TAX HELP FOR CARING FAMILIES

CARING for relatives who have become ill or infirm, or for children with disabilities, is a heavy financial burden for thousands of Irish families.

The cost of care is hugely expensive. People are often left struggling to source funds to ensure their relative or child is cared for properly. But there is help at hand.

Barry Flanagan of Taxback.com said: ‘In our experience, a significant portion of eligible tax payers appear to be unaware that there are still sizeable tax reliefs tied to these costs.’

You can only claim back for up to four years, ‘so it’s imperative that people act in time’, he adds.

Nursing home fees have remained one of the few areas where you can claim tax relief at the higher rate.

‘What’s even more surprising is that not everyone is claiming this tax relief,’ said Barry.

Similar to nursing home expenses, the tax relief available for employing a home carer has also bucked the trend by increasing recently.

You can claim on the cost of employing a carer for yourself or for another family member. In this case a family member must be a civil partner, spouse, child or relative, including a relation by marriage or civil partnership.

Another neglected tax break for carers is incapacitated child credit, which is a substantial help to families, providing €3,300 ‘into their hands’ to help meet these onerous costs.

Full details of all tax reliefs and credits can be found at revenue.ie. Also see taxback.com for more details and helpful tips.