Farm Assist is a weekly means-tested payment for low income farmers.
If you are a farmer and you have income from another source (such as other self-employment, insurable employment or capital), you may still qualify for a payment under the Farm Assist Scheme.
You will qualify for this payment if:
- you are a farmer,
- are aged between 18 and 66
- satisfy a means test
Who is considered a farmer?
For this scheme, you are considered a farmer if you farm land that you own or lease and that you use for the purpose of husbandry*.
If you farm land for the purpose of husbandry but you do not own or lease that land, you may still qualify as a farmer as long as the land is not part of a larger holding.
The land, which includes commonage (which is land that you and other landowners own together), must be within the State. You will not get Farm Assist if you lease or let all your land to another person.
*Husbandry means working the land with the object of taking produce from the land.
What is the means test?
A means test is a way of checking if you have enough means to support yourself and what amount of payment, if any, you may qualify for. To qualify for Farm Assist, you must show that your means are below a certain level.
Your means are:
- any income belonging to you or your spouse or partner,
- property belonging to you or your spouse or partner (except your home),
- other asset(s) that could provide you with an income.
When you complete and send in the application form Farm 1, a Social Welfare Inspector will call to you at your home. They will ask you to produce supporting documents relating to your income and spending, such as accounts, mart receipts, wage-slips and bank statements.
Means from farm income or other self-employment
Your income from farming and other self-employment is assessed as gross income that you or your spouse or partner may reasonably be expected to receive, minus any expenses you incur to earn that income.
If you have qualified children ( see Part 4), we disregard the first €254 of your net income for each of your first 2 children, and €381 for each other child.
We then assess you on 70% of your remaining income from farming and self-employment.
We divide this figure by 52 to get the weekly means. The difference between the weekly means and the appropriate weekly amount of social welfare payment is the amount of Farm Assist payable.
Farm Assist Form
About Farm Assist