Q.  I heard that a Widowed Parent Grant was increased in the Budget. Is this the same as the Bereavement Grant?

21.01.08

No, the Widowed Parent Grant is a once-off grant that is available in addition to the Bereavement Grant if you are a widow or widower with dependent children. In the recent Budget, the Grant was increased from € 4,000 to € 6,000. To be entitled to the grant, you must be eligible for one of the following payments:

Widow's/Widower's Contributory Pension (including those from any country in the EU or one with which Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement); One-Parent Family Payment; Death Benefit under the Occupational Injuries Scheme; Bereavement Grant payable on the death of a spouse.

The Bereavement Grant is a payment of € 850. Eligibility usually depends on the number of PRSI contributions that have been paid by either the deceased person or his/her spouse or partner. You may also be eligible based on entitlement to certain social welfare payments. There are also extra tax credits available to a widowed parent in the year that a spouse dies and for the following five years.

Citizens Information: Buncrana 074 9363496; Carndonagh 074 9373741

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