Form AB1: Application for Adoptive Benefit

What is Form AB1 (Adoptive Benefit)?

Adoptive Benefit is a weekly payment from the Department of Social Protection for an employed or self-employed person who adopts a child and is on adoptive leave. gov.ie gives the rate as €299 a week for 24 weeks from the date of adoption, and you need PRSI contributions at Class A, E, H or S. It is only paid from the date the child is placed with you, and only once the Department has the Certificate of Placement or, for a foreign adoption, the Declaration of Suitability.

Form AB1 runs to 12 pages. You fill in your own details (Part 1), your work and other payments (Part 2), the bank account for the payment (Part 3), the children you claim for (Part 5), the adoption (Part 6), and your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant (Parts 7 and 8). If you are an employee, your employer completes and stamps Part 4 to certify your leave dates and PRSI record.

FileIt asks only for the parts that apply to you, prints every answer in block capitals one letter per box, splits dates into the DD MM YYYY boxes, places weekly amounts digit by digit, checks your IBAN and makes sure the parts the form's routing calls for are filled in. You print it, sign it in black pen and post it to the Adoptive Benefit Section.

Who needs to fill out Form AB1 (Adoptive Benefit)?

• Employees taking adoptive leave from work covered by PRSI at Class A, E or H.
• Self-employed people paying Class S PRSI who are adopting a child.
• Parents adopting from abroad with a Declaration of Suitability, or through Tusla or a registered adoption agency with a Certificate of Placement.
• Employers asked by an employee to complete Part 4.

When to use Form AB1 (Adoptive Benefit)

• At least 6 weeks before your adoptive leave starts, or 12 weeks if you are self-employed.
• No later than 6 months after the date the child is placed with you. gov.ie says you may lose benefit if you apply after that.
• As soon as you know the placement date, since benefit is only paid from that date.

What you need before you start

• Your PPS number, names (including your birth surname and your mother's birth surname), date of birth, address and contact details.
• Your employer's name and address, your job title and gross weekly pay, or your self-employment details.
• Your bank's name and address, IBAN and BIC.
• The children's names and PPS numbers, and the name of the adoption agency or HSE office.
• The Certificate of Placement or Declaration of Suitability, and your P45 if you are no longer employed.
• Your spouse's, civil partner's or cohabitant's details, and their income if you claim an increase for them.

What’s on Form AB1 (Adoptive Benefit)

The 2025 edition has 12 pages. FileIt asks for it in 17 parts:

1. Part 1: Your own detailsApplicant (adoptive parent)
2. Contact detailsApplicant (adoptive parent)
3. Part 1 continued: civil statusApplicant (adoptive parent)
4. Part 2 (14): A pension or allowance from another countryApplicant (adoptive parent)
5. Part 2 (15): Payments from this Department or the HSEApplicant (adoptive parent)
6. Part 2: Your workApplicant (adoptive parent)
7. Part 2 (17): Living or working in another EU countryApplicant (adoptive parent)
8. Part 2 (19): Your current employmentApplicant (adoptive parent)
9. Part 2 (20): If you are no longer in employmentApplicant (adoptive parent)
10. Part 2 (23-27): Self-employmentApplicant (adoptive parent)
11. Part 3: Your payment detailsApplicant (adoptive parent)
12. Part 5: Details of your child(ren)Applicant (adoptive parent)
13. Part 6: Adoptive detailsApplicant (adoptive parent)
14. Part 7: Your spouse's, civil partner's or cohabitant's detailsApplicant (adoptive parent)
15. Part 8: Your spouse's, civil partner's or cohabitant's work and claim detailsApplicant (adoptive parent)
16. Part 4: Employer's informationEmployer (part 4)
17. Declaration (Part 1)Applicant (adoptive parent)

How to fill out Form AB1 (Adoptive Benefit), step by step

1 Part 1: you

Your PPS number, title, names, date of birth, address, phones and email, then your civil status and since when you've been married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting.

2 Part 2: work and other payments

Any pension from another country, payments from the Department or the HSE, Jobseeker's claims, work in another EU country, your current employer and pay, a previous employer if you've stopped working, and your self-employment details with the dates you start and end adoptive leave.

3 Part 3: payment details

The account the benefit goes into: bank name and address, BIC, IBAN and the account holders. If your employer keeps paying you and wants the benefit paid to them, give their account and sign the authority on page 7.

4 Part 4: employer's certificate

Your employer confirms your PPS number, start date, adoptive leave dates and your PRSI weeks and class for the 12 months before the leave, then signs, dates and stamps it.

5 Parts 5 and 6: children and adoption

How many children you claim for and their names and PPS numbers, whether it's a foreign adoption or through the HSE or a registered agency, the agency's name, and the placement date.

6 Parts 7 and 8: your partner

Your spouse's, civil partner's or cohabitant's details, and, if you claim an increase for them, their weekly income and any other payments they get.

7 Sign the declaration

Read the checklist in Part 9, then sign the declaration on page 3 in black pen, not in block letters.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying too late. Apply at least 6 weeks before the leave (12 if self-employed), and no later than 6 months after the placement.
• Sending it without the Certificate of Placement or Declaration of Suitability. Benefit can't be paid until the Department has it.
• Leaving out Part 4. Every employer you work for must complete it, or give a letter with the same information.
• Giving a mortgage account. Adoptive Benefit is paid into a current or deposit account.
• Skipping Part 7 when you're married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting.
• Forgetting the P45 if you are no longer employed, or the P35 or Notice of Assessment if self-employed.

After you fill it out

Print the form, have your employer complete, sign and stamp Part 4, and sign the declaration on page 3.

Attach the documents in the Part 9 checklist: the Certificate of Placement or Declaration of Suitability, your P45 if applicable, and any payslips or Notices of Assessment it lists.

Post it to Adoptive Benefit Section, Department of Social Protection, McCarter's Road, Buncrana, Co. Donegal.

Keep the copy in your FileIt vault with the adoption papers.

Form AB1 (Adoptive Benefit): frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Blank form (PDF), published by Department of Social Protection (DSP): https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/f6772d18/20251201_Adoptive_Benefit_-_AB1_-_English_Version_-_Oct_2020.pdf-updated_contact_nos.pdf
• Official instructions and guidance: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-social-protection/services/adoptive-benefit/
• Edition shown on this page: AB1, Edition October 2020 (00K 10-20), reissued December 2025 with updated contact numbers (checked 2026-10-25).

FileIt is not affiliated with or endorsed by Department of Social Protection (DSP) or any government. This page explains the form in general terms and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Always read the official instructions, and check that you are using the edition the recipient accepts. Page last reviewed 2026-10-25.

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