According to HSE this morning there will be delays in payments of the Back-to-School clothing and footwear allowance this year, with payments not likely until mid September.

The payment, in which over a hundred thousand Irish families receive financial assistance for school uniforms and footwear for their children, is vital for many families who rely on it to pay for the high costs at back-to-school time.

According to the Irish Times, there has been an upsurge in applicants for the allowance in the past two weeks which has caused a backlog for the Dept to deal with applicants resulting in families not receiving payment until after school has commenced. According to figures, almost 60% of families have yet to receive payment in many counties.

About the Back-To-School Clothing Allowance Scheme

The purpose of this allowance is to help families on social welfare and Health Service Executive payments meet the cost of uniforms and footwear for children who are attending school. The scheme operates from 1st June and 30th September 2015. Application forms for the scheme will be available in June 2015.

The scheme applies to children aged between 4 and 17 on or before 30th September or aged between 18 and 22 on or before 30th September but only if they are in second-level education in a recognised school or college. The scheme does not apply to those in third level education.

To be eligible for the allowance the applicant (parent or guardian) must be receiving certain social welfare payments or payments for training, employment schemes or adult education. Total household income must also be below a certain amount.

The rate of payment is age related as follows:

€100 for each child aged 4-11 on or before 30th September 2015
€200 for each child aged 12-22 on or before 30th September 2015

For more, please see our Back-to-School section.

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