More people eligible for backdated social welfare payments after rule change

Under new rules, individuals eligible for a popular social welfare scheme are in line to get backdated payments. It comes after father-of-three,John O’Meara brought a case against the State when he was denied the widow’s pension following the death of his partner of 20 years, Michelle Batey. Just this week, Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary was looking for a thumbs up from Cabinet to pitch the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2025 to the Dail after a landmark Supreme Court ruling, reports RSVP Live. The Government is planning to tweak the scheme and broaden its reach to include those who weren't married. The updated scheme will allow any "surviving qualified cohabitant" to qualify for the weekly scheme. To be entitled to the payment, people need to have been in "an intimate and committed relationship" for at least two years where a child was involved or five years where a couple had no children. The payments will be backdated to the date of the Supreme Court judgement on January 22, 2024. Also, they're making it possible for qualifying partners to access into the Bereaved Parent's Grant and the Bereaved Partners Non-Contributory Pension. Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary (Image: Collins) Here are the criteria to meet for the scheme under current rules: You may automatically qualify for a Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension if your late spouse or civil partner was getting a State Pension (Contributory) which included an increase for a dependent spouse or civil partner (or would have included an increase but for the fact that you were getting State Pension (Non-Contributory), Blind Pension or Carer's Allowance). There is no automatic qualification if your late spouse or civil partner was getting a mixed insurance pro-rata, EU/Bilateral Agreement pro-rata or Pre-53 pension. In all such cases you should apply for Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory Pension in the normal way. If you do not automatically qualify for a Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension, then either you or your late spouse or civil partner must have a certain number of PRSI contributions. Social insurance contributions (PRSI) To qualify for a Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension, either you or your late spouse or civil partner must have a certain number of PRSI contributions. All the PRSI requirements must be met on one person's record - you may not combine the contributions of both spouses or civil partners. All must have been made before the death of the spouse or civil partner. Virtually all PRSI contributions count towards this pension, including contributions paid by public servants and the self-employed. Either you or your spouse or civil partner must have: At least 260 paid contributions paid before the relevant date* And An average of 39 paid or credited contributions in either the 3 or 5 years before the death of the spouse or civil partner or before he or she reached pension age (66) Or A yearly average of at least 24 paid or credited contributions from the year of first entry into insurance until the year of death or reaching pension age. If this average is used then an average of 24 will entitle you to a minimum pension, you will need an average of 48 per year to get the full pension. *The relevant date is the earliest of the following dates: The date your spouse or civil partner died Your spouse’s or civil partner’s 66th birthday, if their social insurance record is used Your 66th birthday, if your social insurance record is used If your spouse or civil partner died before 27 December 2013, only 156 paid contributions are required. However, the yearly average condition must still be satisfied. You can find out more information about the scheme here. Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.

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