Child Benefit recipients are set to receive next month’s payment a couple of days earlier than usual due to a schedule shake up thanks to the upcoming May bank holiday
Dara Calleary (Image: Collins)
Parents are set to receive their May Child Benefit payments early due to a schedule shake up.
May 4 marks the May Bank Holiday Monday in just a matter of weeks. Because of this, banks and post offices will be closed on that day.
This means that anyone expecting a social welfare payment on the 4th will most likely be paid early. It is expected that you will see your payment land in your account on Friday the 1st or Saturday the 2nd of May.
Because of the bank holiday, anyone in receipt of Child Benefit on the 5th of May will most likely also be paid early, on the Friday or Saturday also. This is to ensure that no one receives a late payment as a result of the banks being closed.
Parents will see Child Benefit paid early for a few months in a row, as Easter Monday resulted in April’s payment landing in accounts early, and the May and June bank holidays will also impact payment dates. Below is a list of Child Benefit payment dates for the rest of the year – as well as the months they’re likely to be paid early:
5th May (may be paid early due to May bank holiday on the 4th)2nd June (may be paid early due to June bank holiday on the 1st)7th July4th August (may be paid early due to August bank holiday on the 3rd)1st September6th October3rd November1st December
The payment date change comes as no increase or bonus was introduced in regard to Child Benefit in Budget 2026, but a two-tier payment system is still in the government’s plans in the future. Last year, Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed that the Government is considering a second-tier Child Benefit payment targeted at poorer families in a bid to combat child poverty.
The €140 flat payment will still be paid to everyone, regardless of income. The €140 payment per child is currently the same regardless of the number of children in the family.
However, a higher top-up rate could also be paid for the third and subsequent children to encourage more births, according to senior figures in the Government. A report by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) said a second-tier child benefit targeting low-income households could lift children up to 50,000 children of poverty.
Speaking to RTÉ’s This Week back in September, Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary said the introduction of the measure would involve a “complete rejig” of existing payments which will not be in effect by the 2026 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 said.
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