€25. That's the weekly boost Social Justice Ireland has recommended for core social welfare payments in Budget 2027, a rise the think tank says would lift the basic rate to about €279 and add roughly €1,300 a year for many recipients. The proposal ties the increase to a benchmarking target of 27.5 percent of average earnings and urges the Government to begin the move in Budget 2027 and continue closing the gap in Budget 2028. Budget 2027 is set for 6 October 2026, and the Government published its Summer Economic Statement on 22 July 2026.
€25 per week is the headline figure Social Justice Ireland says would move core rates towards a clear earnings benchmark. The think tank calculated average weekly household earnings at the start of 2026 as €1,011.34. At 27.5 percent of that number, a weekly welfare rate would be about €278.12, which Social Justice Ireland rounds to roughly €279 as its target.
What the recommendation would do
Social Justice Ireland frames the call as a response to sustained inflation and higher essential costs that continue to hit low-income households and people on core welfare schemes. The proposal would raise the basic weekly rate by at least €25 and introduce a formal indexation mechanism to link core rates to movements in average earnings. The think tank also wants a roadmap for indexation to be published in 2027 and for the Government to commit to beginning closure of the gap in Budget 2027 and completing further progress in Budget 2028.
Budget 2026 increased all core social welfare payments by €10 per week. Social Justice Ireland notes that measure cost the State more than €1 billion, benefited about 1.5 million people, and amounted to an extra €520 million per year in payments. Most standard working-age welfare schemes currently top out at about €254 per week, covering Jobseeker's Allowance, Jobseeker's Benefit, Illness Benefit, and the One-Parent Family Payment.
Carer supports sit at higher rates. Family Carers Ireland has urged that Carer's Allowance and Carer's Benefit be raised to €325 per week and cited research showing 71 percent of carers struggle to make ends meet.
€3.73 billion. That's the Dáil costing supplied when People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett asked about raising all principal weekly social welfare payments to a flat rate of €350. The Parliamentary reply set out further price tags of about €6.6 billion for a €400 rate and roughly €9.59 billion for a €450 rate. Combined scenarios in the response can reach an approximate €20 billion depending on which package is chosen. The Dáil figures include proportional increases for qualified adults and for reduced-rate claimants where relevant and note that the numbers are subject to revision as recipient numbers and trends evolve.
The Government has already signalled the fiscal frame for those choices. Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris confirmed Budget 2027 will be delivered on 6 October 2026 and, in the Summer Economic Statement, said the Government has space for roughly €7 billion in additional spending. Mr Harris told RTÉ that personal income tax changes will be a priority alongside measures to reward work, and that the Government intends to maintain budget surpluses given the Irish economy's exposure to the global outlook.
Policy mechanics matter. Social Justice Ireland wants the benchmark to start at a minimum of 27.5 percent of average earnings and for the Government to publish a clear indexation roadmap in 2027. The Dáil costings make clear any large-scale uplift would need to be applied proportionally to qualified adults and reduced-rate recipients, which significantly increases headline costs.
The choices fall into three practical trade-offs. First, how much to prioritise immediate increases for current recipients. Second, whether to index core rates to earnings and how quickly to implement that link. Third, how to balance welfare rises against other demands in the budget envelope, including tax measures the Government has signalled it wants to use to reward work.
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Budget 2027 on 6 October 2026 is the next definitive point for whether the Government adopts the €25 call or a different package.
This article was created with AI assistance.
