Blanchardstown & Dublin 15 Citizens Information Centre
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Know your Rights: September 2011

Applying for a medical card

Q. My husband has just lost his job, so I think that we will qualify for a medical card now. What is the best way to apply?

The quickest way is to apply online at www.medicalcard.ie. If you are eligible you will be able to print out an application pack, which you then sign and return to the HSE at the address below.

If your income is too high, you will be able to see this immediately and the HSE will provide you with an assessment of your application within fifteen days. You can also download a medical card application form from the HSE website or get a form from your Local Health Office.

Completed forms should be sent to

Client Registration Unit, P.O. Box 11745, Finglas, Dublin 11.

If you have any questions before you send your application Lo-call 1890 252 919 or contact your Local Health Office.

If you are over the income guidelines you may still be eligible on a discretionary basis and you should contact your Local Health Office.

If you do not qualify for a medical card, you will be automatically assessed for a GP Visit Card. This covers the cost of visits to your GP, but not any prescriptions that you may need.

Further information is available from the Citizens Information Centre below.
Know Your Rights has been compiled by Blanchardstown Citizens Information Service which provides a free and confidential service to the public. Tel: 0761 075060 Address: Westend House, Snugborough Road Blanchardstown Dublin 15 Information is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service, Lo-call 1890 777 121 or (021 4521600).

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Changes in the Household Benefits Package

Q. I am a pensioner and I get the Household Benefits Package. What will the recent changes to this scheme mean to me?

There are a number of changes to the value of the Household Benefits Package from September 2011. There are no changes in the qualifying conditions.

The annual value of the Electricity Allowance is being reduced from 2,400 units a year to 1,800 units. That means you are now entitled to 300 free units in each two-monthly billing period. If you do not use all your free units, up to 1200 unused free units may be carried forward between each billing period. The allowance continues to cover the standing charge and the Public Service Obligation (PSO) levy.

The value of the Electricity (Group Account) Allowance is being reduced from €43.80 to €35.80 a month.

The Natural Gas Allowance is being reduced from €52 every two months in the summer (June to November) to €42 and from €111 every two months in winter to €89. The total allowance for a year will be €393. The Bottled Gas Refill Allowance is being reduced from €40.70 a month (€489 a year) to €32.70 a month (€311 a year).

The Telephone Allowance is being reduced from €21.41 plus VAT each month (€311 a year) to €18.36 plus VAT a month (€267 a year). If you have a hearing or vision impairment, the allowance also covers the cost of renting a special telephone, subject to availability.

There is no change in the Free Television Licence.

Also, the Fuel Allowance is to be standardised at €20 a week from September 2011. There will be no additional allowance for living in a smokeless area.

Further information is available from the Citizens Information Centre below.

Know Your Rights has been compiled by Blanchardstown Citizens Information Service which provides a free and confidential service to the public. Tel: 0761 075060 Address: Westend House, Snugborough Road Blanchardstown Dublin 15 Information is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service, Lo-call 1890 777 121 or (021 4521600).

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Social welfare pensions and spouses of self-employed people

Q. My husband had a small business, and I worked in it part-time. He has just sold it and retired and is getting a State Pension. Someone said that I might get a State Pension in my own right. Is this true?

If, in practice, you and your husband were working in a partnership but did not claim to be in a partnership when making tax and PRSI returns you can claim partnership status retrospectively.

Each case is investigated by the Department of Social Protection under the spouses’ partnership criteria. If you wish to claim partnership retrospectively you must have adequate supporting documentation for the relevant years.

If a Social Welfare Inspector from the Scope Section of the Department of Social Protection decides that a business partnership existed you can pay your Class S contributions retrospectively. The contributions due are worked out by splitting the income from the partnership (for each year the partnership existed) between you and your husband. The PRSI liabilities are then recalculated. Any additional PRSI contributions due can then be collected from you. If the deciding officer decides that a partnership did not exist you may appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.

It is important to remember that even if a partnership existed and you pay any outstanding social insurance contributions this does not entitle you to a State Pension (Contributory) at age 66 unless you meet all the other criteria. You should check the full eligibility conditions for benefits and pensions on welfare.ie before deciding whether to apply for retrospective partnership status.

If you don’t qualify for a State Pension (Contributory) in your own right, either your husband can claim for you as a dependent on his pension, or you can apply for a means-tested non-contributory pension for yourself.

Further information is available from the Citizens Information Centre below.

Know Your Rights has been compiled by Blanchardstown Citizens Information Service which provides a free and confidential service to the public. Tel: 0761 075060 Address: Westend House, Snugborough Road Blanchardstown Dublin 15 Information is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service, Lo-call 1890 777 121 or (021 4521600).

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Cycle to Work Scheme

Q I am thinking of saving money by cycling to work instead of getting the bus. How do I claim the tax relief on a new bike?

The Cycle to Work Scheme is a tax incentive scheme which aims to encourage employees to cycle to and from work. Under the scheme employers can pay up to €1,000 for a bicycle and bicycle equipment for each of their employees. The repayment for the bicycle and equipment is then deducted from your gross salary (this means before income tax, PRSI, pension levies or Universal Social Charge are deducted) over a period of up to 12 months.

Your employer does not have to take part in the scheme. However if they do, they must offer it to all their employees.

The scheme applies to new bicycles and pedelecs (electrically assisted bicycles which require some effort from the cyclist). It does not cover motorbikes, scooters or mopeds. It also applies to certain safety equipment, such as helmets and reflective clothing.

Usually, you visit the shop, select the equipment you wish to buy and have the shop invoice your employer directly for the cost. Note that the tax exemption does not apply if you pay for the bicycle and are reimbursed by your employer – the employer must pay for the bicycle.

These deductions can be made weekly, fortnightly or monthly depending on your salary payment arrangement. Your employer can also buy the bicycle on your behalf and not require you to pay for it.

You can only avail of the scheme once in a five-year period. This applies even if you do not purchase equipment up to the €1,000 limit. You must use the bicycle and safety equipment mainly for qualifying journeys. This means the whole or part (for example between home and train station) of a journey between your home and your normal place of work. You can find out more about the scheme on the Revenue Commissioner’s website.

Further information is available from the Citizens Information Centre below.

Know Your Rights has been compiled by Blanchardstown Citizens Information Service which provides a free and confidential service to the public. Tel: 0761 075060 9Address: Westend House, Snugborough Road Blanchardstown Dublin 15 Information is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service, Lo-call 1890 777 121 or (021 4521600).

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