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Social welfare recipients should be aware as there is a shake up to the payment schedule on the way.
This month will see the October bank holiday for Halloween take place on October 27th. Because it’s a bank holiday, banks and post offices will be closed on that day.
This means that anyone expecting a social welfare payment on the 25th will most likely be paid early. It is expected that you will see your payment land in your account on Friday the 24th or Saturday the 25th of October.
Because this bank holiday falls in the middle of the month, anyone in receipt of Child Benefit will not be affected, as Child Benefit is paid on the first Tuesday of the month – in this case, Tuesday the 7th of October.
The rest of the bank holidays in 2025 are as follows:
Monday, October 27 – October Bank Holiday Thursday, December 25 – Christmas Day Friday, December 26 – St Stephen’s Day
It comes as before the payment change, Budget Day will take place next week on the 7th of October. The government are still finalising measures but it looks like social welfare recipients are in line for a double payment before Christmas in Budget 2026.
It has been reported that it is part of budget negotiations ahead of it being announced next Tuesday by Minister for Public Expenditure, Jack Chambers, and Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe. The Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary, is said to be pushing for the Christmas bonus that has frequently been a feature of previous packages.
A government source has described the Christmas bonus as almost being a “permanent fixture”, the Irish Examiner reported. They explained that Minister Calleary wants to see key welfare entitlements, such as the State pension and jobseekers allowance, receive the boosted payment.
The Minister is said to also be pressing for a €12 hike in the core social welfare rates. Taoiseach Micheal Martin stated that the overall social protection package in Budget 2026 may end up reaching €1.8bn.
The weekly increase would follow a similar increase last year in Budget 2025, which saw around 27 groups get a €12 increase. At the same time, the Domiciliary Care Allowance got a monthly boost of €20 and the Carer’s Support Grant, which is paid once a year, was hiked by €150.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has pointed to “targeted measures” being included in the upcoming financial package.
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