You can apply for a GP visit card if you:
- are age 8 to 69
- live in the Republic of Ireland or plan to live here for at least a year
GP visit cards for people age 8 to 69 are means tested.
This means we look at your income, personal circumstances and expenses to see if you qualify.
Not just about your salary
It's possible that you may qualify for a GP visit card even if the amount of money you earn is high.
If your expenses are also high, you could still qualify.
Examples of people who qualify
How to apply for a GP visit card
The only way to apply for this GP visit card is online.
You will need to provide your:
- PPS number
- date of birth
- income and expense details
- marital status
- details on any children dependent on you
People who do not need to apply
You automatically qualify for a GP visit card if you live in Ireland and are:
It does not matter what your income is - you do not need to apply.
But you do need to register. There is a separate registration process if you are in these groups.
How we work out if you qualify
To work out if you qualify for a GP visit card we look at your:
- income
- personal circumstances, such as if you are married, your living situation and if you have any children dependent on you
- certain expenses
- if your income after expenses is below a certain financial threshold for your family size
If you get a Government allowance or grant towards any of your allowable expenses, you cannot count the overall amount as an expense. You can only count your contribution.
For example, you may have childcare costs of €800 per month. You claim €240 through the National Childcare Scheme. This means the amount you pay is €560. This is the amount you can claim as an expense in your application.
How we calculate your financial threshold
To get a GP visit card your net weekly income, after your expenses, must be below a qualifying financial threshold.
This qualifying financial threshold is unique to you.
We calculate it by adding the following 3 amounts:
- A basic rate - an amount of money depending on your circumstances.
- An amount for each dependant.
- Your allowable expenses.
The total is known as your weekly qualifying financial threshold.
You will qualify for a GP visit card if your net weekly income is less than this amount. Net income is your weekly income after tax, PRSI and USC.
Qualifying financial threshold
Basic rate amount + amount for dependants + allowable expenses = amount you can earn a week and qualify for a card
Examples of qualifying financial thresholds
Income, savings and assets
The types of income you should include in your application are:
- social welfare payments
- wages (take-home pay, after tax, PRSI and USC)
- pension
- income from savings and investments
- maintenance payments
- rental income from family home (for example a sub-let room)
- property other than the family home
You should also include income from royalties or payments under a settlement, covenant or from an estate.
If your only household income is a social welfare payment, you qualify for a medical card and should apply for that instead.
Savings, investments and property
We look at your savings, investments and property, other than your family home. If they are over a certain amount, we include them as part of your weekly income.
Single person
If you are single, we do not assess the first €36,000 of your savings, investments or property.
For the next:
- €36,001 to €46,000 - we add €1 to your weekly income for every €1,000
- €46,001 to €56,000 - we add €2 to your weekly income for every €1,000
- more than €56,000 - we add €4 to your weekly income for every €1,000
Example of a single person's savings
If you have savings of €50,000, your weekly income from them would be €18.
We get this by adding:
- €0 for your first €36,000
- €10 for your next €10,000 in savings - we add €1 for every €1,000 between €36,001 to €46,000
- €8 for your next €4,000 in savings - we add €2 for every €1,000 between €46,001 to €56,000
Couple
If you are a couple, we do not assess the first €72,000 of your savings, investments or property.
For the next:
- €72,001 to €82,000 - we add €1 to your weekly income for every €1,000
- €82,001 to €92,000 - we add €2 to your weekly income for every €1,000
- more than €92,000 - we add €4 to your weekly income for every €1,000
Example of a couple's savings
If you have savings of €150,000, we do not assess your first €72,000 of savings.
Your weekly income from them would be €262.
We get this by adding:
- €0 for your first €72,000
- €10 for your next €10,000 – we add €1 for every €1000 between €72,001 to €82,000
- €20 for your next €10,000 – we add €2 for every €1000 between €82,001 to €92,000
- €232 for your next €58,000 – we add €4 for every €1000 over €92,001
Allowable expenses
All allowable expenses help to increase the amount that you can earn and still qualify for a card.
The types of allowable expenses you should include in your application are:
- rent payments
- mortgage payments
- childcare costs
- travel to work costs
- maintenance payments
- net cost of private nursing home care
- mortgage protection payment
- life assurance for mortgage protection
No documents to include
You do not need to provide any documents with your application. But we may contact you at a later date and ask you for proof of your income and expenses.