Budget 2027 Falls Short for Family Carers

Tuesday, 6th October 2026: Family Carers Ireland has said Budget 2027 falls short of what is needed to support family carers and fails to respond to the growing care challenge facing Ireland.

The Budget includes a €10 increase in weekly social welfare payments, including Carer's Allowance and Carer's Benefit, a €5 increase in Fuel Allowance, the introduction of a €500 Cost of Disability Payment and increases in the income thresholds for Carer's Allowance.

While welcoming measures that will provide some additional support to carers, Family Carers Ireland said the overall package falls short of what is needed to address the financial pressures, cost-of-living, lack of respite and growing demand for care facing families across the country.

The failure to abolish the Carer's Allowance means test represents a missed opportunity. Having significantly increased the income disregards in recent budgets, the Government had already done most of the heavy lifting. While the thresholds have increased by €150 for a single person and €300 for couples, Budget 2027 provided an opportunity to complete a long promised reform and deliver a lasting change for thousands of family carers. Instead, it chose to stop short.
The Budget comes at a time when inflation is at a 3 year high, driven largely by higher energy prices. Caring households are particularly exposed to these costs due to the additional heating, electricity and transport costs associated with providing care at home.

Despite the increase in Fuel Allowance, just 4% of Carer's Allowance recipients currently receive the payment, meaning the vast majority of family carers will see no benefit from one of the Government's flagship cost-of-living measures.
Family Carers Ireland's State of Caring research found that 71% of family carers are struggling to make ends meet, 75% have never received respite and 55% have paid privately for services and supports that should be publicly provided by the State.

The Budget also follows the publication of new research from the ESRI which projected that demand for care among people aged over 50 will increase by between 49% and 123% by 2040 and concluded that additional supports for family carers will be essential if they are to remain a core part of Ireland's long term care system. This underlines the urgent need to fully fund and deliver the Carer Guarantee, ensuring family carers have access to the information, training, respite and practical supports needed to sustain care at home as demand continues to grow.

The Government has announced 489 additional residential care packages, 1,500 new day service places, an increase in respite provision, a further 191,000 home support and personal assistance hours, and an expansion of the disability workforce by 930 staff next year. While these commitments are welcome, the real test will be whether these additional packages, hours and frontline staff are delivered in practice.

Sharon Foley, CEO of Family Carers Ireland, said: "While there are some welcome measures in today's package, many family carers will struggle to see how this Budget changes the reality of their everyday lives.

"For too many families, the pressures remain the same. Rising costs, inadequate services and little or no access to respite. This Budget asks family carers to continue carrying huge responsibility while offering too little in return."

Family Carers Ireland said Budget 2027 represents a missed opportunity to prepare for Ireland's future care needs and warned that failing to invest in family carers now will only increase pressure on families and public services in the years ahead. The organisation said the ESRI projections should have been a wakeup call for Government, but there is little in today's package to suggest that warning has been taken seriously.