Parents to get first instalment of €1,000 childcare payment in August

PARENTS of the country’s 350,000 children under six will be paid the first instalment of the annual €1,000 childcare payment this August.

It was originally planned in last year’s budget that the first quarterly payment of €250 would be made in April but this was postponed while the administration of the scheme was finalised.

The first payment of the Early Childcare Supplement (ECS) will be made in August for the period April 1-June 30. The second payment for the third quarter of the year, July 1-September 30, will be made in October. From then, it will be made every three months.