The Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly, tax-free payment from the Department of Social Protection for employees with children who are on low pay. It was once called the Family Income Supplement (FIS). It is one of the more overlooked supports, because it is for people who are working, not out of work.
The short version
- Who
- Employees with at least one child, on low pay. Not for the self-employed only
- Hours
- At least 38 hours a fortnight (you can combine with a partner's hours)
- How much
- 60% of the gap between your income and the limit for your family size, at least €20 a week
- How long
- Paid for 52 weeks, and it does not drop if your pay changes during that time
- Tax
- Tax-free, and it is not counted in the medical card means test
Who it is for
You can get WFP if you are an employee and:
- you work at least 38 hours a fortnight, in any pattern (you can add a spouse, civil partner or cohabitant's hours to reach this),
- your job is likely to last at least 3 months,
- you have at least one child who normally lives with you, under 18 (or 18 to 22 in full-time day education), and
- your average weekly family income is under the WFP income limit for your family size.
You must pay tax and PRSI in Ireland. You cannot get WFP on self-employment alone, and you cannot use self-employment hours to reach the 38-hour condition. Apprentices count as employed, in both on-the-job and off-the-job training.
How the amount is worked out
The Department compares your assessable family income to the income limit set for your family size. If you are under that limit, your WFP is 60% of the difference between the two. A couple's combined income is counted.
The income limits rise with the number of children and are adjusted from time to time, so rather than print a table that can go out of date, we link the current one below. Two things are fixed and worth knowing: if you qualify you get a minimum of €20 a week, and once your payment is set it is paid for 52 weeks and does not fall if your earnings change during that year. After 52 weeks you apply again.
Check even if you think you earn too much. The limit rises with each child and the payment is worked out on income after tax, PRSI and USC, so families are sometimes surprised to qualify. The official calculator, linked below, settles it in a few minutes.
It sits alongside other supports
WFP is separate from Child Benefit, which you get regardless of income, and it is not counted in the means test for a medical card. It is worth treating as its own thing to check, not something the other payments cover.
Since 1 January 2026, WFP also brings the Fuel Allowance, and you do not apply for it. Getting WFP qualifies you, provided no one else in the household is already getting Fuel Allowance, you are not already getting it yourself through another social welfare payment, your heating is not included in full in your accommodation, and you are legally resident in Ireland. The Department is blunt about the paperwork: WFP recipients should not submit a Fuel Allowance application form, and there is no facility to accept one. The first payment to people on WFP went out on 12 March 2026 and was backdated to January. If you have been on WFP since before then and have never seen it, that is worth a phone call rather than a form.
Two things about timing, worth knowing before you plan around it. Fuel Allowance is seasonal: the season normally begins in late September and ends in April, and it is paid for 28 weeks (the 2025 to 2026 season was extended by four weeks, to 1 May 2026, because fuel costs rose). So qualifying in, say, June does not mean money in June. And Fuel Allowance can normally be taken as two lump sums instead of weekly, but that instalment option is not available to people getting WFP: on WFP it is paid weekly only.
How to apply
You apply to the Working Family Payment section of the Department of Social Protection, using the official form. You will need proof of income, such as recent payslips. Because it renews yearly, put a note in your calendar: to keep it running without a gap, the renewal should go in within 4 weeks of your current claim ending.
See the payments you might be missing
parentready turns the official rules into a personalised, ordered checklist for your situation, so a support like this does not slip past. Free, private, and on your device.
Official sources
- Citizens Information: Working Family Payment
- gov.ie: Working Family Payment (WFP) (the hours, the 60% calculation, the income limits, and the section "WFP and Fuel Allowance": that no application form is accepted, the four conditions that rule you out, and that on WFP it is paid weekly only)
- Citizens Information: Fuel Allowance (the rule from 1 January 2026 for people on WFP, the 12 March 2026 first payment backdated to January, and the season: late September to April, 28 weeks, extended to 1 May in 2026)
Facts checked against the official pages on 30 July 2026, and the Fuel Allowance rule on 28 August 2026. This is general information, not legal or financial advice, and it does not decide your eligibility or amount. The Department of Social Protection administers the Working Family Payment and decides every claim. Rates and income limits are set in the annual Budget and can change; always confirm on the official pages linked above and use the official calculator for your own figures.