Older people · 10 September 2026 · updated 21 October 2026
116,000 households are missing the Household Benefits Package. The five minute check.
Quick answer
The Household Benefits Package is €35 a month towards electricity or gas plus a free TV licence, about €580 a year. If you are 70 or over you qualify, with no means test and no need to be on a pension, but you still have to apply. New Department of Social Protection figures, reported on 7 September, say up to 116,000 households that could get it are not claiming. Check your parent is on it. It takes five minutes.
What the new figures say
On 7 September the Irish Independent reported an analysis by the Department of Social Protection. It matched the number of people over 70 against the number of households getting the Household Benefits Package.
The gap was up to 116,000 households. The Department says the estimate is experimental and some of those may already get it another way. Even if half of that number is right, that is a lot of pensioners paying a €160 TV licence and full electricity bills for no reason.
The Department has said a public awareness campaign is coming. Do not wait for it.
What the package is worth
- €1.15 a day towards electricity or gas, paid monthly. About €35 a month, or €420 a year.
- A free TV licence, worth €160 a year.
- Total: about €580 a year, every year, for as long as you live in the house.
Since 8 September 2025 new applicants get the allowance paid into their bank or post office account on the first Tuesday of each month, not as a credit on the bill. Older claims still show on the bill.
Who gets it
The main group:
- Aged 70 or over, and living in Ireland all year round. That is the whole test. No means test. You do not need a State Pension. You do not need to live alone.
Under 70 it is possible too. Between 66 and 70 you need a qualifying payment such as the State Pension, or to pass a means test. Under 66 you need a payment such as Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension or Blind Pension. You do not need to live alone. Carers getting Carer's Allowance and living with the person they care for can also qualify. The rules there are fiddlier, our full guide walks through them.
One package per household. If a couple both turn 70, only one of them claims it.
The five minute check
Do this for your mother in Wexford, your father in Donegal, the aunt in Limerick who "has everything sorted".
- Is she 70 or over? If yes, she qualifies. Full stop.
- Look at the electricity or gas bill. Is there a line that says "Free Electricity Allowance" or "Household Benefits"? If yes, she is on it. If not, keep going.
- Look at the bank statement. A payment of about €35 from the Department of Social Protection on the first Tuesday of the month means she is on it. It varies a little with the number of days in the month.
- Did she pay for a TV licence this year? If she did, and she is over 70, she is almost certainly not on the package.
- Apply. Online at MyWelfare.ie with a verified MyGovID, or on form HB1 from gov.ie, posted to the Household Benefits Package Section, Department of Social Protection, College Road, Sligo. You need her PPS number and the electricity or gas meter number (MPRN or GPRN, it is on the bill).
The free TV licence starts from the next renewal date of the licence she has now. Questions go to the Household Benefits Package Section on 0818 200 400.
Why so many people miss it
Turning 70 does not start it by itself, and neither does the State Pension. You have to apply.
And the people most likely to miss it are the ones with no adult child looking over their shoulder at the bills. That is what this post is for.
Sources, checked 21 October 2026: gov.ie, Household Benefits Package (updated 21 October 2026); Citizens Information, Household Benefits Package (page edited 13 October 2026); Citizens Information, TV licences.
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
How much is the Household Benefits Package worth?
About €580 a year: €35 a month (€420 a year) towards electricity or gas, plus a free TV licence worth €160.
Do I need to be on the State Pension to get the Household Benefits Package?
No. If you are 70 or over you qualify regardless of income or what payments you get. Under 70 you need a qualifying payment, or, between 66 and 70, to pass a means test.
Is the Household Benefits Package means tested?
Not if you are 70 or over. Between 66 and 70, if you do not get a qualifying payment such as the State Pension, you can still qualify by passing a means test.
How do I apply for the Household Benefits Package?
Online at MyWelfare.ie with a verified MyGovID, or on form HB1 from gov.ie, posted to the Household Benefits Package Section in Sligo. You need your PPS number and the MPRN or GPRN number from the electricity or gas bill.
Check everything at once
Put in your parent’s age, county and situation and the free finder lists every grant and payment they should be getting. About a minute, no sign-up.
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