New disability lump‑sum payment and €8‑€10 welfare rise slated for Budget 2027

A new cost‑of‑disability payment is expected to be paid in a single lump sum in January, with social welfare supports set to rise by roughly €8 to €10 as part of next week’s budget.

Coalition leaders Micheál Martin, Simon Harris and Sean Canney met public expenditure Minister Jack Chambers and Social Protection Minister Dara Calleary on Thursday to discuss pension payments, carer supports and the new disability measures. Following the meeting, the disability lump sum is projected to fall between €400 and €500 and will be disbursed early in the new year.

The leaders have asked officials to incorporate an €8‑€10 increase across all social welfare supports, though the exact uplift for pensioners, jobseekers and other claimants has not yet been finalised. Officials will review the proposals to ensure they fit within the overall social protection allocation before further talks on Friday.

Other reforms under consideration

The Independents in Government are pressing for changes to the Living Alone Allowance, seeking a higher income disregard to broaden eligibility for the fuel allowance. An increase to the Carers Allowance threshold is also being examined, though it may be lower than the rise introduced in Budget 2026, when the single‑person disregard jumped from €375 to €1,000 and the couple’s disregard from €750 to €2,000.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Polina Tankilevitch / Pexels.