Child Benefit payment dates for 2026 include several schedule changes due to bank holidays, with the €140 monthly payment continuing for all families
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2026 is fast approaching, and with it comes a fresh set of Child Benefit payment dates.
We’ve compiled the complete list for you – including any payment dates that might be altered due to bank holiday schedule changes.
Child Benefit is a monthly payment to parents or guardians of children aged 16 years and under.
Child Benefit is typically paid on the first Tuesday of every month, or earlier if a bank holiday means banks and post offices will be shut on the preceding Monday.
The rate stands at €140 per child.
Here are all the 2026 Child Benefit payment dates:
January 6February 3 (may be paid early due to St Brigid’s Day bank holiday on the 2nd)March 3April 7 (may be paid early due to Easter Monday bank holiday on the 6th)May 5 (may be paid early due to May bank holiday on the 4th)June 2 (may be paid early due to June bank holiday on the 1st)July 7August 4 (may be paid early due to August bank holiday on the 3rd)September 1October 6November 3December 1
Despite no increase or bonus being introduced for Child Benefit in Budget 2026, a two-tier payment system remains on the government’s future agenda, reports RSVP Live.
Earlier this year, Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed that the Government is contemplating a second-tier Child Benefit payment aimed at less affluent families in an effort to tackle child poverty.
The flat €140 payment will continue to be paid to everyone, irrespective of income. The €140 payment per child remains the same regardless of the number of children in the family.
However, according to senior government figures, a higher top-up rate could also be paid for the third and subsequent children to encourage more births.
A report by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) suggested that a second-tier child benefit targeting low-income households could lift up to 50,000 children out of poverty.
In a conversation with RTÉ’s This Week back in September, Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary stated that implementing the measure would require a “complete rejig” of existing payments, something that won’t be ready by the forthcoming Budget.
“We just need to look at the need to look at the supports already in place, in addition to the universal child benefit. We have the child support payment, which is paid in addition to child benefit to those on the lowest incomes,” he explained.
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