Telephone support allowance

I am a pensioner living alone. I used to get an allowance towards my telephone bill, but it stopped a few years ago. I heard it might be coming back – is this true?

The allowance you used to get was the Telephone Allowance, which was a monthly payment towards your mobile phone or landline and was part of the Household Benefits Package. This payment was discontinued in January 2014.

What you may have heard about is the new Telephone Support Allowance (TSA). The TSA is a weekly payment from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) which aims to help with the cost of communications and/or home alert systems for people who live alone and have limited means.

To qualify for the TSA, you must be getting both the Living Alone Increase and the Fuel Allowance along with another social welfare payment such as the State Pension. Since the week of June 4, 2018, the TSA has been paid automatically to people who qualify. There is no application form and you do not need to contact the DEASP to apply.

The TSA is a payment of €2.50 a week. It is paid in addition to your weekly social welfare payment.

If you believe you should qualify for the TSA but have not been getting it since June 4, contact the DEASP section that pays your main pension or benefit. You can find these contact details on welfare.ie.

Further information about the TSA is available from the Citizens Information Centre below.