Basic Income for the Arts (BIA)
Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) is an Irish government scheme that pays 2,000 randomly selected professional artists and creative arts workers an unconditional €325 a week (paid monthly), with no means test or work requirement. It began as a 3-year pilot (2022-2025, extended to Feb 2026) and, following strongly positive evaluation results, was made a recurring/permanent feature of the state's arts funding in Budget 2026, relaunching as a new 2026-2029 cohort. It is funded entirely by the Irish Exchequer via the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport and is bundled with a mandatory research programme tracking recipients' wellbeing and creative output.
Ireland, Arts and culture, Unconditional cash transfer, National-scale basic income, Random lottery selection, First permanent basic-income-style scheme in the world, Creative workers
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (Government of Ireland)
- City
- Dublin
- Country
- Ireland
Contact
- Phone
- +353 1 631 3903
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 2,000
- Funding type
- Government, Research Pilot
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- EUR
- Total Amount
- 50,700 EUR (≈ $57,732.05)
- Avg. Per Month
- 1,408.33 EUR (≈ $1,603.66)
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 36 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct deposit (bank transfer)
- Benefit details
Payments of €325/week (approx. €1,413.21/month) are unconditional and not means-tested, but are taxable income. Selected recipients must register as self-employed with Revenue and pay Schedule D income tax and Class S PRSI on the payment; USC also applies. Payments started in the pilot in 2022 and, for the 2026-2029 cohort, begin before the end of 2026 but are backdated to September 2026. A small group of eligible-but-unselected applicants can be asked to join a control group, in which case they receive 2 weeks of BIA payment per year (6 weeks total over 3 years) in exchange for participating in the same data collection.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Open to individual professional artists and creative arts workers (writers, visual artists, actors, musicians, directors, designers, etc.) across all art forms who can prove an active, professional (non-amateur/non-aspiring) practice primarily based in the Republic of Ireland, using at least three documented proofs (at least two from an Irish arts organisation/funder/representative body). A separate Recently Graduated Applicant (RGA) stream reserves up to 100 of the 2,000 places for those who completed a relevant, practice-based Level 8+ qualification in 2024, 2025, or by 1 September 2026 and intend a professional creative career. Groups/companies cannot apply, only individuals. Aosdána members receiving the Cnuas payment, full-time students, and artists not primarily based/practicing in Ireland are excluded.
Demographics
- Education level
- Bachelor's
- Language
- English, Irish
Financial
- Employment status
- Self-Employed
- Banked status
- Banked
Geography
- Countries covered
- Ireland
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
The scheme is underpinned by a Department of Culture, Communications and Sport research programme. All applicants must complete a baseline survey at application (failure to do so makes them ineligible), and selected recipients must complete ongoing periodic surveys throughout the 3-year payment period or be removed from the scheme. Data is anonymised and evaluated in aggregate; research outputs and reports are published publicly (see gov.ie 'Basic Income for the Arts Pilot Scheme Reports'). An independent cost-benefit analysis of the 2022-2025 pilot found recipients had greater professional autonomy, more creative work capacity, lower anxiety and higher life satisfaction than a control group, and estimated a societal return of €1.39 for every €1 invested, which underpinned the government's decision to make the scheme permanent in Budget 2026 (allocating €18.27 million for 2026).
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications are made through an online portal (opened 1pm 15 April 2026, closed 5pm 12 May 2026 for the 2026-2029 round; the pilot's window closed 12 May 2022) which is available in English and Irish. Applicants must create an account, complete the application form, upload three pieces of evidence of professional artistic practice (or one piece for Recently Graduated Applicants), and complete a mandatory baseline research survey (the whole process can take up to 90 minutes). Only fully submitted, in-portal applications are accepted; late, draft, or emailed applications are not considered.
- Selection process
Recipients are chosen via an anonymised random selection process (a randomiser tool) from the pool of applicants who meet the documented eligibility criteria; there is no merit assessment and survey answers do not affect selection odds. The resulting sample is checked against the full eligible applicant pool to verify it is representative across demographics such as age, gender, location, arts form, ethnicity and disability. Names of recipients are published (in line with standard arts-funding practice and EU State Aid transparency register requirements).
