Persons in receipt of the COVID PUP payment may be entitled to the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BTSCFA).

The Department of Social Protection are currently issuing correspondence in relation to the BTSCFA. Families who have received a letter by 21st June will be paid automatically. Those that think they may be entitled to the allowance but did not receive a letter or are a new applicant are advised to apply online at MyWelfare.ie or request a paper application form from the Department of Social Protection.

Anne Marie O’Reilly Information Officer Ennis Citizens Information Centre explained, “There is some additional information regarding the BTSCFA that many people may not be aware of, for example, people who are in receipt of the Covid PUP payment may be entitled to the BTSCFA if their household income is below a certain threshold for their family size; where there is a child who is 18 or older and still in second-level education, an application must be made and evidence provided that they are still in secondary school, even if the payment is going to be automatically paid for other children in the family”.