The limit in your council
The limits are set in the Social Housing Assessment Regulations and have not moved since 1 January 2023, when every band went up by €5,000. These are the figures for a single person:
| Net income limit, single person | Councils |
|---|---|
| €40,000 | Cork City, Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, Galway City, Meath, South Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow |
| €35,000 | Carlow, Clare, Cork County, Galway County, Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick City and County, Louth, Waterford City and County, Westmeath, Wexford |
| €30,000 | Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary |
All four Dublin councils are in the top band, along with Cork City, Galway City and the commuter counties of Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. Cork County and Galway County sit a band lower than the cities.
The limit for your household
The band is the starting point. Add 5% of it for each adult after the first, up to two more adults (10%), and 2.5% for each child. Worked out for common households:
| Household | €40,000 band | €35,000 band | €30,000 band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single person | €40,000 | €35,000 | €30,000 |
| Couple | €42,000 | €36,750 | €31,500 |
| One parent, 1 child | €41,000 | €35,875 | €30,750 |
| One parent, 2 children | €42,000 | €36,750 | €31,500 |
| Couple, 1 child | €43,000 | €37,625 | €32,250 |
| Couple, 2 children | €44,000 | €38,500 | €33,000 |
| Couple, 3 children | €45,000 | €39,375 | €33,750 |
| Three adults | €44,000 | €38,500 | €33,000 |
A fourth adult adds nothing, because the adult allowance stops at 10%. Children keep adding 2.5% each.
How the council counts your income
The test uses net income: gross household income minus income tax, USC, PRSI and the Additional Superannuation Contribution (the pension levy in public service schemes). The council takes your household’s average net income over the 12 months before it received the application. Its Household Means Policy lists what counts and what is disregarded; some social welfare payments are left out. Savings only matter if they produce an income, such as interest or dividends. Councils also have discretion to disregard income that is once-off or temporary and outside your normal pattern, which is worth raising if a bonus or a short contract pushed you over.
The other rules
- One council. You can only apply to one housing authority, and you must already live in its area or have a local connection with it. The council can agree to waive the local connection.
- A long-term right to remain in Ireland. People with temporary protection, such as Ukrainians who fled the war, cannot apply because their permission is not long term.
- No suitable alternative accommodation. A property you could live in or sell counts against you, including one abroad or one you rent out. A home occupied by a separated or divorced partner does not.
- A housing need. The council looks at whether you are homeless, overcrowded, in unfit or unsuitable accommodation, or dependent on Rent Supplement.
A change is coming. The Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 adds lawful and habitual residence tests for every adult in the household and a formal appeals process. It has not been commenced yet, so the current rules still apply.
How to apply for social housing
- Get the form from your council’s website or its housing department. The form has a checklist of the documents it needs.
- Gather proof. Photo ID, proof of address and proof of income. Employees need last year’s Statement of Liability and Employment Detail Summary from Revenue myAccount, plus payslips or a Pay and Tax Summary for this year. On social welfare: a statement of all payments over the previous 12 months. Self-employed: at least two years’ accounts with an auditor’s report and a notice of assessment or self-assessment acknowledgement.
- Pick up to three areas of choice and tick the approved housing body box if you want to be considered for housing association homes as well.
- Wait for the decision. The council has 12 weeks from a completed application. If you qualify you go on its housing list.
One thing to know before you take HAP: the Housing Assistance Payment counts as social housing support, so you come off the housing list. If you apply for a transfer to another form of social housing within 2 weeks of the letter confirming HAP, your time on the list can still be counted.
Are the limits going up?
Not yet. On 25 June 2026 the Minister for Housing told the Dáil the baseline thresholds are still €40,000, €35,000 and €30,000, that his Department is examining them against current incomes and rents with commissioned research, and that he expects the analysis to conclude shortly. He also wants a more regular review from now on. No new figures had been published when this page was written. We will update it the day they are.
Over the limit? This is where cost rental comes in
The gap between the two schemes is wide. A couple renting in Dublin City has a social housing limit of €42,000 net. Cost rental accepts net household income up to €66,000 for a home in Dublin and €59,000 anywhere else, and Citizens Information describes it as housing for people above the social housing threshold who struggle with private rents. The rent is at least 25% below market, rises only with inflation, and the tenancy is secure after six months.
The conditions are short: no social housing support (HAP or Rent Supplement included), no property, a home that fits your household, everyone living in Ireland, and rent at no more than about 35% of net income. Cost rental counts net income slightly differently from the council: pension contributions come off too. Put your figures into the cost rental eligibility calculator to see where you land.
There is no list to join. Each scheme opens on a stated day, often for a week or two, and a lottery picks among eligible applicants. That is why timing matters more than anything else here. The alert (€15 once for 12 months) emails you the minute a cost rental or affordable purchase scheme opens in your counties.
Two other routes, depending on where you are:
- Buying. The Starter Home Purchase Scheme has no fixed income ceiling: four times your gross income must be under 85.5% of the home’s market value. The purchase calculator runs the test. In Dublin, see what each council offers.
- Your landlord is selling. Above the social housing limit but under the cost rental one, the Cost Rental Tenant in Situ scheme can let the Housing Agency buy the home with you in it. Start with your council.
All the schemes side by side: affordable housing schemes in Ireland.
Sources
- Citizens Information: Applying for social housing (page edited 30 July 2026)
- Dáil written answer, 5 March 2026: thresholds raised by €5,000 from 1 January 2023
- Dáil, 25 June 2026: Minister for Housing on the review of the income thresholds
- Housing Agency: Cost Rental FAQ (income limits and criteria)
- Citizens Information: Cost rental housing (page edited 18 March 2026)