Ireland’s minister for social protection and rural and community development, Dara Calleary, has announced that An Post has been awarded a contract to provide cash payment services on behalf of the Department of Social Protection.
The Cash Payment Services contract covers over-the-counter cash payments to welfare recipients through the post office network. The department says that around 30% of payments to its customers are currently made in cash.
The contract came into effect on January 1, 2026, and will run until December 2028. Following the initial three-year term, the Department of Social Protection has the option to extend the agreement for a further year. The contract was awarded to An Post following a competitive tender process aimed at securing value and service quality for customers and taxpayers.
Speaking at the announcement, Calleary highlighted the scale of An Post’s role in welfare payments: “An Post delivered almost 25 million welfare payments to our customers through the An Post Network in 2025. Now that this new contract is in place, my department, in conjunction with An Post, will continue to provide the important provision of cash payments to the department’s customers who rely on this service across urban and rural communities.”
An Post operates a nationwide network of 880 post offices, which the company says is central to maintaining access to cash payment services, particularly in rural areas.
Debbie Byrne, managing director of An Post Retail, said the company would continue to invest in its infrastructure and workforce to support the service.
“An Post is pleased to continue delivering cash payment services to Department of Social Protection customers across Ireland,” she said. “Through investment in our unique network of 880 post offices, technology, training and our dedicated staff and postmasters, we will continue to ensure customers’ access to secure, reliable cash payments, so essential to local communities.”
According to An Post, post offices handled more than €7bn (US$8.17bn) in Department of Social Protection payments during 2025. Byrne said the network had demonstrated resilience during extreme weather events and other operational challenges, adding that An Post looked forward to continuing its working relationship with the department over the coming years.
In related news, J&T Express delivers record 30 billion parcels in 2025