Child benefit payments will reportedly increase in Ireland in 2024.
Thousands of parents are set to see an increase in child benefit payments in 2024. According to
reports, the Government is considering raising the payment as parents continue to struggle with the cost of living crisis.
The €140 payment has not been increased since 2016, but the Oireachtas Social Protection Committee believes it should be.
The committee also agreed that it should be extended to a child's 19th birthday if they are still attending school.
They also called to increase all social welfare payments by 10%, but no final decisions have been made.
Earlier this summer, families were given an additional €100 per child in a once-off bonus payment.
Over 650,000 families availed of the payment with 1.2 million children reportedly benefiting from it.
The news comes after it was revealed that Irish parents are lying awake at night due to the stress of back-to-school costs.
Survey figures from Barnardos show that it costs €972 to send one child to secondary school. Families sending a child to primary school will likely spend an average of €320.
51% of parents in Ireland believe the costs are financially crippling.
Families with children attending secondary school are struggling even more with 24% turning to loved ones and financial institutions for loans.
Households are already struggling to make ends meet due to the hike in the cost of food shopping and household bills. This has made it harder for them to cover back-to-school costs.
Increasing the child benefit payment will certainly be welcomed.
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