Q) Will a move across the border impact my Irish social welfare payments?

Additional information needed to answer this question:

Parent 1 – lives south, is not employed

Parent 2 – absent, not employed

Children – live with Parent 1 in Ireland, they are aged 5, 7 and 10.

Benefits claimed for Children

• Child Benefit (there is no cross-border employment, so this is paid due to residence)
• Domiciliary Care Allowance (for child with severe disability)

Benefits claimed for Parent 1

• Disability Allowance (means-tested and paid due to residence in Ireland)
• Carers Allowance (linked to the child’s Domiciliary Care Allowance)

A) All payments listed above will cease to be paid if the family move to Northern Ireland.

Based on the information provided by Parent 1, it appears that none of the above payments are linked to employment and PRSI, they are instead based on a means-test and / or linked to residence in Ireland, as a result the payments will cease to be paid if the family move to Northern Ireland.

Further information:

• CitizensInformation.ie –  Habitual residence for Social Welfare Payments in Ireland
• Border People Case Study – Moving to NI and claiming social security payments there
• Border People – All Case Studies and FAQs

Page last checked: 22nd February 2023

This webpage is for general information purposes only and while we endeavour to keep it up-to-date, errors may occur. It is very important that you check with the relevant body to ensure the information is current and is applicable to your situation.

If you would like to suggest amendments or highlight new information that could be useful to others please don’t hesitate to get in touch.