Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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1418. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection , further to Parliamentary Question No. 293 of 10 April, the maximum age of an adoptee on their date of placement by which their parents or guardians are still eligible to receive the new baby grant; the exact definition of baby as pertains to the new baby grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19427/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Child Benefit is a monthly payment to the parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age. Child Benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16, 17 and 18 if they are in full-time education or full-time training, or have a disability and cannot support themselves. Child Benefit becomes payable in respect of newborn babies in the month after their birth, subject to the qualifying conditions.

As part of Budget 2025, a new baby grant of €280 was introduced. This is paid to families of babies born, or with children with a date of placement on or after 1 December 2024 in addition to their regular first month’s Child Benefit payment of €140. It is a once-off payment, providing additional financial support to a family to ensure adequate resources and that the material needs of a newborn are met. The grant is paid to the qualified person – usually the mother - provided that person did not become so qualified on a date later than one month after the birth or the day of placement of the qualified child.

For the purposes of the payment, "day of placement" has the same meaning as in section 2(1) of the Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019. It is defined as "the day on which a child who is, or is to be, adopted is placed physically in the care of the relevant parent with a view to the adoption of the child or, in the case of an intercountry adoption effected outside the State where the child has not previously been placed in the care of the relevant adopting parent, the day on which the child has been so placed following the adoption".

Where the qualification criteria for Child Benefit are satisfied in the month after the birth or day of placement, the grant automatically becomes payable alongside that first month’s Child Benefit payment. Where the qualification criteria for Child Benefit are not satisfied until after that period of the first month of a baby’s life, or the first month after the day of placement, the grant is not payable.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.