Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 March 2021
589. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the expected timeframe for a decision to be made on an application for the back to school clothing and footwear allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12920/21]
View answerThe back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The scheme operates from June to September each year.
The allowance is payable in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom an increase for a qualified child is being paid and eligible children between the ages of 18 and 22 who are in full-time second level education and in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid.
To qualify for BSCFA, a person must meet a number of conditions namely:
- The child must meet the age criteria.
- The applicant must be in receipt of a qualifying payment and getting an increase in that payment for the qualified child (except in certain circumstances) in the period 1 June to 30 September.
- The assessable income for the household must be within prescribed limits.
- The applicant and the child (or children) in respect of whom the allowance is claimed must be resident in the State.
All applications received for the scheme in 2020 have been processed.
The BSCFA scheme will be open in June 2021. It is planned, similar to previous years, that the majority of payments under this scheme will be paid without the need of an application. These customers will receive their BSCFA payments in the week ending 16 July.
Customers, who do not receive a letter regarding their BSCFA by the end of June can apply for BSCFA online on www.mywelfare.ie. The online application will be open from the end of June. Customers who are experiencing issues applying online can contact our contact centre on 071 9193318 or 0818 11 11 13 or alternatively customers can email our dedicated email address, bscfa@welfare.ie.
Once received, all applications will be processed in date of receipt order.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
