Fuel Allowance 2026/27
The 2026/27 Fuel Allowance season opens on Monday 28 September 2026. This page sets out what the payment is worth, who qualifies, how to apply, and what it buys in home heating oil. The figures come from the Department of Social Protection and were checked on 22 September 2026.
What the Fuel Allowance is worth
| Weekly rate | €38 a week |
|---|---|
| Length of season | 28 weeks, from late September to April |
| Total for the season | €1,064 |
| Or two instalments | About €532 at the start of the season and €532 in January |
Only one Fuel Allowance is paid per household. If you want it in two instalments rather than weekly, that is a separate form (FA CPF1) and it should be in at least a month before the instalment is due. The instalment option is not available on every scheme.
Applications are not backdated. If you apply after the season starts you are only paid from the date you are approved, so it is worth getting the form in before Monday.
Who qualifies
- People aged 66 or over, subject to a means test. The income limit is €534 a week for a single person and €1,068 for a couple. The first €50,000 of savings is not counted.
- People under 66 getting a qualifying social welfare payment, such as Invalidity Pension, Disability Allowance, One Parent Family Payment, Carer's Allowance or long-term Jobseeker's Allowance.
- New this year: households getting the Working Family Payment now qualify automatically, with no application needed. That is around 50,000 households nationally and 2,428 families in Donegal.
You also have to live alone or only with certain people, such as a spouse or partner, dependent children, or a carer. The full conditions are on the Department's own page, linked below.
How to apply
- Online at gov.ie, if you have a MyGovID account.
- On paper: form NFS1 if you are under 66, or NFS2 if you are 66 or over. Both are in your local post office or Intreo Centre, or by ringing 0818 200 400.
- Your local Citizens Information Centre will help you fill it in.
You do not need to reapply each year if nothing has changed.
What it buys in heating oil
Our prices on 26 September 2026, to give you a rough idea. Oil prices move week to week, so ring us on 074 93 74149 for the price on the day.
| Order | Price | Per litre |
|---|---|---|
| 150 litres | €300 | €2.00 |
| 300 litres | €530 | €1.77 |
| 500 litres | €830 | €1.66 |
| 600 litres | €995 | €1.66 |
| 1,000 litres | €1,620 | €1.62 |
In plain terms: a €532 instalment covers a 300 litre fill with €2 left over, and the full season's €1,064 covers 600 litres.
Making it stretch
At €38 a week, the payment on its own will not cover a delivery, because our smallest drop is 150 litres. Two things people do:
- Put the weekly payment aside and order a 150 litre top-up every couple of months.
- Take the two instalments instead, and use each one for a bigger fill, which works out cheaper per litre. Ordering 500 litres rather than 150 litres brings the price per litre down by around a sixth.
There is no delivery charge either way, and across Inishowen your oil is with you within one working day. We now deliver to Letterkenny as well — ring us and we will confirm your delivery day.
Order your oil online or ring 074 93 74149. The office is open Monday to Friday 8.00–17.30 and Saturday 8.30–15.30.
Where these figures come from
Department of Social Protection: gov.ie Fuel Allowance and Citizens Information. Checked 22 September 2026.
Inishowen Oil is not connected to the Fuel Allowance scheme and cannot decide who qualifies or process an application. For anything to do with your own claim, contact the Department of Social Protection.