Invalidity Pension is a weekly payment to people who cannot work because of a long-term illness or disability and are covered by social insurance (PRSI).
Once you reach the age of 66, you transfer automatically to the State Pension (Contributory) at the full rate.
You are entitled to a Free Travel Scheme travel pass. You may also get extra social welfare benefits, such as the Household Benefits Package.
Invalidity Pension is taxable. Depending on your circumstances, some or all of your Invalidity Pension payment may be liable to income tax. The department pays Invalidity Pension, without deducting tax. The department does, however, notify Revenue of the taxable amount of Invalidity Pension to be taken into account for income tax purposes. This means you do not have to do anything for the correct tax to be paid.
Information about the taxation of social welfare payments is available from Revenue and on the Jobs and Pensions page of the Revenue website www.revenue.ie or click here.
PRSI and USC are not charged on Invalidity Pension payments.
To qualify you must satisfy both medical and social insurance (PRSI) conditions.
Medical criteria
To qualify you must:
- have been incapable of work for at least 12 months and be likely to be incapable of work for at least another 12 months (you may have been getting Illness Benefit or Disability Allowance during that time) or
- be permanently incapable of work (in certain cases of very serious illness or disability, you can transfer directly from another social welfare payment or from your job to Invalidity Pension).
Social insurance contributions criteria
Only class A, E, H and S contributions count for Invalidity Pension.
To get Invalidity Pension you must have at least:
- 260 weeks of paid PRSI contributions (5 years) since entering social insurance and
- 48 weeks of paid or credited PRSI contributions in the last OR second-last complete contribution year before the relevant date.
The relevant date is established based on the date of commencement of permanent incapacity for work.
You cannot use voluntary contributions to satisfy the contribution conditions for Invalidity Pension.
A Deciding Officer will examine your claim and decide on your entitlement based on the qualifying conditions outlined above.
| Weekly rate | – | |
| Personal Rate | €208.50 | – |
| Increase for a qualified adult | €148.90 | – |
| Increase for a qualified child | Under 12 | Over 12 |
| Full-rate | €36.00 | €40.00 |
| Half-rate | €18.00 | €20.00 |
If income from your spouse or partner is below a certain level, you can get an increase in payment. This is called an increase for a qualified adult.
You can also get an increase for a qualified child if:
- your child lives with you, in the State, and
- is the correct age for the payment
To apply, fill in the Invalidity Pension application form at the bottom of this page.
You can also get this form at your local:
Return your completed application form with any supporting documents to:
Invalidity Pension Claims Section
If you have been getting Illness Benefit for a period of 468 days, you will be medically assessed for continued entitlement to Illness Benefit and possible entitlement to Invalidity Pension.
If, as a result of this assessment, it is considered that you may be entitled to Invalidity Pension, an application form (INV2) will be sent to you.
When they get the completed form a Deciding Officer will examine the claim and determine eligibility for Invalidity Pension.
Application Form: Invalidity Pension (INV1)
Invalidity Pension is a weekly payment to people who cannot work because of a long-term illness or disability and are covered by social insurance (PRSI).
DownloadOperational guidelines describe the processes and procedures that staff in the department follow when carrying out their work.
