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Learn more →Ireland · Social housing eligibility
Social Housing Income Checker
Work out the net income limit that applies to your household, and whether you come in under it. Free, nothing stored, no sign up.
Limits €40,000 / €35,000 / €30,000
Plus 5% per extra adult
Plus 2.5% per child
The short answer. To go on a local authority housing list in Ireland your household’s net income must be under a maximum limit. The basic limit for a single person is €40,000, €35,000 or €30,000 depending on which local authority area you live in. Those figures have applied since 1 January 2023, when every limit rose by €5,000.
The limit then rises with your household. You add 5% of the basic limit for each additional adult, capped at 10% or two additional adults, and 2.5% of the basic limit for each child. The assessment uses your household’s average net income over the previous 12 months, which is income after income tax, USC, PRSI and Additional Superannuation Contribution, for everyone aged 18 or over, not gross pay.
Most people who think they are over the line have used their gross salary, or forgotten to add the uplift for their children. Both mistakes push you the wrong way.
Maintained by Rentalize, a Dublin-based property management software company (CRO 765596) whose platform is used across Ireland and the UK by private landlords, letting agents, property management companies, developers and funds, local authorities and approved housing bodies. Written against the social housing income bands published by each local authority. Last reviewed August 2026.
Check your household limit
Nothing is stored or sent anywhere.
The basic limit for a single person is set by Regulations 19 to 21 of the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011. The EUR 40,000 band covers Cork City, Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, Galway City, Kildare, Meath, South Dublin and Wicklow. The EUR 35,000 band covers Carlow, Clare, Cork County, Galway County, Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Louth, Waterford, Westmeath and Wexford. The EUR 30,000 limit applies in Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and Tipperary. These are maximums: a council may set a lower limit (Regulations 19(3), 20(3), 21(3)).
Not counting you.
Per year, after tax.
Result
How the limit was worked out
What to do next
How the household uplift works
The basic limit is for one person living alone. Every extra person in the household raises it, but adults and children are treated differently, and only the adult uplift is capped.
| Household member | Uplift | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Each additional adult aged 18 or over | 5% of the basic limit | 10%, which is two additional adults |
| Each child under 18 | 2.5% of the basic limit | No cap is stated in the published rules |
On a €35,000 basic limit, a couple with two children reaches €35,000 plus 5% plus 5%, which is €38,500. A single parent with three children reaches €35,000 plus 7.5%, which is €37,625. The percentages always apply to the basic limit, never compounded on each other.
Income is net, and averaged
Your local authority assesses the household’s average net income over the previous 12 months, so a single good month does not disqualify you and a single bad one does not qualify you. Net means after income tax, USC, PRSI and Additional Superannuation Contribution, for everyone aged 18 or over. Most social welfare payments, including Working Family Payment, count as income. Only payments listed in the Household Means Policy are ignored, such as Child Benefit, Carer’s Allowance, Fuel Allowance and Domiciliary Care Allowance, and income earned by children.
Common questions
What is the income limit for social housing in Ireland?
For a single person it is €40,000, €35,000 or €30,000 net per year depending on the local authority area, unchanged since 1 January 2023 when every limit rose by €5,000. Larger households get more: 5% of the basic limit for each additional adult up to a maximum of 10%, and 2.5% for each child.
Is the limit based on gross or net income?
Net. It is your household’s average net income over the previous 12 months, after income tax, USC, PRSI and Additional Superannuation Contribution, for everyone aged 18 or over. This is the single most common reason people wrongly assume they are over the limit: a gross salary of EUR 40,000 is about EUR 33,500 net for a single PAYE worker in 2026.
Which councils use the EUR 40,000, EUR 35,000 and EUR 30,000 limits?
The EUR 40,000 band covers Cork City, Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, Galway City, Kildare, Meath, South Dublin and Wicklow. The EUR 35,000 band covers Carlow, Clare, Cork County, Galway County, Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Louth, Waterford, Westmeath and Wexford. The EUR 30,000 band covers Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and Tipperary. These are the maximums set by Regulations 19 to 21 of the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011. A council may set a lower limit (Regulations 19(3), 20(3), 21(3)).
Does being under the limit mean I get housed?
No. Income is one of several tests. You also need a housing need, and you must not own a property suitable for your needs. You apply to the council where you normally live, or one you have a local connection with (Regulation 5). Passing the income test qualifies you to apply and be assessed, not to be allocated a home, and waiting times depend on your band and the area.
If I qualify, how much rent would I pay?
Social housing rent is differential rent, calculated from your household income rather than the market, and every local authority runs a different scheme. Our differential rent calculator works out the weekly figure for all 31 councils. If you are renting privately in the meantime, the HAP calculator shows the support available.
Sources: Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 84 of 2011), Regulations 5 and 17 to 21, as amended by S.I. No. 136 of 2011, S.I. No. 288 of 2016, S.I. No. 116 of 2021, S.I. No. 446 of 2022 and S.I. No. 615 of 2022 (the 3 bands, which council sits in each, and the household uplift); Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Illustrative table of net income limits (1 January 2023); and the Household Means Policy 2026 (what counts as net income). The bands are maximums: a council may set a lower limit (Regulations 19(3), 20(3), 21(3)). This page is guidance, not a decision. Only your local authority can assess your application.