Ireland’s Budget 2026 is shaping up to be a far tighter affair than many households were hoping for. The questions on people’s minds are simple: will pensions rise, will families see extra child benefit, and will there be any meaningful tax cuts? On child benefit, don’t expect sweeping changes. Crucially, the once-off cost-of-living measures that many households came to rely on—double child benefit payments, energy credits, big lump-sum supports—are not guaranteed to return. What this all means is that Budget 2026 is expected to deliver small gains rather than dramatic wins.