Means Test Calculator

The School Year 2023/2024

FOR DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY

If you meet the initial eligibility criteria for the SEC grant (residence, child’s religion, SEC school), please use the Means Test calculator below to estimate the grant that you may be eligible to receive for the 2023/24 school year

All funds paid out in grants are provided by the Department of Education and Skills. The means test takes account of all financial information and is used to identify necessitous applicants below a certain threshold. The criteria for the test are reviewed annually by the board of directors of the SEC

Please be aware that the calculator is only an estimation and does not guarantee you of the grant you may receive

All applications must be accompanied by supporting documentation

2021 Household Income

Enter your household (i.e. your and your spouse/partner/cohabitants) after tax income and/or total social welfare received in 2021

 To see which figures from your Revenue documents to include click here

If you received social welfare only, deduct child benefit from the total figure on your 2021 Social welfare statement and enter it into the after tax income box

Only capital allowances for trading losses are factored into the means test

Less: Dependent Child Allowance

This is a figure deducted by the SEC to account for the cost of each dependent child born after 31st August 1999 (under the age of 24) in your household and in full time education

In the table below you will see how this figure is calculated

 

 

Examples:

I have 3 dependent children and 1 of them is attending third level (eg University, plc, apprenticeship etc), my dependent child allowance is €17,029

I have 3 dependent children, all attending either primary or secondary school, so my dependent child allowance is €14,940

Less: Rent/mortgage

Enter the total amount of rent or mortgage you paid in 2021 for your family home only

If you live rent free or do not pay a mortgage enter €0.00

Plus: Liquid assets

Liquid assets are treated differently to property as they are divisible and can be converted to cash with relative ease

Add together the current balances in your current account/s, savings account/s, value of your shares, investment bonds (e.g. Irish state savings), prize bonds, credit union savings

 Deduct €80,000 and enter the remaining figure

 

Plus: Property other than your family home

Enter property value minus the current mortgage balance then deduct €375,000

If you have more than one property add the values together and deduct the added mortgage balances. Deduct €375,000 and enter into box

Example:

Your holiday home has a value of €400,000. The mortgage balance is €20,000. 

(€400,000 - €20,000) - €375,000 = €5,000

Enter €5,000 into box

 

You will be asked to provide evidence of valuation for your property and for any mortgage balance statements. Click here for document examples 

This figure does not guarantee the grant level that you will receive, more detailed information and supporting material will need to be supplied

The estimated grant is based on your Net Reckonable Income

Net Reckonable Incomes are divided into bands and grant amounts are awarded based on these bands

The highest Net Reckonable Income that qualifies for a grant is €60,000

The table below outlines the levels of grant payable in 2022/23. Grant amounts are reviewed annually

If you would like to apply for the 2023/24 SEC grant and are a new applicant, request a registration form from your school, if you applied last year a Registration Form will be automatically sent to you in October