4,782 families in county Tipperary are to benefit from the enhanced Back to School clothing and Footwear Allowance from today. The payment is designed to support eligible families with the cost of school uniforms and footwear ahead of the upcoming school term.
The rates of payment are increased this year by €100 per child to reflect the ongoing cost of living pressures facing families. This means that €260 will be paid in respect of children aged 4-11 years old, while €385 will be paid in respect of children aged 12 years and over in second level education.
The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance remains open for applications until September 30th and eligible families are being encouraged to apply. Families will also benefit from a new free school books scheme, which starts for primary schools from September. The Dept. of Social protection is expanding the Hot School Meals programme to be available in all DEIS primary schools and special schools by the end of this year. The scheme will be further expanded beginning in 2024 to eventually include all remaining primary schools.
The Department is providing dedicated phone lines 071-9193318 and 0818-11-11-13 to answer enquiries relating to the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance during usual business hours Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 5.00pm. People also have the choice of emailing the Department at [email protected] if they have an enquiry regarding their application or entitlement.
The closing date to apply for this year’s Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is 30th September 2023.
Further information on the eligibility criteria for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is available at www.gov.ie/bscfa.
