Home adaptation · 13 October 2026
Disabled Facilities Grant in Ireland? Here it is called the Housing Adaptation Grant
Quick answer
The Disabled Facilities Grant is a UK grant. In the Republic of Ireland the same job is done by the Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People, from your county or city council. It pays up to €40,000 for works such as a ramp, an accessible shower, a downstairs toilet, a stairlift or through-floor lift, or an extension, and covers 100% of the approved cost where household income is up to €37,500. Smaller jobs go to the Mobility Aids Grant, up to €8,000. In Northern Ireland the Disabled Facilities Grant does exist, through the Housing Executive.
Why there is no Disabled Facilities Grant here
If you have lived in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, or have been reading UK websites, you will know the Disabled Facilities Grant. It is the UK council grant for adapting a disabled person’s home. In England it pays up to £30,000, and in Wales up to £36,000.
The Republic of Ireland has its own version under a different name: the Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People. It is also run by the local council, with money from the Department of Housing, under national rules that are the same in every county.
The UK grant and the Irish grant side by side
| Disabled Facilities Grant (England) | Housing Adaptation Grant (Ireland) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Your local council | Your county or city council |
| Maximum | Up to £30,000 | Up to €40,000, or €20,000 for a house less than 12 months old |
| Means test | Household income and savings | Gross income of the owner and spouse or partner, for the previous tax year |
| A disabled child | The parents’ income is not counted | The income of the parents who own the home is counted |
| Rented homes | Landlords can apply without an income or savings check | Private tenants can apply, with an RTB-registered tenancy and the landlord’s written permission. Council tenants go through the council’s own scheme instead |
| How it is paid | In stages or in one sum, sometimes straight to the builder | To you, when the work is finished |
The difference that surprises families most: in Ireland, a disabled child’s parents are means tested if they own the home. Up to €37,500 the grant still covers 100% of the approved cost, and it pays a share all the way up to €75,000.
What the Irish grant pays for
- A ramp or other ways into the home
- An accessible shower or a downstairs toilet
- A stairlift or a through-floor lift
- A fixed track hoist, but not its servicing, maintenance or training
- Space for wheelchair access
- An extension, typically a bedroom or bathroom
The council can also fund other works it considers reasonably necessary to make the home suitable. Sensory equipment is not funded.
How much it pays
| Gross household income (owner and spouse) | Share of approved cost paid | Maximum grant |
|---|---|---|
| Up to €37,500 | 100% | €40,000 |
| €37,501 to €43,750 | 85% | €34,000 |
| €43,751 to €50,000 | 75% | €30,000 |
| €50,001 to €62,500 | 50% | €20,000 |
| €62,501 to €75,000 | 30% | €12,000 |
| Over €75,000 | Not eligible | n/a |
Income means the gross income of the owner and their spouse or partner for the previous tax year. Adult sons or daughters living at home are not counted. Some payments are left out, such as Child Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance, Carer’s Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant, and there are deductions for children, for a relative caring full time, for mortgage or rent and for care fees. How the council works out the Irish grant, step by step.
The grant does not cover VAT. You may be able to reclaim the VAT on some equipment, such as a stairlift or a specially adapted shower, from Revenue, but not on building labour.
Smaller jobs: the Mobility Aids Grant
For one simpler job such as grab rails, a ramp, a level access shower or a stairlift, the national guidelines send applications to the Mobility Aids Grant, Ireland’s fast-track option if household income allows. It pays up to €8,000 and can cover the whole cost, for household incomes up to €37,500. The same form covers both, and an application over that income limit moves to the Housing Adaptation Grant without a new form.
The occupational therapist report
As with the UK grant, the OT’s view carries a lot of weight. In Ireland the form says an OT will need to assess the person for a stairlift or through-floor lift, a fixed track hoist, an extension, or a big change to how a room is used. The council can arrange it, or you can hire a private OT and get up to €300 back as part of the grant, if the grant is paid. What the OT report needs to cover.
How to apply in Ireland
- Get the national application form from your council or gov.ie. One form covers the Housing Adaptation Grant, the Mobility Aids Grant and Housing Aid for Older People.
- The GP fills in and stamps the Doctor’s Certificate pages.
- Add proof of income for the previous tax year and proof the Local Property Tax is in order.
- Add the OT report if the works need one and you have it.
- Send it to the council’s housing grants section. The council inspects the house and decides. The guidelines ask for a decision within six weeks of a complete application.
- The approval letter asks for your contractor’s quote and tax details. No work can start before it arrives.
- Finish the work within six months. The grant is paid when it is done.
If the grant is refused or cut, you can appeal in writing within three weeks of the decision.
In Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland still uses the Disabled Facilities Grant. It comes from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, and it starts with your local Health and Social Care Trust, whose occupational therapist recommends the work. nidirect says it pays up to £35,000 on a low income, and up to £70,000 in some cases. We only cover the Republic of Ireland.
If the form is the part that stops you
Everything above is enough to apply yourself, for free. If you would rather not do the paperwork alone, our €49.99 Housing Adaptation Grant kit prepares it for you: your answers laid out for the council form, a supporting statement, a prep sheet for the OT visit, quote request emails, a checklist and timeline, and chase and appeal letters. We never ask for your PPS number, income figures or documents. We cannot promise the council will approve it, but it goes in complete. Questions first? Email hello@thegranthub.ie, free.
Sources, checked 13 October 2026: gov.ie, Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People; Housing Adaptation Grant guidelines, December 2024; the national application form; Revenue, VAT on aids and appliances; GOV.UK, Disabled Facilities Grants; nidirect, Disabled Facilities Grants.
Common questions
Is there a Disabled Facilities Grant in Ireland?
Not in the Republic of Ireland. The equivalent is the Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People, from your county or city council. Northern Ireland does have a Disabled Facilities Grant, through the Housing Executive.
What is the Irish equivalent of the Disabled Facilities Grant?
The Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People, up to €40,000 for works such as a ramp, an accessible shower, a stairlift or an extension. For smaller jobs there is the Mobility Aids Grant, up to €8,000.
How much is the Housing Adaptation Grant?
Up to €40,000. It pays 100% of the approved cost for household incomes up to €37,500, falling to 30% for incomes of €62,501 to €75,000. There is no grant above €75,000. It does not cover VAT.
Is a grant for a disabled child means tested in Ireland?
Yes. Unlike the UK grant, the income of the parents who own the home is assessed. Up to €37,500 the grant can still cover the whole approved cost.
Can a council tenant get the Housing Adaptation Grant?
No. Council tenants ask the council’s housing department to adapt the home under its own scheme. Private tenants can apply, with an RTB-registered tenancy and the landlord’s written permission.
Do I need an occupational therapist report?
For a stairlift or through-floor lift, a fixed track hoist, an extension or a big change to how a room is used, yes. The council can arrange it, or a private OT’s fee can be refunded up to €300 as part of the grant if it is paid.
Applying for the Irish grant?
Our €49.99 grant kit prepares your council application from a short questionnaire, with the OT prep sheet, supporting statement, quote emails and checklist. Everything on this page stays free.
See the kit for the Irish grant →