Family & Life
Family & Life Tools Ireland
Irish family supports are real money — the National Childcare Scheme, Maternity Benefit, SUSI, the Fuel Allowance, HAP — and they are claimed at rates well below the number of households that qualify, mostly because the rules are hard to read. These tools apply the published rules to your household and tell you what appears to apply.
Most used
Everything else in family & life
Will my pension be enough?
Project your pot to retirement and compare it against the income you want.
Pension Gap CalculatorWhat does living here actually cost?
A monthly household budget built from typical Irish costs by county and household size.
Cost of LivingHow much tax is due on this inheritance?
Group thresholds, the 33% rate and the reliefs that change the answer.
Inheritance Tax (CAT)How much can I claim back from Revenue?
First-time buyer refund of income tax and DIRT on a new build, up to the cap.
Help-To-BuyWhat would HAP cover?
Housing Assistance Payment limits by county and household, and your likely contribution.
HAP CalculatorWhat does getting a licence cost and take?
EDT lessons, test fees, waiting times and the total cost of getting on the road.
Driving Test & LicenceWhat has my PRSI actually bought me?
The benefits your PRSI class and contribution record may entitle you to.
PRSI Benefits CheckerHow long will a passport take?
Current turnaround times, fees and what a first-time application needs.
Passport HelperWhat will I be paid on maternity leave?
Maternity Benefit rates, duration and how employer top-ups interact with it.
Maternity BenefitWhat state pension will I get?
Your likely rate under the Total Contributions Approach and the new flexible ages.
State Pension CheckerWhat college support can we get?
SUSI grant eligibility, fee contribution and the real annual cost of a course.
SUSI & College CostsWhat am I entitled to?
Irish social welfare payments your circumstances may qualify you for.
Social Welfare CheckerWhat would I get if I lost my job?
Pay-Related Benefit and Jobseeker's rates, duration and qualifying conditions.
Jobseeker PaymentsDo I qualify for the Fuel Allowance?
Means test, household rules and what the season is worth.
Fuel Allowance CheckerWhich health plan is right for us?
Compare Irish health insurers on cover, excess and premium, including lifetime loading.
Health Insurance ComparisonWhat is the weather doing?
Met Éireann observations and forecasts for Irish stations.
WeatherFamily & Life in Ireland — what to know
Irish family supports are real money — the National Childcare Scheme, Maternity Benefit, SUSI, the Fuel Allowance, HAP, the Help-To-Buy refund — and they are claimed at rates well below the number of households that qualify. The usual reason is not indifference but that the rules are hard to read and the thresholds are not where people assume.
Children and childcare
The National Childcare Scheme calculator applies both the universal and the income-assessed subsidy to your household and the hours you actually use. For the period around a birth, the maternity benefit calculator covers the statutory payment and how an employer top-up interacts with it.
Education
SUSI and college costs covers grant eligibility, the student contribution and what a course actually costs a household across a year. Household income thresholds matter here more than almost anywhere else, which is worth knowing before accepting a pay rise that crosses one — the salary increase calculator makes the net effect visible.
Later life
The State Pension is calculated on your PRSI record rather than your earnings, under the Total Contributions Approach. The state pension checker estimates your rate and shows what additional contribution years would be worth. Whether that plus a private pension is enough is the question the pension gap calculator answers — at three growth rates, because nobody knows which one will happen.
If income stops
The jobseeker calculator sets out the pay-related and standard rates, how long they last and what qualifies. The redundancy calculator works out statutory entitlement and how any ex-gratia payment is taxed. And the emergency fund calculator sizes the buffer that makes the difference between a gap and a crisis.
Everything else
The social welfare checker covers the main payments and their conditions, and the PRSI benefits checker covers what your contributions have already bought you — dental and optical treatment benefit in particular, which is widely available and rarely claimed.
Common questions
How much childcare subsidy can I get in Ireland?
The National Childcare Scheme pays a universal subsidy for children under a certain age regardless of income, and an income-assessed subsidy on top for households below the relevant threshold. The childcare calculator applies both to your household and the hours you use.
What will I be paid on maternity leave?
Maternity Benefit is paid at a standard weekly rate for 26 weeks, subject to PRSI conditions. Some employers top it up to full salary and some do not, and the two interact — the maternity calculator sets out both sides.
What state pension will I get?
It depends on your PRSI record under the Total Contributions Approach rather than on your income. The state pension checker estimates your rate from the contributions you have made and shows what additional years would be worth.
Am I entitled to any social welfare payments?
More households qualify for something than claim it, particularly the Fuel Allowance, the Working Family Payment and medical card entitlements. The social welfare checker works through the main payments and their qualifying conditions.
Looking for something else?
Type the question rather than the tool name — the search matches on what each tool answers.