Budget 2027 · 10 September 2026 · updated 21 October 2026
Budget 2027 for older people: what was announced, and when it starts.
Quick answer
Budget 2027 was read on Tuesday 6 October 2026. From January 2027 the full State Pension goes up €10 to €309.30 a week, the Fuel Allowance goes up €5 to €43 a week, and more single pensioners will qualify for it. The Living Alone Increase rises €3 to €25 a week. The Christmas Bonus is paid in full in the week starting 7 December. There is no energy credit. Claim what exists now: increases are paid to people already on the payment.
Figures checked 21 October 2026 against the Department of Social Protection's Budget 2027 documents and Citizens Information. Every Budget topic is on our Budget 2027 tracker, and other grant news is on our grant news page.
What Budget 2027 gave older people
| Payment | Now | After the Budget | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Pension (Contributory) | €299.30 a week | €309.30 a week (€319.30 at 80 or over) | January 2027 |
| State Pension (Non-Contributory) | €288 a week | €298 a week | January 2027 |
| Living Alone Increase | €22 a week | €25 a week | January 2027 |
| Fuel Allowance | €38 a week | €43 a week | January 2027 |
| Fuel Allowance income limit, single person over 66 | €534 a week | €640.80 a week | January 2027 |
| Christmas Bonus | 100% of your weekly payment | Week starting 7 December 2026 | |
| Carer's Allowance | €270 a week (€308 at 66 or over) | €280 a week (€318 at 66 or over) | January 2027 |
Also in the Budget:
- Pension after a death. When a partner on a pension dies, the payment will be kept for 10 weeks instead of 6. The Taoiseach told the Dáil on 7 October. No start date has been given yet.
- Home heating oil and gas. The carbon tax on both is cut from 14 October 2026.
- Fuel Allowance lump sums. If you take the Fuel Allowance as two lump sums, the January 2027 one rises from €532 to €602.
- Carer's Allowance income limit. The weekly income disregard rises to €1,150 for a single person and €2,300 for a couple from July 2027.
- Home support. The Department of Health says there will be 1.8 million more home support hours in 2027.
- Council home grants. €169 million for 2027. The most you can get stays at €40,000, €8,000 or €10,700, depending on the grant.
Not changed: the Household Benefits Package, the €2.50 Telephone Support Allowance, medical card income limits, prescription charges and the €80 Drugs Payment Scheme threshold.
No energy credit
There is no energy credit in any Budget 2027 document. Help with heating comes through the €5 Fuel Allowance rise, the higher income limit for single pensioners, and the cut in carbon tax on home heating oil and gas. That makes the Fuel Allowance the one to be on this winter. If the heating itself is broken and the person is 66 or over, a council grant can pay to repair it.
How it compares with what was asked for
ALONE asked for at least €15 more on the Living Alone Increase, €15 on the State Pension, and €10 on the Fuel Allowance with the season back to 32 weeks. Age Action wanted €20 on the pension.
The Budget gave €3, €10 and €5, and the Fuel Allowance season stays at 28 weeks, from 28 September 2026 to 9 April 2027. The Living Alone Increase rise is the first in five years.
What to do now
Do not wait for January. Increases are paid to people already on the payment, and most payments are not backdated.
- Fuel Allowance. The season started on 28 September. Apply now. If your parent was turned down because their income was a little over €534 a week, and they are single and over 66, check again from January, when the limit rises to €640.80. How to apply.
- Living Alone Increase. It is not automatic. You apply on form LA1. Guide here.
- Household Benefits Package. Over 70? About €580 a year, no means test, but you still have to apply. Five minute check here.
- The house. If stairs or the bathroom are the problem, the Housing Adaptation Grant is a council grant, not a Budget one. Up to €40,000. Most councils take applications all year, but Kildare, Louth, Offaly, Cavan, Sligo and Monaghan have paused or limited them. Start here.
Still to be confirmed
- The start date for keeping a pension for 10 weeks after a death.
- The exact date of the new €500 cost of disability payment. The Minister for Social Protection told the Dáil on 20 October that it will be paid between January and March 2027 to people on Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension or Partial Capacity Benefit. People on the State Pension do not get it.
We will add these to our Budget tracker when the Department publishes them.
Sources: Department of Social Protection, Budget 2027 (updated 9 October 2026); Citizens Information, social welfare rates 2027; Citizens Information, Budget 2027; Citizens Information, Fuel Allowance (page edited 16 October 2026); Department of Health, Budget 2027 (7 October 2026); Dáil record, 7 October 2026; Financial Resolutions 2027.
One more thing. The payments above are national and come from the Department of Social Protection. If the house itself is the problem, the stairs, the bath, the step at the front door, that is a separate grant from the county council. It pays up to €40,000. The rules are national, but waiting times and local practice differ by county. Pick yours below.
Common questions
When do the Budget 2027 increases start?
Most weekly increases start in January 2027, including the State Pension, the Fuel Allowance and Carer's Allowance. The Christmas Bonus is paid in the week starting 7 December 2026. The higher Carer's Allowance income disregard starts in July 2027.
How much is the State Pension in 2027?
From January 2027 the full State Pension (Contributory) is €309.30 a week, up €10, or €319.30 at 80 or over. The State Pension (Non-Contributory) goes to €298 a week.
Is there an energy credit in Budget 2027?
No. Help with heating comes through a €5 rise in the Fuel Allowance to €43 a week from January 2027, a higher income limit for single pensioners, and a cut in carbon tax on home heating oil and gas from 14 October 2026.
Should I wait until January to apply for Fuel Allowance?
No. It is not backdated. Apply now and the rise is added from January. If a single person over 66 was just over the old €534 income limit, check again in January, when it rises to €640.80 a week.
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