Heather Humphreys, the minister for social protection, is proposing the policy, estimating that it will help about 60,000 households.

Originally scheduled to be launched in September of this year, Minister Humphreys will inform her colleagues that it can now take place as early as May.

The modification in child benefit is being implemented to help families cope with the rising cost of living and because a substantial proportion of 18-year-olds are still enrolled in second-level study. The monthly payment is €140 per kid.

A social welfare measure that is scheduled to be considered by the Seanad later this week is anticipated to be amended by Ms. Humphreys in an attempt to propose the modification.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar made the announcement upon arriving at the Cabinet meeting, stating that the action was taken “in recognition of the fact that it is increasingly normal for 18-year-olds to be in school or even just to start their first years in college while they are only 18.”

He also mentioned that the child benefit payment would not be means tested and that raising teenagers was costly.