31,500 families missing out on welfare payments

MORE than 30,000 families are missing out on social welfare payments potentially worth over €170 million because they are unaware they qualify for them.

According to the most recent figures from the Department of Social and Family Affairs, just 18,500 families claim the Family Income Supplement (FIS), even though an estimated 50,000 are believed to qualify.

The supplement, a weekly tax-free payment, is designed to provide support for families with low earnings, the aim being to preserve the incentive to stay at work.