About BenefitCheck Ireland
Making Ireland's housing benefits accessible to everyone: no jargon, no confusion, and an app that collects no data.
Our Mission
Navigating Ireland's housing benefit system shouldn't require a degree in public policy. Between HAP rate tables, income thresholds that vary by local authority, and eligibility rules scattered across multiple government websites, it's no wonder so many people feel overwhelmed. We built BenefitCheck Ireland to change that.
Our mission is simple: take the complex, bureaucratic world of Irish housing benefits and make it instantly understandable for everyone. Whether you're a first-time renter trying to figure out if you qualify for HAP, a family wondering about Social Housing eligibility, or a working parent checking your Working Family Payment entitlements, you deserve a clear answer in seconds, not hours of research.
Who We Are
BenefitCheck Ireland is developed by NoviNine Entertainment Limited, a Dublin-based software studio that combines entertainment with practical financial literacy. We create digital educational games and financial-education tools, experiences designed to educate, engage, and empower people in their everyday financial decisions.
We believe financial education doesn't have to be dry or intimidating. Our approach is to meet people where they are: on their phones, in their own time, with tools that feel intuitive and supportive rather than overwhelming. BenefitCheck Ireland is our flagship financial-education tool for the Irish market, purpose-built for the specific complexities of the Irish social welfare system.
What We Built
BenefitCheck Ireland is a free mobile app for iOS and Android. Its checks run entirely on your phone, with no internet connection needed. It covers all 31 local authorities across the Republic of Ireland and checks your likely eligibility for:
HAP Calculator
See the most HAP could pay for your household in any of the 31 local authorities, with the optional 35% discretionary uplift, and how much of your rent would sit above it.
Social Housing Check
See if your household income falls within your council's social housing income bands, with thresholds specific to your local authority and household size.
Working Family Payment
See an estimated weekly Working Family Payment alongside your housing result, based on your family size and income.
Medical Card & GP Visit Card
Check whether you are likely to qualify for a Medical Card or a GP Visit Card under the HSE means test.
Rent Tax Credit
New in version 1.3.0. Works through the conditions that would rule a claim out, then estimates the credit against your income tax, for 2026 and the four years before it.
The app also includes a step-by-step HAP Application Guide, a 7-stage guided journey that walks you through the entire application process, from gathering documents to understanding what happens after you apply. Think of it as a personal assistant for one of Ireland's most important housing supports.
How We Verify Our Data
Accuracy is non-negotiable. Every HAP rate, income threshold, and eligibility rule in the app is sourced directly from official Irish government publications. Our data verification process includes:
HAP rent limits are set in national law (S.I. 56/2017); income bands and other figures come from gov.ie and Citizens Information. We present official figures directly and never estimate or extrapolate rates.
HAP rent limits and social housing income bands differ by local authority. We hold the figures for every one of the 31, from Carlow to Wicklow. The 35% discretionary uplift is the same in every local authority (S.I. 342/2022); the separate 50% limit under Homeless HAP in the Dublin region, for households accepted as homeless, is shown for information only (Citizens Information).
We monitor official sources for rate changes, typically following government budget announcements or local authority revisions. The app includes a built-in freshness indicator that alerts you if data is more than 180 days old.
Each result in the app lists the regulations and official pages behind it, with tappable links, and the list changes with the result you are looking at. This is new in version 1.3.0. The Help tab names the organisations the app's information comes from. You can always verify our figures yourself.
Your Privacy, Our Promise
The BenefitCheck Ireland app collects zero personal data. No accounts, no logins, no tracking, no analytics inside the app. Every calculation happens entirely on your device, and the app sends nothing to any server. We built it this way because financial information is deeply personal, and we believe you should be able to explore your options without anyone watching.
Company Details
NoviNine Entertainment Limited
Dublin, Ireland
CRO Number: 797745
Contact: support@benefitcheckireland.ie
Website: www.benefitcheckireland.ie
Ready to Check Your Eligibility?
Download BenefitCheck Ireland, it's free, private, and takes less than a minute.