Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flynn has said it is deeply unfair that pensioners providing full-time care are paid only half the Carer’s Allowance for doing exactly the same caring work as any other carer.
The Government has confirmed that it has no plans to change the rule and no review is planned or underway, the Cork North Central pointed our.
In replies to Parliamentary Questions tabled by Deputy O’Flynn, the Minister for Social Protection confirmed that 17,390 pensioners are providing at least 35 hours of care each week while receiving only the half-rate Carer’s Allowance on top of their State Pension.
Of these, 450 pensioners are caring for two or more people.
The Department estimates that increasing these carers from the half rate to the full rate would cost approximately €141 million a year. When Deputy O’Flynn first raised the issue in July, the estimated annual cost was €116 million, based on the number of recipients at the end of 2025.
Deputy O’Flynn said:
“A carer is a carer. A 68-year-old woman caring for her husband around the clock is doing exactly the same caring work as a younger person providing full-time care — yet the State tells her that her care is worth half as much.
“These are people who have worked, paid their taxes and contributed throughout their lives. When they take on one of the hardest responsibilities imaginable — caring full-time for someone they love — the State imposes a rule that cuts their Carer’s Allowance in half simply because they are also receiving a pension.
“That is fundamentally unfair. It is not a question of whether these people are carers. The Government accepts that they are providing at least 35 hours of care a week. The question is why the State values that care differently because the person providing it is a pensioner.
“I asked the Government directly whether it would review this rule. The answer was clear: no plans, no review, nothing.
“I welcome the progress being made on the Carer’s Allowance means test, but that does nothing to address this particular injustice. These pensioners are still subject to the half-rate restriction.
“The Department says that paying the full rate would cost €141 million a year. That is a significant sum, but so is the contribution made every day by 17,390 pensioners who are providing full-time care to family members and loved ones.
“The Government can find billions for many other priorities, yet it will not even undertake a review of a policy that directly penalises older people who provide full-time care.
“I will continue to press for this half-rate restriction to be abolished. If someone is providing full-time care, they should receive the full Carer’s Allowance. A carer is a carer, regardless of age.”
Deputy O’Flynn said he would continue to press the Minister for the restriction on pensioner carers to be abolished.
The Minister for Social Protection said on 7 September 2026 that at 17,390 pensioners receive the State Pension alongside a half-rate Carer’s Allowance, with 450 caring for two or more people.
The Department estimates that paying the full rate would cost €141 million annually.
This is an administrative estimate and does not account for future changes in recipient numbers or payment rates, the reply said.
The Department confirmed that there are no plans to amend the rule and that no review is planned or underway.