Marital status and social welfare entitlements

For the purposes of most social welfare payments in Ireland (for example, Jobseeker's Allowance and Supplementary Welfare Allowance), couples who are cohabiting (living together) are treated in the same way as married couples or civil partners. However, your marital status can affect your entitlement to certain social welfare payments.

Recent changes to eligibility for certain payments

On 21 July 2025, qualified cohabitants became eligible for certain bereavement payments that were previously only available to surviving spouses and civil partners. A qualified cohabitant is someone who is in an intimate and committed relationship for 2 years where there is at least one child of the relationship, or 5 years if the couple do not have children together.

One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) is not paid to a person who is in a relationship and living with that person whether they are of the opposite or of the same sex. To qualify for OFP, you must be widowed, separated, divorced, unmarried, have a dissolved civil partnership, or be a prisoner’s spouse or civil partner. You must not be cohabiting. Cohabiting is when a couple in a relationship live together, but they are not married or in a civil partnership.

If you separate, divorce or dissolve your civil partnership, you must live apart for at least 3 months before making a claim for One-Parent Family Payment. If you are cohabiting and your relationship breaks down, you can apply without having to wait 3 months.

You may get Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST), if you have children and do not qualify for OFP.

You cannot get JST if you are living with your spouse, partner or civil partner. If you are married and separate, you must be separated for 3 months before you can get Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment .

If you are cohabiting (living with someone and in a relationship) and your relationship breaks down, you can apply for Jobseeker's Transitional Payment from the first day you become a lone parent.

The Bereaved Partner’s (Contributory) Pension is a weekly payment to the partner of a deceased person. Either you or your partner must have enough social insurance contributions (PRSI).

Since 21 July 2025, surviving qualified cohabitants are eligible for the Bereaved Partner’s (Contributory) Pension. If you are a qualified cohabitant and your partner died before 21 July 2025, you may still qualify and apply to have the payment backdated.

The Bereaved Partner’s (Non-Contributory) Pension is a means-tested weekly payment paid to a surviving partner who does not qualify for the PRSI-based Bereaved Partner’s (Contributory) Pension. Surviving cohabitants can only qualify for a Bereaved Partner’s (Non-Contributory) Pension if their partner’s death occurred on or after 21 July 2025.

If your partner dies from a work-related accident or illness, you or their dependent child may receive Death Benefit under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme. The Death Benefit Scheme includes:

• Bereaved Partner’s Pension
• Orphan's Pension
• Funeral Grant

On 21 July 2025, the Bereaved Partner’s Pension was extended to include cohabitants (cohabitating couples). If your partner died before 21 July 2025, you may still qualify and apply to have the payment backdated.

The Bereaved Parent Grant is a once-off payment to widows, widowers, surviving civil partners and surviving cohabitants with dependent children. This payment was called the Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner Grant. On 21 July 2025, it was renamed when it was extended to include qualified cohabitants.

Cohabitants with dependent children are only eligible for the Bereaved Parent Grant if their partner’s death occurred on or after 21 July 2025. To qualify, a cohabitating couple must have been living together for:

• At least 2 years, if there is at least one dependent child of the relationship
• At least 5 years, if the dependent child or children are not of the relationship

Further information about how your marital status can affect your entitlements is available from your local social welfare office. Staff can explain your entitlements and help you to fill in forms. In the case of Supplementary Welfare Allowance, contact the Community Welfare Officer in your local Intreo centre or social welfare branch office.