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Section 6: Household financial circumstances

In this section, HEAR asks you to tell us who contributed to your family's income in 2025. Your household income may come from:

• Employment
• Department of Social Protection payments
• Pensions
• Rental property
• Farming

Section 6.1: Who contributed to your family's income in 2025?

Fill in this section with your parent(s) or guardian(s). Entering inaccurate information will affect the outcome of your HEAR application.

Tick who contributed financially to your family's income in 2025. If your parent(s) or guardian(s) are separated or divorced, only fill in the income of the parent you live with most of the time.

Section 6.2: family financial circumstances

Please list all sources of income your parent(s) or guardian(s) received in 2025 excluding child benefit. You must tick yes or no to all types of income.

Supporting Document Checklist

Supporting Document Checklist

Before posting your documents, check the supporting document checklist on your online HEAR application. It tells you exactly what you need to submit.

All supporting documents must reach the CAO by Wednesday 10 March 2027 at 5pm.

If you include income for both parent(s) or guardian(s), you must provide supporting documents for both. HEAR requires evidence of your household income for the full 2025 tax year (52 weeks).

Revenue Supporting Documents

If your parent(s) or guardian(s) pay tax through PAYE

Submit a Statement of Liability for 2025 (previously called a P21).

• An Employment Detail Summary will not be accepted.
• If your parent(s) or guardian(s) are exempt from paying tax, submit a Tax Exemption Letter from Revenue.
• If your parent(s) or guardian(s) are jointly assessed, one Statement of Liability is sufficient.
• Include all pages of the Statement of Liability, including the front and back.

What is a Statement of Liability?

A Statement of Liability (previously called a P21) is a Revenue document that shows a person's income, tax credits and tax paid for a tax year.

Please note: An Employment Detail Summary is not accepted for HEAR.

How do I request a Statement of Liability?

The quickest way to request a Statement of Liability is through my Account on the Revenue website.

1. Log in to myAccount at Revenue.
2. If you are not registered, you will need to complete the registration process.
3. Request a Statement of Liability for 2025.
4. Your Statement of Liability will be available in My Documents if you receive revenue correspondence electronically. Otherwise, it will be sent by post.

You can also request a Statement of Liability by submitting a paper Income Tax Return to Revenue. As this document can take several weeks to issue, request it as early as possible.

If your parent(s) or guardian(s) are self-employed or company directors

Submit a Self-Assessment – Chapter 4 for 2025.

• Do not submit a Form 11, as it will not be accepted.
• If a Self-Assessment – Chapter 4 is unavailable, a Notice of Assessment Chapter 4 may be accepted.
• If Revenue has issued a Notice of Amended Assessment Chapter 4 or Chapter 5, submit this instead.

What is a Self-Assessment – Chapter 4?

A Self-Assessment – Chapter 4 is a Revenue document for people who are:

• self-employed,
• company directors, or
• receiving income that is not taxed through PAYE.

It shows a person’s income, tax due and tax paid for the tax year.

Do not submit a Form 11, as it is not accepted for HEAR.

How do I request a Self-Assessment – Chapter 4?

A Self-Assessment Chapter 4 will be in your parent(s) or guardian(s) Revenue On-Line Service (ROS) inbox after they have completed their return and self-assessment for 2025.

What if my parent(s) or guardian(s) cannot get a Self-Assessment – Chapter 4?

If your parent(s) or guardian(s) submit a paper tax return and do not complete a self-assessment, Revenue may instead issue a Notice of Assessment – Chapter 4. This document can be accepted for HEAR.

What if my parent(s) or guardian(s) have a Notice of Amended Assessment?

If your parent(s) or guardian(s) have a Notice of Amended Assessment – Chapter 4 or Chapter 5 for 2025, submit this document instead.

If you submit a Notice of Amended Assessment, you do not need to provide a Self-Assessment – Chapter 4 or a Notice of Assessment – Chapter 4.

How long does it take to receive Revenue documents?

A Statement of Liability can take several weeks to issue, so request it as early as possible.

If your parent(s) or guardian(s) are self-employed, they should complete their 2025 tax return as soon as possible so their Self-Assessment – Chapter 4 is available.

What if one parent or guardian is PAYE and the other is self-employed?

• The documents you need depend on how your parent(s) or guardian(s) are assessed by Revenue. Jointly assessed: Submit a Self-Assessment – Chapter 4 for 2025.
• Separately assessed: Submit a Statement of Liability for the PAYE parent or guardian and a Self-Assessment – Chapter 4 for the self-employed parent or guardian.

What if my parent(s) or guardian(s) earned income outside Ireland?

If your parent(s) or guardian(s) earned income outside the Republic of Ireland in 2025, submit the equivalent tax documents for that country.

For documents that are not in English or Irish, you must also provide a certified English translation.

If you are unsure what documents are required, contact one of the HEAR advisors in participating colleges listed on page 10 for advice.

What if my parent or guardian is self-employed and also in receipt of a Department of Social Protection payment?

Submit a copy of a Self-Assessment - Chapter 4 for 2025, plus a Department of Social Protection form or statement for 2025.

How do I complete the Department of Social Protection (DSP) form or statement?

If your parent(s) or guardian(s) received a Department of Social Protection (DSP) payment during 2025, you must provide either:

• a completed DSP form, or
• a DSP payment statement.

The document must show:

• the name of the person receiving the payment,
• the name of the payment,
• the total amount received in 2025, and
• the payment start date and end date (if applicable).

HEAR requires evidence of your household income for the full 2025 tax year (52 weeks). Depending on your circumstances, you may also need to provide Revenue documents or evidence of other income.

How do I get a DSP form or statement?

You can:

• ask your local Department of Social Protection (DSP) office to complete, sign and stamp the DSP form, or
• request a DSP payment statement online.

The DSP form is included at the back of this handbook and can also be downloaded from your online HEAR application.

Important instructions

Before sending your documents, remember:

• Send clear photocopies only. Do not post original documents, as they will not be returned.
• Make sure all forms are fully completed, signed and stamped, where required.
• If you lose your DSP form, you can download another copy from your online HEAR application or from the HEAR supporting documents webpage.
• Check that all documents are fully completed before posting them to CAO.

What if my parent(s) or guardian(s) received a redundancy or retirement payment?

If your parent(s) or guardian(s) received a lump sum redundancy or retirement lump sum payment in 2025, you must submit one of the following:

• all pages of Form RP50 – Notification of Redundancy, or
• a letter from the employer or pension provider confirming:
• the date employment ended,
• the gross lump sum paid,
• the number of years worked, and
• the gross annual pension (if applicable).

What documents do HEAR Priority Group applicants need to submit?

Applicants from the Traveller and Roma Communities

If you are applying as a member of the Traveller or Roma community, you must submit a completed School and Community Reference Form.

The form must be signed, dated and stamped by your school or community organisation.

Young Parent applicants

If you are applying as a Young Parent, you must submit the Young Parent Information Request Form from the Department of Social Protection.

• Complete Section 1 yourself.
• Section 2 must be completed, signed and stamped by a Department of Social Protection official.

Remember, you must also meet the low-income criterion (Criterion 1). See Section 6 (pages 26–28) for the household income documents you need to submit with your application.

Before you post your documents

• Post all supporting documents to reach the CAO by Wednesday 10 March 2027 at 5pm.
• Send clear copies and keep your original documents.
• Make sure to get a free certificate of posting from the post office as proof of postage.
• Sample forms and supporting documents are available at www.accesscollege.ie/hear-supportingdocuments