A Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Non-Contributory) Pension is a means-tested payment payable to a widow, widower or surviving civil partner who does not qualify for a contributory widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner’s payment. This payment was formerly called the Widow's/Widower's (Non-Contributory) Pension.
Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Non-Contributory) Pension is a payment for widows, widowers or surviving civil partners who do not have dependent children. People with dependent children should apply for the One-Parent Family Payment.
You transfer to State Pension (Non-Contributory) when you reach 66 years of age.
This pension is taxable but you are unlikely to pay tax if it is your only income.
In order to qualify you must, of course, be a widow, widower or surviving civil partner and you must not be cohabiting with another person. You can keep your entitlement to this pension if you are divorced or your civil partnership has been dissolved, and you would have been entitled to this pension had you remained married or in the civil partnership.
You must also:
Your means are any income you have or property (except your own home) or an asset that could bring in money or provide you with an income.
Your means are assessed using specific rules under the following headings:
Any cash income you have is assessed in the means test. This includes income from a social security pension from another country. However, certain items of cash income are not taken into account in the means test. For example, earnings of up to €100 per week from employment (but not self-employment) are not taken into account. Any income from work above €100 is assessed as means.
Home help income: From January 2012 any income you get from working as a home help for the HSE is taken into account in the means test.
More information is available in our document about cash income not taken into account in the means test.
Savings, investments, cash on hand and any property you own (but not your own home) is assessed as capital. All your capital from different sources is added together and a special formula is then used to find your weekly means from capital.
The property and investments that may be assessed under this heading include savings in a bank account (or anywhere else), a house that you have let and stocks and shares. You may or may not be getting an income from the property or investment. Income from property already assessed on its capital value is not assessed in the means test - see cash income above.
More information is available in our document on how capital and property is assessed as means.
The value of the house you live in is not taken into account in the means test. However, any income you are getting from it is taken into account. For example, if you rented a room in your house, that income is assessed. There is an exception to this, if not renting the room means that you would be living alone then your income from rent is not taken into account.
Your means under the various headings are added together to see what level of pension, if any, you can get.
The first €7.60 per week of means as assessed by the Department of Social Protection does not affect the rate of pension. After that, the pension is reduced by €2.50 each week for every €2.50 of means.
Rate of payment in 2012:
| Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Non-Contributory) Pension | Weekly rate (max) |
| Widow, widower or surviving civil partner (under 66) | €188 |
Download and complete Form WP1 here (pdf). You can also get application forms from post offices.
Social Welfare Services
College Road
Sligo
Ireland
Tel:(071) 915 7100
Locall:1890 500 000
Homepage: http://www.welfare.ie/
You can email the Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s
(Non-Contributory) Pension section using the secure Widow's,
Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Non-Contributory) Pension enquiry
form.