Budget 2026 -
A Missed Opportunity for Equality

Once-off supports received in Budget 25 were slashed in Budget 26. People with disabilities are being pushed further into poverty.

Once-off Measures

Measure	2025	2026	Change
Disability Support Grant €400 one-off payment	Paid€400	Removed€0	Loss of €400
Living Alone Allowance (lump sum) €200 one-off payment	Paid€200	Removed€0	Loss of €200
Fuel Allowance €300 one-off (2025) → €5 weekly increase in 2026 (€140 total)	Paid€300	Reduced/Not repeated€140	Net loss of €160
October double payment €254 one-off payment	Paid€254	Removed€0	Loss of €254
Electricity Credits €250 credit	Paid€250	Removed€0	Loss of €250
Total Value of One-off Supports	Paid€1,404	Removed€0	Loss of €1,264

The permanent increases — €10 per week on Disability Allowance and €5 per week on Fuel Allowance — total only €660 a year, leaving disabled people almost €1,000 worse off in real terms as carbon tax will wipe out any increase.

Please join our campaign by clicking the link to our easy to use tool to email your local representative

Take Action: Email your local representative

“Heat or Eat” – A Reality for Too Many

Through IWA’s consultation with over 700 members, we heard how temporary supports made the difference between warmth and hunger, independence and isolation.

“Disability poverty doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of a system that fails to recognise the real costs of living with a disability. Budget 2026 should have been the turning point – instead, it has turned backwards.”
— Joan Carthy, IWA Advocacy Manager

A Turning Point for Equality

With a new Programme for Government and a forthcoming National Disability Strategy, Ireland must finally match its commitments with delivery. People with disabilities should not bear the cost of “budget discipline” while national surpluses rise.

Join the Campaign – #CostOfDisabilityNow

We need your voice.  Email your local TDs and Senators today