The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BTSCFA) helps you meet the cost of uniforms and footwear for children going to school.

You (the parent or guardian) must be getting certain social welfare payments or taking part in training, employment or adult education schemes and your child/ren must be aged between 4 and 22 on or before 30 September of the year you apply.

The BSCFA entitlements of some 115,000 families in respect of approx. 207,000 children have now been established with reference to their primary scheme entitlement, with no application form required.  Letters issued to the people concerned informing them of their entitlement.  These customers can collect their BSCFA payment this week (week commencing 16 July) on the same day as their normal weekly payment.

Customers who did not receive an automated payment are now required to complete an application form which will be processed from a centralised unit in the Department’s office in Letterkenny.  The Allowance is means tested so customers who are in receipt of benefit payments, on Community Employment or Back to Work schemes will be required to complete an application form.

The BSCFA section is processing claims which were received in July at present.  Payment in respect of these claims will issue on a daily basis as they are decided so the majority of customers who have an entitlement to the allowance will receive their payment in July.

Forms are available from Local Offices, via SMS (text “Form BTSCFA” followed by your name and address to 51909) and on www.welfare.ie.  A phone bank is operational to deal with queries on the scheme. The LOCALL number is 1890662244.

Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD

19th July 2013