Invalidity Pension Ireland: Employee Eligibility & Application Process

Ireland’s Invalidity Pension is a social insurance payment for employees unable to work due to long-term illness or disability.

This guide covers what employers need to know, from eligibility criteria to payments and more.

What Is the Invalidity Pension in Ireland?

Invalidity Pension is a weekly payment made to people covered by Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) who cannot work due to prolonged sickness or disability in Ireland.

Your employees can receive an Invalidity Pension up to age 66; at this point, they are automatically transferred to the full rate of the State Pension (Contributory).

How Can Employees Qualify for Invalidity Pension?

To qualify for Invalidity Pension, your employees must meet certain medical and social insurance (PRSI) conditions.

A. Medical Rules 

To avail of Invalidity Pension:

• Your employees must be unfit or unable to work because of an illness or disability, and 

• Your employees must have been incapable of working for at least 12 months and should also be incapable of working for at least another 12 months, or

• Your employees must be permanently unfit and incapable of working due to a severe illness or disability.

A Deciding Officer from the Department of Social Protection (DSP) must determine that your workers meet the medical criteria to qualify for Invalidity Pension.

B. Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) Contributions

Only the following PRSI classes can apply for Invalidity Pension:

• Class A: People employed in commercial, industrial, or service employment.

• Class E: Minister of Religion employed by the Church of Ireland representative body.

• Class H: Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) and enlisted personnel from Defence Forces.

• Class S: Self-employed people.

To qualify for Invalidity Pension, your employees must meet both of the following conditions for PRSI contributions:

• At least 260 PRSI contributions paid (which would amount to five years of contributions).

• 48 weeks of PRSI contributions paid in the last or second last contribution year before your relevant date.

What’s the relevant date?

The DSP sets the relevant date based on the commencement date of your employees' permanent incapacity for work. 

Can Employees Work While Receiving Invalidity Pension?

Individuals receiving Invalidity Pension cannot do paid work.

If your employee wants to return to employment (or self-employment), they must transfer from Invalidity Pension to Partial Capacity Benefit.

They can qualify for Partial Capacity Benefit only if the limitation on their capacity for work is moderate, severe, or profound.

However, to continue receiving their Invalidity Pension payment while attending education or training courses, your employees should contact the Invalidity Pension section and obtain written permission.

Remember: To receive Invalidity Pension, your employees must meet the medical conditions and social insurance contributions and apply on time.

When Should Employees Apply for Invalidity Pension in Ireland?

Your employees can apply any time after completing one year of incapacity for work — there is no specific date of application.

They can also apply before the completion of their one-year period only if a medical professional has prescribed it and they fulfil the relevant medical criteria and PRSI conditions we discussed above. To enquire about Invalidity Pension, have your employees contact the Invalidity Pension department.

Further Reading

• Find out the eligibility criteria for Illness Benefit in Ireland (and other social welfare payments your employees can claim along with it). 

• Have soon-to-be fathers on your team? Get the lowdown on Paternity Benefit, including when and how they can apply for it in Ireland.

• Want your UK teams to stay worry-free in their post-retirement years? Explore the UK’s Defined Contribution Pension Scheme.

How Much Is the Invalidity Pension in Ireland?

In 2025, Invalidity Pension is paid at a maximum personal rate of €249.50.  

Your employees may get an increase in their Invalidity Pension rate if they have any adult or child dependants.

A. Increase for Adult Dependants

As of January 2025, for qualified adult dependants, your employees can receive a maximum increase of €178.30 on their invalidity pension, depending on their income.

They can obtain an increase on Invalidity Pension for adult dependants if: 

• Their adult dependant earns less than €100/week. In this case, they will receive the full-rate increase, or 

• Their adult dependant makes between €100 and €310 per week. In this case, they’ll get a half-rate increase.

Your employees will not be eligible for an adult-dependant increase if the dependant's weekly income is more than  €310.

B. Increase for Child Dependants 

If your employees have a child dependant(s), they’ll receive an increase based on their child’s age.

As of January 2025:’

• If their child is under 12 years of age, they get an increase of:

  • €50 (full rate)

  • €25 (half-rate)

• If their child’s age is 12 years or above, they get an increase of:

  • €62 (full rate)

  • €31 (half-rate)

The catch?

Your employees won’t get an increase in their payment for child dependants if their spouse, civil partner, or cohabitant has weekly earnings of more than €400. 

But they may get a half-rate increase for a child dependant if their spouse, civil partner, or cohabitant earns between €310 and €400 a week.

Do Employees Need to Pay Tax on Invalidity Pension?

Invalidity Pension is taxable. It may be taxed fully or at a specific amount based on your employees’ circumstances. 

The Department of Social Protection does not deduct taxes before making the Invalidity Pension payment. 

However, to ensure the correct tax amount is paid, they will inform the Revenue about the taxable amount to be taken from Invalidity Pension for income tax purposes.

So your employees won’t have to do anything to pay the correct tax amount. 

When Is Invalidity Pension Paid to Employees?

Invalidity Pension has no specified payment date. Your employees can receive it on any day from Monday to Saturday.

The Invalidity Pension payment is made until the claimant: 

• Resumes their employment/ self-employment 

• Chooses to transfer to another social welfare payment 

• Qualifies for another pension that pays a higher rate

• Is disqualified from receiving Invalidity Pension 

• Is transferred to State Pension (Contributory) at 66 years

• Passes away

Once your employee resumes work, they must submit medical evidence, i.e., final medical certificates showing they are well enough to continue employment, after which the Invalidity Pension payment is discontinued.

Are your employees ready to apply for Invalidity Pension?

Let’s see how they can do that.

How Can Employees Apply for Invalidity Pension in Ireland 

To apply for Invalidity Pension, your employees must fill out the Invalidity Pension form (INV1 Form).

The form is available online at gov.ie, but your employees can also get it from their Intreo Center or the Social Welfare Branch Office.

Here are some details they’ll need to fill out in their INV1 form:

• PPS (Personal Public Service) number

• Personal details

• Contact details

• Work and claim details 

• Payment details 

• Details of their qualified child/children

• Spouse, civil partner, and cohabitant details (including work and claim details)

• Other payment details 

Have your employees received Illness Benefit for 468 days?

They may be able to transfer from Illness Benefit to Invalidity Pension. 

Your employees will have to complete the medical assessment conducted by the DSP. This will help them determine if they continue to qualify for illness benefit and meet the Invalidity Pension requirements.

If they meet the qualifying conditions for Invalidity Pension in their medical assessment, they’ll be sent a new Invalidity Pension form (INV2) to apply for it.

Where Can Employees Apply for Invalidity Pension?

Once your employees have completed their INV1 or INV2 application form, they can submit their Invalidity Pension application to the following address:

Invalidity Pension Section

Social Welfare Services Office

Government Buildings

Ballinalee Road

Longford

N39 E4E0

Ireland

They can also contact the department for support at: 

• Tel: (043) 334 0000 or 0818 927 770

• Website: https://www.gov.ie/en/service/d148b9-invalidity-pension/

• Email: [email protected]

Learn more about Contacting the Invalidity Pension Section. 

Returning to Employment After Receiving Invalidity Pension

The Nationwide EmployAbility Service provides employment support to people with disabilities, health conditions, and injuries.

Some of the employment support services they offer are:

• Individual needs assessment 

• Job sourcing 

• Career planning and vocational profiling

• Support and mentoring follow-up 

• Coaching and on-job support 

They also provide some other schemes, which include:

A. Community Employment

The Community Employment scheme assists long-term unemployed (or otherwise disadvantaged) people in returning to work. 

It provides regular part-time employment and temporary placements in jobs based in local communities. 

People who avail of the community employment scheme cannot simultaneously claim other social welfare payments.

B. Back to Work Enterprise Allowance

The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) scheme encourages people receiving social welfare payments to become self-employed.

People participating in the BTWEA scheme can keep a percentage of their social welfare payments for two years — 100% for the first year and 75% for the second year.

Disabled individuals who want to pursue self-employment full-time and have received Invalidity Pension for at least nine months can apply through the Department of Social Protection.

C. Back to Education Allowance

A person receiving Invalidity Pension can apply for Back to Education Allowance (BETA), which allows them to choose between second-level and third-level education options. 

People who receive a Back to Education Allowance are not permitted to work full-time and are ineligible for the Community Employment and Social Economy Program.

Can Employees Get Invalidity Pension Outside Ireland?  

Invalidity Pension is an exportable benefit; even if your employees move out of Ireland, they can continue to receive the Invalidity Pension payments in other countries.

Your employees must notify the Department of Social Protection that they plan to move from Ireland.

The Ireland-United Kingdom Social Security Convention ensures that citizens of either jurisdiction who work (or have worked) in the other jurisdiction can benefit from national or social insurance contributions.

A frontier worker living and working in the Republic of Ireland can avail of Invalidity Pension provided they meet the medical and social insurance criteria. 

Other Benefits Available for Sick and Disabled People in Ireland  

Alongside Invalidity Pension, your employees can also obtain other social welfare payments.

Some social welfare benefits available for sick and disabled people in Ireland are:

• Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA): People with no income source waiting for their Invalidity Pension claim can apply for SWA. It’s a weekly payment made to people who cannot meet ends. Once they start receiving their Invalidity Pension payment, the amount received through SWA will be deducted from it.

• Injury Benefit: A payment made at a weekly rate to your employees if they have experienced an on-the-job accident or contracted a disease due to their type of work, causing them to be unfit and unable to work.

• Blind Pension: A means-tested payment made to blind and visually impaired people living in Ireland.

• Treatment Benefit Scheme: Run by the Department of Social Protection, the Treatment Benefit Scheme assists people in completing the required number of PRSI contribution conditions needed to pay for dental, optical, and aural services.

• Disablement Benefit: If your employees suffer a loss of physical or mental faculties due to a workplace accident or have contracted a prescribed disease at work, they can apply for Disablement Benefit.

• Disability Allowance: This is a weekly payment your employees can receive if they suffer from an injury, illness, or disability that’s expected to last more than a year. 

• Occupational Injuries Scheme: If your worker becomes injured or incapacitated because of an accident at work or while travelling to and from work, they can apply for the Occupational Injuries Benefit scheme that provides various benefits to the sick and injured.

• Medical Care Scheme: This is a medical cost reimbursement scheme for insured employees who are injured while working or infected by a prescribed occupational disease.

• Domiciliary Care Allowance: It’s a monthly payment made to a caregiver looking after a severely disabled child who lives at home.

Additionally, when your employees receive Invalidity Pension, they’re also eligible for other benefits, such as:

• Free travel in Ireland: The Free Travel Scheme allows your employees to travel on public transportation and certain private bus and ferry services for free. Anyone aged 66 and over who lives permanently in Ireland is also eligible to avail of the travel pass under the Free Travel Scheme. Individuals with disabilities and caregivers under 66 may also qualify for Free Travel.

• Household Benefits package: The Household Benefits Package (HBP) helps people manage their expenses, such as paying for their electricity or gas bill and television license. One person per household can avail of the HBP. 

• Living Alone Increase: Supplementary increase for people receiving social welfare payments and living alone.

• Fuel Allowance: An allowance paid to low-income households unable to meet their heating needs.

• Telephone Support Allowance: Supplementary allowance for people receiving the Living Alone Increase and Fuel allowance and getting certain social welfare payments.

• Increase for Living on a Specified Island: If your employees receive social welfare payments and reside on a specified island off the coast of Ireland, they can increase their payments.

Building a Supportive Workplace for Your Team

Invalidity Pension is a vital safety net for employees unable to work due to illness. 

By understanding how it works, you can confidently guide your team through the process while showing genuine care for their well-being. A supportive approach benefits both your employees and the overall culture of your workplace.