A new one-off emergency child benefit of €150 per child is expected to be paid out by the end of June 2026. The payment will be made automatically into beneficiaries’ bank accounts, with no new application required from recipients.
According to estimates, the child benefit measure covers approximately 80% of families with children, amounting to nearly one million households. It is funded through the fiscal surplus and is part of the government’s broader household support package aimed at providing direct relief from inflationary pressures.
Benefit Amounts and Income Thresholds
The amounts are scaled according to the number of dependent children. For a family with one child, the payment stands at €150, with an income ceiling of €40,000 for married couples and €39,000 for single parents.
For two children, the benefit rises to €300, with income thresholds of €45,000 and €44,000 respectively. Families with three children will receive €450, provided their annual income does not exceed €50,000 for married couples or €49,000 for single parents.
At the higher end of the scale, families with seven children will receive €1,050, subject to income limits of €65,000 for married couples and €64,000 for single parents. Single-parent families are covered under a separate provision: the benefit amounts remain the same, but the income eligibility criteria are set slightly lower.
Payment Process
The funds will be credited directly to recipients’ bank accounts without any requirement for an application or any other action on the part of beneficiaries. Payments are expected to be completed by the end of June 2026.
