Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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123. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection who receives the working family payment in a two-parent household; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14958/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly tax-free payment for employees with children which supports people in low paid employment. The WFP is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependents, and to offer a financial incentive to take up employment.

It is a targeted measure that is directly linked to household income and therefore directly supports low-income working families. To qualify for WFP, a family's income must be below a prescribed limit which varies in accordance with the number of qualified children. All family and household income is assessable for WFP and includes an applicant's and their spouse/partner's average net weekly assessable earnings from employment plus any other income such as other social welfare payments, income from self-employment, etc.

In a two-parent household, an application should be made by the parent who works as an employee for 38 or more hours per fortnight (in any combination of hours). The applicant can combine their weekly hours with their spouse, civil partner, or cohabitant's hours to meet this condition. Where hours are combined to satisfy the 38 hours per fortnight, the parent working the most hours each week should apply.

The easiest and fastest ways for customers to make an application for Working Family Payment is online via mywelfare.ie

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.