Seán Sherlock
Question:760. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the projected cost of paying child benefit in the month of birth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36776/23]
View answerTuesday, 25 July 2023
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Child Benefit is a universal monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their eighteenth birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to over 650,000 families in respect of over 1.2 million children with an estimated expenditure of more than €2.1 billion in 2023.
When a person starts getting Child Benefit for the first time for a baby, it is paid at the start of the month after the birth of the child. The estimated cost of paying Child Benefit from the month of birth is €175 million per year based on current rates of payment.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.