks and is set to be a one-off increase. Impacting over 630,000 families, if it is implemented, some families could be given up to €1,000 just in time for the beginning of the new school year. A family with four children could see a payment of €1,200. The Government has also agreed to an increase in the state-funded parent leave by another two weeks which allows parents to take up to nine weeks off after their children are born. Social welfare recipients will also be receiving their payments early due to the August Bank Holiday weekend as post offices and banks will all be shut on August 7th. Social welfare payments that are due on that date will be moved to an earlier date, now arriving on Friday, August 4th. Child benefit payments are also usually impacted by bank holidays but this will not be the case for August as they are set to be paid on Tuesday, August 1st.

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