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An Initiative of the Higher Education Authority (HEA)
studentfinance.ie Home
  1. Maintenance Grant
  2. Find Your Scheme and Where to Apply
  3. Check Previous Study
  4. Check if You Have Lived in an Area Long Enough
  5. Check your Nationality/Status
  6. Check Grant Levels
  7. Check Reckonable Income Bands
  8. Download Maintenance Grant Application Form
  9. Check your Documentation
  10. Course Acceptance Forms
  11. Change of Circumstances
Maintenance Grant
Check Reckonable Income Bands

Your eligibility for a grant on income grounds will be determined by looking at:

  1. Reckonable income for the period 1 January, 2008 to 31 December, 2008
  2. The number of dependent children in the family
  3. The number of children and also parents (if any) who will be attending certain courses of study in the 2009/10 academic year.

Note: The circumstances of the applicant will determine whose reckonable income will be assessed in connection with the grant application. For dependent applicants, the reckonable income to be assessed will be that of the applicant (if any) and of the applicant's parent(s) or guardian(s). An allowance is made for applicant earnings (for example from part-time work) of up to €3,809 currently. Parental divorce or certifiable separation is taken into consideration by the grant-awarding agencies. For independent mature applications, the reckonable income to be assessed will be that of the applicant and his/her spouse (if applicable).

Reckonable Income is income from any of the following sources:
  1. Gross Income from employment
  2. Gross Income from a trade or profession
  3. Interest, annuities and income from foreign property such as investments
  4. Rent from any premises in Ireland
  5. Income from which tax has been deducted at source such as annuities, bank interest, building society interest, maintenance payments and other miscellaneous sources of income not included in the above
  6. Income from dividends and other distributions received from Irish resident companies
  7. Certain income not subject to PAYE, reduced by the amount of any allowable superannuation contributions paid. Examples of people with this type of income are certain company directors and motor-cycle couriers
The following Social Welfare and HSE payments are excluded in the calculation of reckonable income: Child Benefit; Family Income Supplement; Disability Allowance (where paid to the candidate); Blind Pension (where paid to the candidate); One Parent Family Payment (Means-tested); Guardian's Payment (previously known as Orphan's Pension); Back to Education Allowance (Second Level and Third Level Option); Foster Care Allowance; Domiciliary Care Allowance; Carer's Allowance.

Studentfinance.ie has developed a 'ready reckoner' to calculate the reckonable income bands for each of the grant levels which would apply based on your circumstances. The result is an indication only, and not a guarantee that you will qualify for a grant.

To proceed, choose which ever of the following options applies to you:
  1. I, the grant applicant, am living with my parent(s) or guardian(s) from 1 October, 2009
  2. I, the grant applicant, am living independently, with or without a spouse from 1 October, 2009
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