Know Your Rights: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance

I am getting the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment. I have
one child starting school in September. Can I qualify for the Back to School
Clothing and Footwear Allowance?

Yes, you can. To qualify for this payment which helps with back to
school costs, you must be getting a social welfare payment or taking part in a
training, employment or adult education scheme. Your children must be aged
between 4 and 22 on or before 30 September 2020. If they are aged between 18
and 22 they must be in full-time second-level education in a recognised school
or college. In general, you must be getting an Increase for a Qualified Child
with your payment.

However, if you are getting the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment
Payment, the Working Family Payment or the Back to Work Family Dividend, you can
qualify. Your application will be means-tested and your total family income
must be below a certain level for your family size.

The Allowance is €150 for children aged between 4 and 11 and €275
for children aged between 12 and 22. It is paid
automatically to many families. This means that they do not have to apply for
the payment. If you qualify automatically, you will get your payment the week
beginning 13 July 2020.

You should get a letter confirming your payment by 6 July 2020. If you do not get a letter you can apply online. If any of your children are aged 18 or over, you must apply for the BTSCFA for them and show evidence that they are in second-level education (even if automatic payments have issued for other children in your family).

From 6 July 2020, you can apply for BTSCFA online through MyWelfare.ie. You must have a Public Services Card and a verified MyGovID account to apply online.

Read more about the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance and you can read detailed guidelines on gov.ie.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Citizens Information Centres are offering a phone and email service. You can access information and advice from:

• The Citizens Information Phone Service: call 0761 07 4000, Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.
• Our national call back service: visit citizensinformation.ie/callback to book a phone call from an information officer.
• Your local Citizens Information Centre: find the phone number on the Find a Centre page on citizensinformation.ie.