Budget 2027 announcements. Implementation dates vary. · By K Imports

Budget 2027: Disability payments and employment supports

The new €500 payment, Wage Subsidy Scheme changes and additional disability services.

Sources checked 2026-10-07.

Who it affects and when

Audience: People receiving long-term disability payments, employers and disability-service users.

Timing: €500 payment announced for 2027; reduced Wage Subsidy minimum hours from April 2027.

Cost of disability: A €500 lump-sum Cost of Disability payment is announced for people receiving qualifying long-term disability payments. The Government describes a co-design process for a permanent payment from 2028; that future design is not settled.
Wage Subsidy Scheme: The minimum qualifying hours reduce from 15 to 8 per week from April 2027. The scheme extends to people moving from Illness Benefit to Partial Capacity Benefit. Work and Access communication/ISL grant hours also increase.
Services: The Government overview provides for 191,000 additional home-support and personal-assistance hours, 489 residential care packages, 1,500 new day-service places and 930 additional staff.

Check the actual qualifying-payment list and payment notice for the lump sum.
Use the Wage Subsidy Scheme's full employment conditions, not hours alone.
Apply for services through the relevant provider; national capacity figures are not guaranteed personal allocations.