Home Adaptation Grant Calculator
Three grants pay for home adaptations in Ireland. Answer six quick questions to see which one covers your works, what share of the cost your council pays, and what to do next.
Home Adaptation Grant Calculator
Find out which Irish grant covers your works, and how much you could get.
What the three grants pay
Mobility Aids Grant, up to €8,000. Pays 100% of the approved cost for stairlifts, level-access showers, grab rails and ramps, where gross household income is under €37,500. Most straight stairlifts come in under that ceiling, and it is the quickest of the three to process.
Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability, up to €40,000. For works needed because of a disability, including structural jobs such as downstairs bathrooms, widened doorways and through-floor lifts. The share your council pays slides from 100% down to 30% as household income rises.
Housing Aid for Older People, up to €10,700. For people aged 66 and over, aimed at the condition of the house rather than mobility equipment: rewiring, heating, windows and roof repairs. Separate application, same income bands.
Our full guide covers eligibility, the VAT refund scheme and each council in detail: grants for stairlifts, bathrooms and ramps in Ireland.
How much you get depends on household income
These are the rates in force since 1 December 2024. Income means gross household income for the previous tax year, before tax. Several things are disregarded or deducted before your council does the sum, so a household that looks over a threshold on paper can still land inside it.
| Gross household income | Share of the cost paid | Max Housing Adaptation Grant | Max Housing Aid for Older People |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to €37,500 | 100% | €40,000 | €10,700 |
| €37,501 to €43,750 | 85% | €34,000 | €9,095 |
| €43,751 to €50,000 | 75% | €30,000 | €8,025 |
| €50,001 to €62,500 | 50% | €20,000 | €5,350 |
| €62,501 to €75,000 | 30% | €12,000 | €3,210 |
| Over €75,000 | No grant payable | — | — |
If the house was built less than 12 months ago, every Housing Adaptation Grant maximum halves, to €20,000, €17,000, €15,000, €10,000 and €6,000 across the same five bands. The Housing Aid for Older People figures are unaffected.
VAT is treated differently by scheme. The Housing Adaptation Grant and the Mobility Aids Grant do not cover VAT on the works, though you can reclaim VAT on qualifying aids and appliances from Revenue using form VAT 61A. Housing Aid for Older People is the exception: its grant can go towards the total cost including VAT.
Before you start the work
Do not start the work before you have written approval. A grant cannot be paid retrospectively on works that were already under way, and this is the single most common reason a good application is refused.
Your council will want its own application form, proof of household income, a medical or occupational therapist report, and written quotes. The full checklist and the step-by-step are in how to apply for a stairlift grant in Ireland.
The schemes cover privately owned homes, homes provided by an approved housing body, and communal residences. If you rent privately you need the landlord’s written consent and a tenancy registered with the Residential Tenancies Board. Local authority tenants apply instead under the Disabled Person’s Grant Scheme, which the council runs on its own housing stock.
Reading your result
Can I get a stairlift for free in Ireland?
Often, yes. The Mobility Aids Grant pays 100% of the approved cost up to €8,000 where gross household income is under €37,500, and most straight stairlifts come in under that ceiling, so the grant covers the installation in full and you pay nothing. Curved stairlifts cost more and may leave a balance, which is where the Housing Adaptation Grant’s higher ceiling becomes worth applying for instead.
Which should I apply for, the Mobility Aids Grant or the Housing Adaptation Grant?
You can only hold one grant for the same works. As a rule: if the job is a stairlift, a shower conversion, rails or a ramp and your household is under €37,500, the Mobility Aids Grant is the faster route and pays everything up to €8,000. If the works are structural, or the cost runs past €8,000, or household income is above €37,500, the Housing Adaptation Grant is the one to apply for. The calculator above makes that call for you.
Is the grant means-tested on my income or the whole household’s?
The whole household’s gross income for the previous tax year, including the income of anyone living in the home. Deductions and disregards apply, so certain social welfare payments, carer’s income and child-related payments are not counted in full. It is worth applying even if a rough total looks like it sits just above a band.
Questions about occupational therapist reports, renting, approval times and the VAT refund are answered in the full grants guide.
We do the quote, you do the form
Every grant application needs a written, itemised quote before your council will look at it. We survey your home free of charge and give you that quote in the format councils expect, with no obligation and no charge for the visit.