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Parliamentary Standard Allowance

The Parliamentary Standard Allowance (PSA) is an annual allowance that comprises the travel and accommodation allowance (TAA) and the public representation allowance (PRA). Members receive their PSA monthly in arrears.

  • TAA covers the costs associated with travel to and from Leinster House, overnights and, for TDs only, other travel expenses including constituency travel. Senators receive no payments for constituency travel.
  • PRA covers the costs associated with Members’ work as public representatives, such as office rental, leaflet printing and web hosting. The categories of expenses allowable under the PRA vary according to the Member’s role. PRA expenses must be vouched and are subject to an annual limit.

Monthly and annual statements of the amount of PSA each Oireachtas Member has received are published regularly in our Publications section.

Travel and Accommodation Allowance (TAA)

TAA rates are based on the distance from the Member’s normal place of residence to Leinster House by the shortest practicable route. On declaring this distance, each Member is assigned to one of the bands shown in the following table.

Band Number

Distance

TDs (annual)

Senators (annual)

Office Holders (annual)

Dublin <25km €9,000 €5,250 €6,300
 1 >25km but <60km €25,295 €20,795 €22,011
<90km €27,315 €22,815 €24,435
3 >90km but <120km €28,665 €24,165 €26,055
>120km but
<150km
€29,669 €25,169  €27,260
5 >150km but
<180km
€30,015  €25,515 €27,675
6 >180km but
<210km
€30,350 €25,849 €28,076
7 >210km but
<240km
€30,685 €26,184 €28,478
>240km but
<270km
€31,365 €26,865 €29,295
9 >270km but
<300km 
€32,035 €27,534 €30,098
10 >300km but
<330km 
€32,715  €27,534  €30,915
11 >330km but
<360km 
€33,395  €28,895  €31,731 
12 >360km  €34,065  €29,565 32,535 

At the end of the year each Member must certify that the amount paid to them was applied in respect of expenses incurred for the purpose specified in the regulations. The TAA is calculated on the basis of 150 days attendance at Leinster House. However, Members must register their attendance in Leinster House for at least 120 days annually to retain the full allowance. A deduction of 1% of the TAA allowance is made for each day less than 120 days attended at the end of the year or relevant period. Where attendance recorded is less than the required number, the Member must repay the amount to be refunded within two months of the end of the year or of the relevant period.

Oireachtas office holders, excluding the Ceann Comhairle, are paid an allowance ranging from €6,300 per annum for Dublin based office holders to €32,535 per annum for those 360 km or more from Leinster House. The Ceann Comhairle may avail of an annual overnight allowance of up to €14,715. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle or Cathaoirleach may opt for payment of the overnight allowance only and apply for alternative travel arrangements with agreement of the Minister for Finance. Ministers, Ministers of State and the Ceann Comhairle are not entitled to claim the TAA.

In order to receive their TAA, Members must personally record their attendance in Leinster House once daily at any time during the day or evening when Leinster House is open. This can be done with their key fob on a terminal or by manually completing a sign-in form available in Leinster House. Completed sign-in forms are then reconciled on the System for Recording Attendance (SRA).

View Members’ attendance records (for the purposes of TAA)

The records published online show only the days recorded on the SRA. Figures are published one month in arrears. The figures remain provisional until completely verified at the end of the year. Records of individual Members can, under SI 84 of 2010, be reconciled up to 31 January for the previous year or within one month of the end of the relevant period. A Member who forgets his or her key fob or fails to record attendance on a day can provide evidence of attendance, which is reconciled on the system. Under SI 84 of 2010, Members are required to record their attendance and the SRA for Members was developed for that purpose. Members are NOT required to record their hours of attendance and, as such, the times at which Members register their attendance is not recorded. The regulations also provide that attendance records may be reconciled, for the appropriate number of days, if the Member can show that their attendance was not recorded at Leinster House due to:

  • Attendance abroad in the performance of his or her duties as a Member or as an Office Holder, or in the State, (otherwise than in Leinster House) as part of or on behalf of an Oireachtas Committee,
  • Ill-health certified by a medical practitioner (the Member must declare that the absence is medically certified),
  • Extraordinary circumstances, determined by the Ceann Comhairle or Cathaoirleach, as may be appropriate, to be good and sufficient and which could not have been foreseen by the Member. In this regard, a Member must apply to the Ceann Comhairle or Cathaoirleach as appropriate.

Public Representation Allowance (PRA)

PRA is payable to all Members and is fully vouched.

All Members must, one month before the 1st of January each year, specify the amount of PRA they wish to receive on a monthly basis. This amount is subject to a maximum yearly total. Members must complete a Certification of Expenditure Form annually. This form certifies the amount spent and that it was properly spent as outlined in the regulations. If money has not been spent, it must be repaid. If additional money has been spent, a top-up may be applied for, up to the maximum yearly total.

Guidelines have been published to assist Members in ensuring their expenditure meets the criteria as intended by the regulations (SI 84/2010 and SI 149/2013).

View the PRA guidelines

All Members are eligible for selection for audit. At least 10% of Members may be chosen for audit. Audits are conducted by an independent auditor on an annual basis. As the expenses of any Members can be audited, Members must retain receipts, vouchers, proof of payment etc., for all expenditure under the PRA for a period of five years with the exception of the monthly amounts specified in respect of incidental expenditure.

See the independent auditors reports on PRA

The following table shows the maximum yearly amounts TDs, Senators and Ministers can claim for vouched expenditure, subject to audit, under PRA.

Role

Maximum yearly amount

Members of Dáil Éireann (including an office holder but excluding a Minister of the Government or Minister of State) €20,350
Ministers of the Government and Minsters of State €16,000
Members of Seanad Éireann (including an office holder but excluding a Minister of the Government or Minister of State) €12,225

The following table shows the categories of expenses TDs, Senators and Ministers can claim for under PRA.

Purpose of Allowance

TDs            

Senators

Ministers &
Ministers of State

1. Rent, rates and other such charges in relation to an office or offices Yes No Yes
2. Utilities of an office or offices (e.g. electricity and gas bills) Yes No Yes
3. Improvements to office accommodation Yes No Yes
4. Signage in respect of the constituency office Yes No Yes
5. Purchase or maintenance of office furniture or equipment Yes No Yes
6. Purchase of stationery Yes No Yes
7. Insurance including for office accommodation or equipment and public liability insurance Yes No Yes
8. Cleaning of office accommodation Yes No Yes
9. Telephone calls, otherwise than from Leinster House, including line rental and mobile phone calls, relating to the performance of his/her duties as a Member Yes Yes No
10. Web hosting and other related computer costs Yes Yes Yes
11. Hiring rooms for clinics or other meetings relating to the performance of his or her duties as a Member of the Oireachtas Yes Yes Yes
12. Leaflet and newsletter distribution Yes Yes Yes
13. Advertising relating to the performance of his or her duties as a Member Yes Yes Yes
14. Attendance at conferences relating to the performance of his or her duties as a Member (except expenses relating to travel) Yes Yes Yes
15. Applicable From 1st February 2012 only – Expenses, including any statutory deductions, for the purchase of secretarial support, public relations, information technology (but not internet-related) and training services under a contract for service from a person or service provider, other than - (I) Persons engaged or expenses incurred under Regulation 9 or the Regulations of 2008, or (II) Ministerial staff employed under the Guidelines on Staffing Ministerial Offices. Yes Yes Yes

 Last updated: 19 November 2021

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