Back to School Allowance (BTSCFA) will open for applications from June 2023 onwards

 

From 2023 the Back to School Allowance (BTSCFA) will open for Back to School (Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BTSCFA)) applications for the next school year.

✅ €260 for a child who is aged 4-11 on 30 September

✅ €385 for a child who is aged 12-22 on 30 September

Here's everything you need to know about Back to School Allowance (BTSCFA):

Many families automatically receive the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BTSCFA) welfare payment, which helps cover the cost of uniforms and shoes for children returning to school. Anyone who has not received a letter of eligibility for payment by the end of June can apply for payment until September 30.

What is Back to School Allowance (BTSCFA)?

Back to School Allowance is a welfare payment to help parents provide uniforms and footwear for children returning to school. This is known as Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BTSCFA).

Who gets it?

Many families do not need to apply as the allowance is automatic. You may be eligible for the allowance if you: Note: Proof of eligibility for the allowance is required.

• Who can get the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance?

  You may get the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA), if you have a child that qualifies and you are:

  • Getting a qualifying social welfare payment or participating in an approved employment, education or training support scheme. You can find a list of qualifying payments and schemes.
  • Your household is within the BSCFA income limit. See ‘Income limits’ below.
  • You and each child you are claiming the BSCFA for is resident in Ireland.

  If you are getting a social welfare payment, you must be getting an Increase for a Qualified Child (IQC) with your payment. There are some exceptions to this, for example:

  • You are getting a qualifying social welfare payment, but you are not getting an increase for your child because the rules of the payment do not provide for a child payment. Maternity Benefit and Adoptive Benefit are examples of this. You can still claim BSCFA if you meet the other BSCFA rules.
  • You are getting a qualifying social welfare payment, but you are not getting an increase for your child because your spouse or partner's income is over the specified limit for your payment. You can still claim BSCFA if your overall household income is within the BSCFA income limits. See ‘Income limits’ below.

To be eligible for the Back to School Clothes and Footwear Allowance, you must meet the following conditions:

Also, your child must be between 4-17 years of age on or before September 30, 2023. If they are between the ages of 18-22 and are returning to full-time second-level education in a recognized school or college in the autumn of 2023.

BTSCFA Fund Payment Rates ?

Age rate of the child

✅ €260 for a child who is aged 4-11 on 30 September

✅ €385 for a child who is aged 12-22 on 30 September

Remember, children between the ages of 18 and 22 must be in second-level education to qualify.

Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance for each eligible child under the scheme will be €260 for each eligible child aged 4-11 and €385 for each eligible child aged 12 and over.

How to get

If you are automatically entitled to the payment you do not need to do anything.

Many customers automatically receive a back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance. Department letter is distributed to these customers in June. The deadline to apply for 2023 Back to School Apparel and Footwear is September 30, 2023.

Income limit

Your total household income should be less than the amount mentioned in the 'Weekly Income Limit' table below.

If you have not received your Back to School Clothing and Footwear letter by the end of June and you meet the eligibility conditions, you will need to submit an application online at www.MyWelfare.ie OR https://bit.ly/BTSCFA.

You must have a verified MyGovID account to apply online. Details can be found here. Apply online HERE