New baby grant paid for 771 children in Offaly

771 parents and families in Offaly benefitted from the Newborn Baby Grant in the first year since the grant was introduced, a Fine Gael TD has reported.

The Newborn Baby Grant was introduced last year and is paid to families of babies born or adopted after December 1, 2024 in addition to their regular first month’s Child Benefit payment of €140. The New Baby Grant is €280 per child, and for twins the grant is €560.

Figures obtained by Fine Gael from the Department of Social Protection show that the grant has been in respect of 47,633 children around the country to date. Dublin has the highest number of newborn babies with 13,127 grants paid up to December 9, while Leitrim had the lowest with 292 newborn baby grants paid in that county.

Deputy John Clendennen said: “The arrival of a new baby is a joyful time for families but it’s also an expensive time. The Newborn Baby Grant was introduced to help families with the costs of a new arrival.

“Looking after a new baby is a busy and stressful time for families. The good news is the newborn baby grant is paid automatically with your first child benefit payment, there is no additional application for the grant, so new parents don’t have to do anything extra to receive it.

“It’s fantastic to see that so many families across the country have benefitted from the grant in its first year. I’m particularly pleased to see 771 children in Offaly have benefited from the grant so far.

“Supports like this alongside the likes of the Free GP Card for Under 8s, Free Hot School Meals and Free School Books are all designed to make life a little bit easier for young, working families.

“I want to see key commitments in the Programme for Government such as the introduction of Pay Related Parents Benefit progressed so that we can provide further support to young, working families.”