MORE people in Donegal will be eligible for the Fuel Allowance from next week, according to Letterkenny councillor Jimmy Kavanagh.
The Fuel Allowance is a weekly payment of €38 to help households with heating costs between September and April each year.
From next Thursday, the payment will be extended to those in receipt of Working Family Payment and will be backdated to January this year.
This means that 50,000 additional households will now receive the Fuel Allowance.
The newly eligible families will receive backdated payments of up to €380 next Thursday, together with their weekly Working Family Payment.
There are 2,428 recipients of the Working Family Payment in Donegal who will now qualify for Fuel Allowance.
From January 2026, the weekly rate of Fuel Allowance was increased by €5 a week to €38, giving a total per recipient of €1,064 each year.
As a result of last night’s announcement, more than 470,000 households are now being supported by the Fuel Allowance.
Welcoming the announcement, Cllr Kavanagh urged those who may be eligible to apply for the allowance.
“I encourage anyone who may be eligible to apply for the allowance, which will go a long way in supporting households in Donegal through the winter months,” Cllr Kavanagh concluded.
