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Child Benefit calculator

Child Benefit is €140 a month for each child, unchanged in Budget 2027. Twins get one and a half times the rate each, and triplets or more get double. Enter your children to see your monthly and yearly total.

Year
Child Benefit a month 
A year
 
Children
 
Monthly breakdown

This is an estimate for general information, based on the rates and rules described on this page. It is not financial, tax or legal advice and does not take account of your full circumstances. Check your own position with the Department of Social Protection, the relevant scheme or Citizens Information before making a decision. Terms of use.

Illustration for the child benefit calculator

How Child Benefit is worked out

Each child gets the monthly rate of €140. A child who is a twin gets 1.5 times the rate (€210), and a child from a multiple birth of 3 or more gets 2 times the rate (€280). The yearly figure is the monthly total times 12.

Example. A family with one older child and a set of twins gets €140 for the older child plus 2 x €210 for the twins: €560 a month, or €6,720 a year.

Over a child's life, Child Benefit from birth to age 18 comes to about €30,240 at today's rate (€140 x 12 x 18), if they stay in full-time education after 16.

Who gets it

Child Benefit is paid for every child under 16, and for children aged 16, 17 and 18 in full-time education or training, or with a disability. The payment for 18-year-olds was added in 2024. It goes to the mother or stepmother in most cases, and to the parent the child lives with most of the time if the parents live apart.

Not included: the Child Support Payment (an increase on some other welfare payments for each child), the Working Family Payment, and Child Benefit paid at the top-up rate to families also getting family benefits from another EU country or the UK.

Sources

Rates last checked 10 October 2026. Every figure is listed on rates and sources.

Figures marked as announced come from Budget 2027 and are not law until the Finance Act 2026 is signed.

Questions

How much is Child Benefit?
€140 a month for each child in 2026, or €1,680 a year. Budget 2027 left the rate unchanged at €140 a month for 2027.
How much Child Benefit do you get for twins?
Each twin gets one and a half times the normal rate: €210 a month per child, or €420 a month for the pair. Triplets and larger multiple births get double the rate: €280 a month for each child.
Until what age is Child Benefit paid?
Until the child turns 16. It continues for children aged 16, 17 and 18 who are in full-time education or training, or who have a disability and cannot support themselves. It stops before the child turns 19, even if they stay in education.
When is Child Benefit paid?
On the first Tuesday of each month, into your bank account. For a new baby, the first payment is at the start of the month after the birth.
Is Child Benefit taxed or means tested?
Neither. Child Benefit is not taxable and does not depend on your income or PRSI record. You need to live in Ireland and meet the habitual residence condition.
What is the New Baby Grant?
A once-off €280 per child, paid with the first month of Child Benefit for children born or adopted on or after 1 December 2024. Twins get €560.
How do I apply for Child Benefit?
For a baby born in Ireland, the claim usually starts automatically when you register the birth: the Department of Social Protection contacts you to confirm details. Otherwise apply on MyWelfare.ie within 12 months of the birth or of the child joining your family.

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