Despite calls from Independent Alliance ministers to re-introduce the State Bereavement grant, it was not included in Budget 2018. Instead, the reintroduction of the Telephone Allowance was favoured.

When it was cut, the Telephone Allowance was worth €9.50 a month to pensioners and low-income households. The State Bereavement grant was at the time worth €850.

Although it is anticipated that further calls will be made to introduce it in the future, at present – when it comes to the death of a loved one – footing the bill can be a major stress.

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Considering funeral costs, such as funeral director fees, the coffin, transport, funeral notices and church/service related costs, people can be looking at a bill in excess of €4,000 – and that is not including the plot and headstone.

Despite these enormous costs, a recent survey by Royal London found that only 44% plan to pay or leave money for their own funeral and that people would place more importance on their loved ones’ funeral arrangements than they would their own. This could be because not everyone is aware of the associated high costs.

The survey of 1,000 adults found that 34% of respondents accurately estimated that Irish funeral costs (including the plot and headstone) would be in excess of €5,000. In all, 31% sharply underestimated the costs, stating these were between €1,000 and €3,000.

In fact, many people let their loved ones worry about it after they are gone. “Most people seem to appreciate that a funeral in Ireland is a costly affair,” says Joe Charles, head of proposition at Royal London. “However, this seems at odds with people’s apparent uncertainty as to who would pay for it when the time comes.

“We found that 38% are relying on family or next-of-kin to pay for their funeral, with a further 17% of people having ‘no idea’ of who would foot the bill. The majority of people are simply unaware of all the associated costs involved in planning a funeral – and these can often come as a shock when a loved one dies.”

It’s not that people want to cause hassle for their relations though as, “‘a simple affair with no fuss’ is how the majority (44%) picture their own funeral.

However, when it comes to arranging their partner’s funeral, participants seemed to want to go to more effort, with 62% preferring ‘a proper send-off to celebrate their life’ or ‘a modest but respectful and elegant event’,” reveals Joe. CL

Top tips for managing money at college

College students, you’ve survived the first few weeks, the cooking skills are improving (or at least have been attempted), and you’re even making it to class on time. However, managing money may be proving to be an issue.

Those heady days of Freshers Week are over, and it’s time to make a plan about surviving financially from now until May.

To help you get more money savvy, Charles Dowd, CEO and co-founder of Plynk, Europe’s first money-messaging app, shares this advice with Irish Country Living.

1Firstly, start flashing that student card. It comes with lots of amazing student discount offers. Restaurants, cinemas, nightclubs, and many retailers often offer discounts off goods and services. Always have it in your possession.

2When it comes to eating out or enjoying a great night out, everyone’s bucket list of the best places to go is endless. To stop yourself from overspending and losing track of your budget, allow yourself to eat out or go out once or twice a week at the most. This way you can put money aside for the purpose and you have something fun to look forward to every week.

3Now that you’ve established that you won’t be going out every evening and that Mam’s kitchen is quite a drive, it’s time to get cooking. Start perfecting one or two staple dishes and consider setting up a rota with flatmates.

For example, you buy the ingredients and cook spaghetti Bolognese once a week, and they cook a curry. It means you just need to budget for that one meal – and you’re not eating the same thing every night.

4Carpooling is a fantastic way to cut the cost of petrol. It is amazing how cheap a trip away or a drive to an event out with friends can be when you split the cost. University offers new opportunities to travel with groups and societies, but it often tends to get messy when it comes to dividing the costs of taxis, accommodation, dinners or bar tabs.

Designate one person to control a kitty. The kitty can cover all costs, and once the kitty is empty, everyone can chip in again to top it up. This way each bill doesn’t have to be divided by eight or 10 or 12 each time.

Are you missing out on tuition-fee tax?

If you are paying tuition fees for a full- or part-time third-level course, then you may well be entitled to tax relief on the cost. However, lack of awareness could be a primary contributing factor as to why thousands of people could be missing out on significant tax refunds, as reported by Taxback.com.

A survey has revealed that only 30% of people are aware of the relief and that refunds worth thousands could be left behind by those who are eligible.

Latest figures from the Revenue show that 29,300 people applied for third-level tuition fee relief in 2015, but in that year there were 159,945 Irish students enrolled in full-time education.

While not everyone will be entitled to relief, Taxback.com say it is worth investigating. “If you are paying for tuition fees for a full- or part-time third level course – be it for yourself or for your child – then you may well be entitled to tax relief on the cost,” explains Barry Flanagan, senior tax manager with Taxback.com. “The relief is available to whoever is paying the cost of the fees.”