{"id":167930,"date":"2025-11-30T17:42:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T17:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/167930\/"},"modified":"2025-11-30T17:42:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T17:42:11","slug":"full-list-of-december-cost-of-living-changes-from-social-welfare-to-bills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/167930\/","title":{"rendered":"Full list of December cost of living changes from social welfare to bills"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christmas is a notoriously expensive time of year, but there is good financial news for households across Ireland this December<\/p>\n

08:22, 30 Nov 2025Updated 08:22, 30 Nov 2025<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Between Christmas shopping and social occasions, December can be one of the most expensive months of the year, with many households nationwide struggling to make ends meet.<\/p>\n

Keeping homes warm throughout the winter chill can also present a financial burden for many families as energy bills continue to climb, making it more important than ever to keep a careful track of household budgets.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, when it comes to bills and the cost of living, there’s positive news ahead. Here’s a breakdown of all the money changes coming in December, from bills and benefits to everyday expenses.<\/p>\n

Social welfare<\/p>\n

Fuel Allowance<\/p>\n

Fuel Allowance season is nearly upon us, typically commencing in late September each year and concluding in April.<\/p>\n

It’s a payment designed to assist with the expense of heating your home throughout the winter months. It’s paid to just one person per household, reports RSVP Live.<\/p>\n

The Fuel Allowance scheme provides \u20ac33 weekly for 28 weeks, or can be distributed via two lump sum payments totalling \u20ac924.<\/p>\n

Whilst the current season has begun, individuals can still apply and qualify beyond the start date, though payments won’t be backdated. However, you’ll be eligible for future payments.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson from the Department of Social Protection informed RSVP Live: “The 2025\/26 Fuel Allowance season will commence on the week beginning Monday, 22 September 2025.”<\/p>\n

Further details can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Christmas Bonus<\/p>\n

The Christmas Bonus represents a one-off double week payment for individuals receiving a long-term social welfare payment – and it’s valued at 100% of your weekly scheme.<\/p>\n

You don’t need to apply for the Bonus either – if you’re eligible, you’ll receive it automatically. The Christmas Bonus will be distributed in December to individuals receiving a qualifying social welfare payment, and it’s typically paid alongside your social welfare payment.<\/p>\n

Those receiving the following payments will be eligible for the Christmas Bonus:<\/p>\n

Back to Education AllowanceBack to Work Enterprise AllowanceBack to Work Family DividendBeneficiary of Temporary Protection Weekly PaymentBlind PensionCarer’s AllowanceCarer’s BenefitCommunity EmploymentDaily Expenses AllowanceDeserted Wife’s AllowanceDeserted Wife’s BenefitDisability AllowanceDisablement BenefitDomiciliary Care AllowanceFarm AssistGuardian’s PaymentIllness BenefitInvalidity PensionJob Initiative SchemeJobseeker’s AllowanceJobseeker’s Transitional PaymentMagdalen Commission SchemeDeath Benefit Scheme (under the Occupational Injuries Scheme)One-Parent Family PaymentPartial Capacity BenefitRural Social SchemeState Pension (Contributory)State Pension (Non-contributory)Supplementary Welfare Allowance (long-term)T\u00fas (community work placement initiative)Bereaved Partner’s (Contributory) PensionBereaved Partner’s (Non-Contributory) PensionWork Placement Experience ProgrammeBills<\/p>\n

Public Service Obligation levy<\/p>\n

It’s anticipated that thousands of households will experience a reduction in their electricity costs in December.<\/p>\n

The Public Service Obligation (PSO) levy is a compulsory charge on all electricity customers that funds government schemes supporting renewable and sustainable electricity generation.<\/p>\n

At present, the PSO levy stands at \u20ac2.01 per month (excluding VAT) for domestic customers and \u20ac7.77 for small commercial customers.<\/p>\n

The Commission for the Regulation of Utilities has just announced a new levy rate, which is expected to come into effect on 1 December 2025 and last until 30 September 2026.<\/p>\n

The new rate for domestic customers is set to be \u20ac1.46 per month, while small commercial customers will face a monthly charge of \u20ac5.65.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Christmas is a notoriously expensive time of year, but there is good financial news for households across Ireland…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":167931,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,943,61,60],"class_list":["post-167930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-cost-of-living","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}