The Housing Adaptation Grant is a means-tested local authority grant of up to €40,000 for adapting a home for a person with a disability — ramps, accessible bathrooms, stairlifts, extensions and more. Households with income under €37,500 get 100% of the cost covered; the grant tapers to 30% at incomes up to €75,000, above which no grant is paid. Grant amounts and income limits were increased on 1 December 2024. Details verified against Citizens Information on 2 June 2026.
How Much Is the Grant? (Full Means-Test Table)
The grant covers a percentage of the cost of the works, based on your gross household income in the previous tax year:
| Maximum yearly household income | % of costs covered | Maximum grant |
|---|---|---|
| Up to €37,500 | 100% | €40,000 |
| €37,501 – €43,750 | 85% | €34,000 |
| €43,751 – €50,000 | 75% | €30,000 |
| €50,001 – €62,500 | 50% | €20,000 |
| €62,501 – €75,000 | 30% | €12,000 |
| Over €75,000 | No grant | |
If the house is less than 12 months old, the maximum grant in each band is halved (so €20,000 instead of €40,000 at the 100% band). The grant does not cover VAT on the work — though a separate VAT refund on aids and appliances may be available from Revenue.
What Work Is Covered
- Ramps and other ways to access your home
- Space for wheelchair access
- Extensions — for example, adding a downstairs bedroom
- Accessible bathroom facilities — an accessible shower, or a ground-floor bathroom or toilet
- Stairlifts and through-floor lifts
- Grab rails
- Fixed track hoists (the grant covers installation, not servicing or training)
The local authority can also approve other work it considers necessary to make the home suitable. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms should be included in the proposed works if the home doesn't already have them.
Who Qualifies
- The person: someone in the household has a physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual disability, and the adaptations are needed to make the home suitable for them.
- Income: gross household income under €75,000 in the previous tax year (see table above). Several payments are disregarded entirely — including Child Benefit, Working Family Payment, Domiciliary Care Allowance, Carer's payments made for the person needing the grant, and Fuel Allowance — plus €6,250 per child under 18.
- The home: privately owned, rented (with landlord permission and RTB registration), provided by an approved housing body, or a communal residence. The person must live in it as their primary home when the work is done.
- Tax: tax affairs and Local Property Tax in order; tax clearance needed for grants over €10,000.
Social housing tenants do not qualify for this grant — there is a separate Disabled Person's Grant Scheme for adapting local authority homes. Contact your local authority's housing department about that scheme instead.
How to Apply
- Get the application form from your local authority (make sure it's the updated post-December-2024 version). Part of the form must be completed and signed by a doctor.
- Gather supporting documents — proof of household income for the previous tax year, proof LPT is up to date, landlord permission if renting, and an occupational therapist's report if the work involves an extension, stairlift, through-floor lift or fixed track hoist. The local authority can arrange the OT assessment, or you can hire an OT yourself and claim up to €300 of the cost back as part of the grant.
- Send the application to your local authority. They check eligibility, send a technician to inspect the home, and confirm how much you're approved for.
- Get quotes and start the work after approval — never before. Work is expected to start within 6 months of approval. The grant is paid when the work is completed.
How applications are prioritised
| Priority | Who |
|---|---|
| Priority 1 | People who are terminally ill or fully dependent on family or a carer; or where the adaptations would let them return home from hospital or residential care |
| Priority 2 | People who are mobile but need help accessing their bedroom or bathroom, or who find it hard to be independent without the adaptations |
| Priority 3 | People who are independent but need adaptations to improve quality of life or future-proof their home |
If your application is refused, you can appeal in writing to the local authority within 3 weeks. The appeal is reviewed by someone not involved in the original decision and can take up to 6 weeks.
Related Grants Worth Checking
- Mobility Aids Grant Scheme — a smaller, means-tested grant for basic accessibility work (grab rails, ramps, stairlifts).
- Housing Aid for Older People Grant — for essential repairs to an older person's home.
- Warmer Homes Scheme — free energy upgrades (insulation, heating) for households on qualifying welfare payments. Many households that qualify for the Housing Adaptation Grant also qualify for this.
- SEAI home energy grants — not means-tested: up to €12,500 for a heat pump, €8,000 for wall insulation, €1,800 for solar panels. If you're already doing building work, adding energy upgrades at the same time is significantly cheaper than doing them later.
A home adaptation often means someone will be spending more time at home — which means higher electricity and heating bills. The SEAI solar grant (€1,800) is not means-tested and cuts daytime electricity costs substantially. Solar Quotes Ireland matches you with SEAI-registered installers in your county, free.
Get Free Solar Quotes →Frequently Asked Questions
The maximum Housing Adaptation Grant is €40,000, or 100% of the cost of the work, whichever is less. Households with gross income up to €37,500 get 100% of costs covered. The percentage falls as income rises — 85%, 75%, 50%, then 30% for incomes up to €75,000. Above €75,000 household income, no grant is paid. These rates have applied since 1 December 2024.
Yes. The grant is means-tested on gross household income for the previous tax year. However, several payments are disregarded — Child Benefit, Working Family Payment, Domiciliary Care Allowance, Carer's Benefit/Allowance (when paid for the person needing the grant), Fuel Allowance, Household Benefits Package and others — plus €6,250 for each child under 18 and allowances for housing and care costs.
The grant covers ramps, wheelchair access, home extensions (such as a downstairs bedroom), accessible bathrooms and showers, stairlifts, through-floor lifts, grab rails and fixed track hoists. The local authority can also approve other necessary works. It does not cover VAT, or servicing and maintenance of equipment.
You apply to your local authority (county or city council), not to a national body. The application form includes a section that must be signed by a doctor, and some works (extensions, lifts, hoists) need an occupational therapist's report. The local authority assesses the application, inspects the home, and pays the grant when the approved work is completed.
No. The Housing Adaptation Grant is for privately owned homes, private rented homes (with landlord permission and RTB registration), approved housing body homes and communal residences. Social housing tenants should apply for the separate Disabled Person's Grant Scheme through their local authority's housing department, which funds adaptations to council-owned homes.
No. The grant will not be paid for work that starts before approval. Once approved, the work is expected to start within 6 months — the local authority may allow an extension if needed. The grant is paid out when the work is completed and inspected.
Sources: Citizens Information — Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability; Housing (Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People) Regulations 2024. Rates current since 1 December 2024, verified 2 June 2026 — check with your local authority for the latest application form.
Published: 2 June 2026. Author: Neil Russell.