Homemaker’s Scheme
What is the Homemaker’s Scheme?
The Homemaker's Scheme in Ireland is designed to
support people who leave work to care full-time for
a child under 12 years old, or an incapacitated adult.
This scheme allows for up to 20 years spent as a homemaker
to be disregarded when calculating the yearly average for
the State Pension (Contributory) Application Form (SPC1),
thereby potentially resulting in a higher pension
How to qualify for Homemaker’s Scheme:
To qualify for the Homemaker's Scheme, you must:
Be under 66 years of age.
Have been in insurable employment or self-employment between the ages of 16 and 56.
Not working full-time, but you can work and earn less than €38 gross a week.
Be providing full-time care for a child under 12, or an incapacitated adult.
Only one person in a household can be considered a
homemaker at a time. If the role of the homemaker
changes within the household (e.g., switching between
spouses), it is important to inform the department
promptly.
You don't need to apply directly for this scheme if
you're already receiving
Child Benefit,
Carer's Benefit
Application Form (CARB1),
Carer's Allowance, or
Carer's
Support Grant Application Form (CSG1).
PRSI Contributions:
In terms of social insurance (PRSI), years spent as a
homemaker are not included when calculating your PRSI
contributions for pension purposes, up to a maximum of
20 years. This can help increase your average
contributions and thus increase your pension.
Partial years of care are considered differently.
Homemaker’s credits are awarded for a period of
caring which is less than a full year and for part
of a year at the start and/or end of a caring period.
These credits ensure that you are not disadvantaged
for the time you spent caring for a child or
incapacitated adult.
How to Apply
To apply, please complete the Homemaker's Scheme
application form at the bottom of this page.
You can also get this form at
your local Intreo Centre.
Please return your completed application form to:
Homemaker’s Section
Address:
Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner Grant,
Department of Social Protection,
McCarter's Road,
Buncrana,
Co Donegal,
F93 CH79
Email: HomeMakersScheme@welfare.ie
Phone number: 01 4715898 or 0818 690690
Homemaker’s Scheme (HM1)
