Housing Adaptation Grant Ireland 2026: stairlift, bathroom and home lift grants, explained
Last updated: 21 October 2026 · Sources: the national guidelines and application form, Revenue, each council’s own pages and forms
If you or a family member needs a stairlift, platform lift, or other home adaptation in Ireland, there is a strong chance the State will pay for most or all of it. Two grant schemes do almost all the work, the Mobility Aids Grant Scheme and the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability. This guide explains both in plain English, walks you through the application, and gives you the contact for every county council.
We prepare your application. You sign it and post it.
See your plan first, free: the grant that fits, what your council would pay at your income, and how long it takes. If it looks right, get your kit and a person prepares your whole application within one working day.
Your complete grant kit
€44.99 one-off, VAT included
- Your council application form: filled in for you for Dublin City, Galway County, Laois, Mayo, Meath, Offaly, Waterford and Westmeath, and every other council's answers laid out ready to copy across
- A supporting statement setting out why the work is needed
- A prep sheet for the occupational therapist visit
- Quote request emails, ready to send
- Your checklist, a timeline with real dates, a chase letter and an appeal letter
- Checked by a person before it is sent
You only pay if the plan looks right, and there is a 14-day money-back promise. See exactly what is in the kit. We never ask for your PPS number, your income figures or any documents.
Rather ask first? Email hello@thegranthub.ie and a person will answer you straight. It costs nothing, and everything else on this site stays free.
We cannot promise any council will approve a grant. What we promise is that your application is complete, on time and with nothing left vague.
The 60-second answer
- Up to €40,000 available through the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability.
- Up to €8,000 available through the Mobility Aids Grant Scheme.
- Both are means-tested. The Mobility Aids Grant covers 100% for household income up to €37,500; the Housing Adaptation Grant covers 100% down to 30% as income rises.
- Both require an occupational therapist (OT) report for a stairlift. How many quotes you need, and when, is up to your council.
- Councils aim to decide within six weeks of a complete application. Do not start works before approval.
- Apply to your local county council, not central government.
On this page
1. The two grant schemes compared
If household income is €37,500 or less, people who need a stairlift on its own usually apply for the Mobility Aids Grant: the national guidelines send minor works such as stairlifts, ramps, grab rails and level-access showers there. Larger works, including most platform lifts and through-floor lifts, go to the Housing Adaptation Grant.
| Feature | Mobility Aids Grant | Housing Adaptation Grant |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum amount | €8,000 (revised Dec 2024) | €40,000 (revised Dec 2024) |
| Income limit (after disregards and deductions) | €37,500 | €75,000 |
| What it covers | Stairlift, grab rails, ramp, level-access shower, simple adaptations | Stairlift, platform lift, through-floor lift, ground-floor extension, structural changes, full bathroom adaptation |
| OT report required | For a stairlift or fixed hoist | For a stairlift or through-floor lift, fixed hoist, extension or big change to a room |
| Quotes | Set by your council | Set by your council |
| Decision target | Six weeks from a complete application | Six weeks from a complete application |
| Best fit | Straightforward straight or curved stairlift | Platform lift, wheelchair user, or multiple adaptations together |
2. Eligibility and means testing
Both grants are means-tested on the gross income, for the previous tax year, of the home's owner and their spouse, partner or cohabitant. In a rented home it is the tenant and their spouse or partner. Nobody else's income counts, so an adult son or daughter living in the house is not assessed. Nine payments, such as Child Benefit, Fuel Allowance and Carer's Allowance, are left out, and the form lets you take off deductions such as €6,250 for each child. The percentage of approved costs covered tapers as income rises.
| Gross household income | % of approved cost covered (HAG) | Max grant (older home) |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Reflects the December 2024 revised HAG scheme. Mobility Aids Grant has its own simpler scale capped at €37,500 income / €8,000 maximum grant. New builds (less than 12 months old) are capped at half the HAG maximum (€20,000). Use the eligibility checker for the Housing Adaptation Grant, or the Older People and Mobility Aids checker for those two schemes.
You also need to meet these conditions
- The home must be your principal private residence (the place you live full-time).
- The home must be owned by you or your family, or rented privately with the landlord's written permission and a tenancy registered with the Residential Tenancies Board, or rented from an Approved Housing Body with its written permission.
- You or someone in the household must have a disability or mobility condition requiring the adaptation.
- Property tax (LPT) must be up to date.
- Tax affairs must be in order, and a grant of €10,000 or more needs a tax clearance certificate from Revenue.
3. How to apply, and where we can help
You can do the whole application yourself using the free guides on this site. The steps are the same in every county.
- Check your eligibility. Free, 30 seconds. Run the eligibility checker to see what % of cost the grant will cover for your household.
- Get the occupational therapist report, if the work needs one. Through the HSE, or a private OT. If the grant is paid, the council pays back up to €300 of a private OT’s fee as part of the grant, inside the grant maximum (for the Mobility Aids Grant, only where the council decides the assessment was needed). The OT report explained.
- Check what your council wants on quotes. The national form asks for no set number: after approval, the council asks for your contractor’s quote and tax reference number. Some councils want a quote with the form, and some set the grant from their own standard costs. More than one itemised quote still helps you check the price. How to get them.
- Fill in your council's application form. One form covers all three home grants. Every council's form, and what each part asks for.
- Send it to your council. The council checks it, may inspect, and issues a written decision. The national guidelines ask councils to decide within six weeks of a complete application.
- After written approval, the work goes ahead. When it is finished, the grant is paid into your own bank account, and you pay the contractor, including any difference between the cost and the grant.
Where we help: questions by email are always free, at hello@thegranthub.ie. If you would rather not do the paperwork alone, our optional €44.99 grant kit prepares your application documents from a short questionnaire. The kit never asks for your PPS number, your exact income or any documents, and it does not pass your details to installers.
The one rule we hammer on: works must not start before written council approval. If they do, the grant is not paid. The only exception is a genuine emergency that the council inspects before any work starts, and even then approving it afterwards is at the council’s discretion.
4. The OT report, what it is and how to get one
An occupational therapist (OT) is a registered healthcare professional who assesses how well a person can carry out daily tasks in their home environment, then recommends adaptations. The OT report is the evidence councils use to confirm the proposed work is necessary.
You need one for a stairlift or through-floor lift, a fixed hoist, an extension or a big change to how a room is used (Housing Adaptation Grant), or for a stairlift or fixed hoist (Mobility Aids Grant). Some councils ask for more: Louth wants one with every Housing Adaptation and Mobility Aids application, and South Dublin with all Housing Adaptation and most Mobility Aids work. Housing Aid for Older People has no OT rule.
Free HSE OT assessment
Contact your local HSE Primary Care Occupational Therapy service by phone. Tell them you need an assessment for a stairlift or home adaptation grant application, and ask how long the wait is: we found no official waiting times for these assessments. If you have no report, your council can arrange an assessment after it receives your application.
Private OT (faster)
If the HSE wait is too long, you can hire a private OT registered with CORU. If the grant is paid, the council pays back up to €300 of a private OT’s fee as part of the grant, inside the grant maximum (for the Mobility Aids Grant, only where the council decides the assessment was needed).
5. How each council accepts applications
Need the form itself? See the housing adaptation grant application form, council by council, with what each part asks for and what to send with it.
The Housing Adaptation Grant is administered by your local council, and every council runs the process slightly differently. Two councils take applications online: South Dublin (Housing Online) and Clare (MyClareCoCo). Everywhere else you download the form, fill it in, and post it or hand it in. Only Cork County Council says a completed application can be emailed. Councils that publish an email address give it for questions, so do not email an application unless the council says it accepts one.
The application has to come from the family, the council needs the signed form from the applicant directly. Our service prepares the complete, council-ready pack; you file it.
Checked on each council’s own pages and application form on 21 October 2026. Six councils have paused or limited new applications: Cavan, Kildare, Louth, Monaghan, Offaly and Sligo (see each county page). Councils do change their processes, so confirm on your council’s housing grants page before you post anything.
| Council | Submission method | Where to send / contact |
|---|---|---|
| South Dublin | Online or post | Housing Online, or post to Private Housing Grants, Housing Department, County Hall, Tallaght, Dublin 24, D24 A3XC · 01 414 9373 |
| Dublin City | Post · ask first | No return address published: ring Home Grants on 01 222 2195 or email homegrants@dublincity.ie (Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8, D08 RF3F) |
| Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown | Post | Private Grants Section, Housing Department, County Hall, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, A96 K6C9 · 01 205 4847 |
| Fingal | Post | Housing Grants, Grove Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 · 01 890 5587 |
| Cork City | Post | Housing Loans & Grants Section, City Hall, Anglesea Street, Cork T12 T997 · 021 4924000 |
| Cork County | Email or post | privatehousegrants@corkcoco.ie · or post to Housing Grants, Annabella, Mallow, Co. Cork, P51 Y6YT · 022 30416 |
| Galway City | Post | Galway City Council, City Hall, College Road, Galway H91 X4K8 · 091 536400 |
| Galway County | Post | Housing Grants, Áras an Chontae, Prospect Hill, Galway H91 H6KX · 091 509301 |
| Limerick City & County | Post to your local office | Metropolitan Area Office (City Hall, Merchants Quay), Kilmallock, Rathkeale or Newcastle West; the web page also lists Dooradoyle · 061 556000 (the form also gives 061 557000) |
| Waterford City & County | Ask first | No application address published. Housing Grants, Bailey’s New Street, Waterford X91 XH42 · privatehousegrants@waterfordcouncil.ie for questions · 0818 10 20 20 |
| Kerry | Post | Grants Section, Housing & Social Support, County Buildings, Rathass, Tralee V92 H7VT · 066 7183839 |
| Mayo | Post to your district office | Your Municipal District office: Ballina, Castlebar, Claremorris, Ballinrobe, Swinford, Westport or Belmullet · 094 906 4000 |
| Donegal | Post to your local office | Housing Section at your local council office: Carndonagh, Letterkenny, Lifford, Dungloe or Donegal Town · 074 9153900 |
| Clare | Online or post | MyClareCoCo online, or post to Housing Grants, New Road, Ennis V95 DXP2 · 065 6846400 |
| Tipperary | Ring, then post | Housing Grants, Civic Offices, Limerick Road, Nenagh · ring 052 6166968 first |
| Kildare | Post · Priority 1 only; Housing Aid for Older People emergencies only until January 2027 | Housing Private Grants, Áras Chill Dara, Devoy Park, Naas, W91 X77F · 045 980480 (10.30am to 12.30pm) |
| Meath | Post | Housing Grants Department, Buvinda House, Dublin Road, Navan C15 Y291 · 046 909 7000 |
| Wicklow | Post | Housing Grants, County Buildings, Wicklow Town A67 FW96 · 0404 20100 |
| Wexford | Post | Housing Grants, Carricklawn, Wexford Y35 WY93 · 053 919 6000 |
| Kilkenny | Post | Private Housing Grants, Housing Department, Johns Green House, Johns Green, Kilkenny R95 CX92 · 056 779 4930 |
| Carlow | Post | Housing Department, Tullow Civic Offices, Inner Relief Road, Tullow, Co. Carlow, R93 WP86 · 059 9170358 |
| Laois | Post | Laois County Council, Áras an Chontae, JFL Ave., Portlaoise R32 EHP9 · housinggrants@laoiscoco.ie |
| Offaly | Post · closed until 1 Feb 2027 | Housing Grants Section, Áras an Chontae, Charleville Road, Tullamore R35 F893 · 057 9357409 |
| Westmeath | Post to your district office | Mullingar-Kinnegad MD, Áras an Chontae, Mount Street, Mullingar N91 FH4N, or Athlone-Moate MD, Civic Centre, Church St, Athlone N37 P2T5 |
| Longford | Post | Private House Grants Department, Housing Offices, Town Hall, Market Square, Longford N39 C5F2 · 043 334 34 99 |
| Louth | Post · Priority 1 only | Housing Grants Section, County Hall, Millennium Centre, Dundalk A91 KFW6 · 042 933 5457 |
| Sligo | Post · Priority 1 only | Housing Section, County Hall, Riverside, Sligo F91 Y763 · 071 9111803 |
| Roscommon | Post | Housing Business Unit, Áras an Chontae, Roscommon F42 VR98 · 090 6637100 |
| Leitrim | Post (hard copy) | Housing Grants, Housing Department, Áras an Chontae, Carrick-on-Shannon, N41 PF67 · 071 9620005 |
| Cavan | Post or by hand · Priority 1 and 2 only | Housing Grants Section, Farnham Centre, Farnham Street, Cavan H12 R6V2 · 049 437 8325 |
| Monaghan | Post · Priority 1 only | Monaghan Grant Section, County Offices, The Glen, Monaghan H18 YT50 · 047 30503 |
As part of our service we identify the exact correct submission route for your specific council, prepare the application accordingly, and tell you precisely what to do with the finished pack. You file it; we make sure it's correct.
6. Apply by county council
Each council runs its own grants section. Click your county for the application form, contact details, and any local rules.
Leinster
Munster
Connacht & Ulster
Northern Ireland uses a different scheme (Disabled Facilities Grant via the Northern Ireland Housing Executive). We do not currently cover NI.
7. Common mistakes that delay or void grants
- Starting works before approval. The grant is not paid, except in a rare emergency the council has inspected first.
- Guessing what your council wants on quotes. Some want one with the form, some only after approval, and some set the grant from their own standard costs. Ask the housing grants section before you send the form.
- Using a contractor who cannot give a tax reference number. For payments over €650 the council needs each contractor’s name, address and tax reference number, and checks their tax clearance.
- Missing documents. A council sends back an application that is missing key documents, with a checklist. Laois County Council’s August/September 2026 report says 160 incomplete applications had been returned by 17 September 2026 (Chief Executive’s Report).
- LPT or tax arrears. Even small balances will hold up a grant.
- Getting the means test wrong. Only the owner’s and their spouse’s or partner’s income counts, for the previous tax year, less the listed disregards and deductions. An adult son or daughter living there is not assessed.
- Forgetting to inform the council on completion. The grant only pays after you submit completion paperwork.
Holding a medical card? It does not change the grant means test or your priority: the council assesses the owner’s and spouse’s income, and your GP sets the priority on the Doctor’s Certificate. Read our medical card guide →
8. FAQs
What is the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability?
A means-tested grant of up to €40,000 administered by Irish local authorities. It covers structural adaptations for people with disabilities, including stairlifts, platform lifts, ramps, level-access showers and ground-floor extensions. Household income, after the disregards and deductions, must not exceed €75,000.
What is the Mobility Aids Grant Scheme?
A grant of up to €8,000, covering 100% of the approved cost, for basic mobility adaptations including stairlifts, grab rails, ramps and level-access showers. Household income, after the disregards and deductions, must not exceed €37,500.
Can I get 100% of my stairlift paid for by the grant?
Yes. If your household income is €37,500 or less, the Mobility Aids Grant can cover 100% of the approved cost, up to €8,000. Above €37,500 there is no Mobility Aids Grant, so look at the Housing Adaptation Grant instead.
Can I apply for both grants?
Yes, on one form. One application form covers all three council home grants, and you can tick more than one. The council will not process two of the same grant at once, and it decides which grant pays for which work. A stairlift on its own usually goes to the Mobility Aids Grant if household income is €37,500 or less; bigger work such as a through-floor lift or an extension goes to the Housing Adaptation Grant.
What happens if I start work before approval?
The grant is not paid. Do not order, install, or pay for any works until you have a written approval letter from your local county council. The only exception is a genuine emergency that the council inspects before any work starts, and even then approving it afterwards is at the council’s discretion.
Can a tenant apply?
Private tenants can apply with the landlord's written permission, if the tenancy is registered with the Residential Tenancies Board. Council tenants cannot get these grants: they ask the council about its Disabled Person's Grant Scheme instead. Approved Housing Body tenants apply to the council too, with the AHB's written permission.
Is the grant taxable?
No. Home adaptation grants are not treated as income for tax purposes.
Can I appeal if rejected?
Yes. You appeal to the council in writing within 3 weeks of the decision, explaining why. Someone who was not involved in the first assessment looks at it, and the result can take up to 6 weeks. How to appeal a refused grant.
Need help with the grant application? Email us any question, free, at hello@thegranthub.ie. If you would rather hand over the paperwork, see our optional €44.99 grant kit. Check what you qualify for →
Check what you qualify for
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Check my eligibility →Need a hand with an application? Just ask, we would be delighted to help, and it is free. Email us at hello@thegranthub.ie.
See also: which grant pays for which home improvement.