Ireland HAP Calculator 2026

HAP is the long-term social housing support that replaced Rent Supplement for new applicants. Your local authority pays the landlord directly each month up to a published rent limit. You pay a weekly differential rent to the council based on your income, just like a council tenant. If the actual rent exceeds the HAP limit (plus any flexibility), you pay the difference to the landlord as a top-up.

You qualify for HAP if your local authority has approved you for social housing support, you have found or already live in private rented accommodation, the tenancy is registered with the RTB and the landlord is tax compliant, and the property suits your household size and meets minimum standards. You do not need to be homeless to qualify. Approval for social housing support is the gateway, and that is where the income limit applies.

To qualify for HAP your net household income must be below your council's social housing threshold: EUR 40,000 for a single person in Band 1 areas (the four Dublin councils, Cork City, Galway City, Meath, Kildare, Wicklow), EUR 35,000 in Band 2 counties, and EUR 30,000 in Band 3 counties. The limit rises by 5% of the basic figure per additional adult (two extra adults maximum) and 2.5% per child, so a couple with two children can earn up to EUR 44,000 in Band 1, EUR 38,500 in Band 2 and EUR 33,000 in Band 3. Income is assessed net, after tax, PRSI and USC, averaged over the 12 months before your application. See the full table for all 31 councils.

Net. The social housing income limit is assessed on household income after income tax, PRSI and USC. The local authority looks at your household’s average net income for the 12 months before it received your application, so a single unusual month does not decide it. Once you are approved and on HAP there is no ongoing income limit, but you must report income changes so your weekly contribution can be recalculated.

It depends on your council and household size, and the figures come from S.I. No. 56 of 2017. They run from EUR 330 per month for one adult in Longford or Monaghan to EUR 1,300 per month for a household with three children in the four Dublin councils. Your council can exceed the published limit at its discretion by up to 35%, and by up to 50% for homeless households in the Dublin region. The full 31 council table is set out above.

A single adult renting a whole property qualifies for a limit between EUR 330 and EUR 660 per month depending on the council. The lowest is EUR 330 in Longford and Monaghan; the highest is EUR 660 in Dublin City, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, South Dublin and Wicklow. For a room in shared accommodation the range is EUR 180 to EUR 430. Councils may apply discretion of up to 35%, and can also assess a single person at the couple rate.

Your differential rent is calculated by your local authority's own scheme. Every council uses a different formula. Each scheme has a rate (typically 10% to 25% depending on the local authority), an income disregard, child deductions, and a minimum rent. Use our Differential Rent Calculator for a council-by-council breakdown.

Local authorities can increase the standard HAP rent limit by up to 35% on a case-by-case basis where the household cannot find suitable accommodation within the standard limit. The Dublin region can increase by up to 50% for households presenting as homeless under Homeless HAP.

Homeless HAP is an enhanced form of the scheme for households who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. In the four Dublin local authorities it is administered through the Dublin Region Homeless Executive and carries a discretionary uplift of up to 50% above the standard limit, rather than the 35% available elsewhere. Outside Dublin, councils grant enhanced discretion case by case. The Place Finder service can pay a deposit and up to two months rent in advance.

If the actual monthly rent on a property exceeds the effective HAP limit (standard limit plus any 35% or 50% flexibility applied), the tenant pays the difference directly to the landlord as a top-up. This is in addition to the weekly differential rent paid to the local authority. Top-ups are common in high-demand areas where market rents outpace HAP limits.

No. Under the Equal Status Acts 2000-2018, a landlord cannot discriminate against a prospective tenant on the basis that they are in receipt of HAP, Rent Supplement, or any other social welfare payment. This is the "housing assistance ground" added in 2015. Refusing a tenant solely because they receive HAP is illegal and can be challenged through the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).

When you accept HAP, you are considered to have your housing need met and are removed from the main social housing waiting list. You can apply for a transfer to council or AHB housing through the transfer list. Your accumulated waiting time may carry over depending on your council's transfer policy. Confirm the local rules with your housing department before accepting HAP.

You must notify your local authority of any change in income. Your weekly differential rent (the amount you pay the council) will be recalculated. The HAP payment to the landlord is unchanged. Only your tenant contribution moves.

No. The maximum monthly rent limits in force in 2026 are those set by S.I. No. 56 of 2017, which came into operation on 1 March 2017 and have not been revised since. Standardised average rent for new tenancies rose sharply over that period, and councils have bridged the gap with discretion instead: at the end of 2024 close to 70% of HAP households received an uplift averaging 29% above their limit. A Department review of the limits was under way in April 2026.

It is free with no sign-up, and nothing you enter leaves your browser. The rent limits are taken directly from S.I. No. 56 of 2017 and every one of the 31 councils has been checked against it. The differential rent engine reproduces each council’s published scheme, including graduated bands, two tier rates, income disregards, child and OAP deductions and minimum rents. Your local authority still makes the binding assessment from your documents, so treat this as a guide.