Q. I will be 70 years of age at the end of April. Could you tell me what Additional State Benefits – if any – I can avail of ? I voted Sinn Fein in the hope this party at least will look after the senior citizens a little better than their counterparts did… Micheal – Athboy Co Meath
A. Thanks Micheal. Everyone aged over 70 is entitled to a package of allowances called The Household Benefits Package. To get this you must be living in the State and only one person in a household can qualify for the package at any time. In other words, if your spouse/partner is also aged 70 only one of you can claim the benefit. You do not need to be getting a pension to claim this package and it is not means tested. There are currently 2 allowances in this package. There was previously a Telephone Allowance of €9.50 per month per household but this was discontinued in January 2014. The 2 remaining allowances are:
- Electricity Allowance/Natural Gas Allowance/Cash Electricity Allowance/Cash Gas Allowance. Basically, this is a credit or cash payment of €35 per month (equivalent to €1.15 per day) to assist with your gas or electricity bills. Details and application form are on the Dept of Social Protection website – http://www.welfare.ie/en/pdf/hb1.pdf.
- Free Television Licence. Once you qualify for the Household Benefits Package you become eligible for a Free Television Licence from the next renewal date of your television licence. If living on your own you can claim the free TV licence from age 66. When you qualify for the Package the Department issues you with a Licence and notifies An Post of your entitlement to a free licence – worth € 160 every year – as long as you remain entitled to the H B Package.
In addition everyone aged 70 or over, ordinarily resident in Ireland, who does not already hold a Medical Card is eligible for free GP care regardless of income. You should firstly check that your GP is participating in this scheme and then apply online or get the relevant application form on https://www.pcrsonline.ie/portal/free-gp-70-web/pub
Finally, Individuals aged 70 years or over whose aggregate income for the year is €60,000 or less, will only pay Universal Social Charge (USC) at 0.5% on the first € 12,012 and 2% on the balance. ‘Aggregate’ income for USC purposes does not include payments from the Department of Social Protection.