Overview of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme

The Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme consists of a basic payment and other financial supplements for certain expenses you may not be able to meet, including emergency situations. It is administered by the Community Welfare Officer (CWO) in your local Community Welfare Service.

SWA Scheme payments and supplements include:

Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) is a weekly payment for people that have low income or no income. For example, basic SWA can be paid to you while the Department of Social Protection is processing your claim for another payment. If you are in hospital for a temporary stay and do not qualify for any other payment, you may be paid a small amount for your daily personal needs (for example, newspapers and toiletries). This payment (known as Hospital Comforts) is paid as a basic SWA payment and is means tested).

Rent Supplement is a payment to help with the cost of rent for people living in privately rented accommodation.

Mortgage Interest Supplement was a payment to help with the cost of mortgage interest repayments. The Mortgage Interest Supplement scheme closed to new entrants from 1 January 2014, and no new applications were accepted from this date. The scheme was wound down for people who were getting Mortgage Interest Supplement before 1 January 2014 over a 4-year period and closed on 31 December 2017. However, claimants who were getting MIS payments that were due to end on that date continue to get payments under the Supplementary Welfare Scheme from 1 January 2018.

Diet Supplement is a payment to help with the cost of a special diet prescribed by your doctor or hospital consultant (it is no longer paid to new applicants).

Heating Supplement is a payment to help people who have extra heating needs with the cost of heating their home. For example, people that are ill or have a disability.

Additional Needs Payment is a payment to help with an expense that you cannot pay from your weekly income or other personal and household resources . For example, it can help with funeral costs, housing costs and fuel bills. You must have a low income.

If you are unhappy with the decision of a Community Welfare Officer on your application, you can appeal the decision to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office. The Social Welfare Appeals Office deals with appeals relating to basic SWA and some SWA supplements.

You cannot appeal decisions on Additional Needs Payments. However, you can ask for an internal review to re-examine decisions on these payments. You should try to submit as much additional information as possible to help your case.