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The short answer
Agree a fixed naira amount and a fixed date with your parents, send it the same way each month, and pay large bills such as rent, school fees or hospital costs separately and directly. In Ireland, Revenue's small gift exemption covers the first €3,000 a person receives from any one giver in a calendar year, which is €250 a month; larger support may fall under other rules.
Many Nigerians in Ireland send money home to parents every month, but often without a plan: whatever is left after rent, sent whenever a call comes. That is stressful for both sides. Parents cannot plan if they do not know what is coming, and you cannot budget if every month brings a different request. A simple allowance, agreed in advance, fixes most of that.
Agree the amount and what it covers
Start with a conversation about what your parents' regular costs actually are. A typical monthly list for retired parents might include:
- food and household items
- electricity, cooking gas, water and fuel for a generator
- phone airtime and data
- medicines and clinic visits
- transport
- church, mosque or community contributions
- a small amount for gifts and emergencies
Then agree what the allowance is not for. Rent, school fees for younger siblings, major medical bills and building projects are better paid directly to the landlord, school or hospital when they fall due. That keeps the monthly figure stable and makes it easier to see whether it is enough. See paying a Nigerian hospital bill from Ireland for that side.
Worked example (illustrative)
Parents in Ibadan estimate their monthly costs in example figures: food ₦180,000, electricity and gas ₦60,000, data and airtime ₦15,000, medicines ₦40,000, transport ₦35,000, contributions ₦20,000, and a buffer of ₦50,000. That totals ₦400,000. At an example rate of ₦1,650 to €1 (not a real rate), the euro cost is about €242.42 a month, or about €2,909 a year before transfer fees. Recheck the euro cost every few months, since the rate and Nigerian prices both move.
Choose a date and a route, then keep both fixed
Pick a date that suits your payday in Ireland, for example two days after your salary lands, and tell your parents the money will arrive by a set day each month. Then use the same route every time: the same provider, the same recipient account, the same narration (for example "MUM ALLOWANCE OCT"). Consistency makes it easy for your parents to recognise genuine payments and harder for a scammer to persuade them that a "new" arrangement is real.
- Confirm your parents' bank account name and number once, by phone, and save it as a payee.
- Set a calendar reminder or a recurring transfer, if your provider offers one, for the agreed date.
- Check the rate and fee each time before you approve; the cost of a fixed naira amount in euro changes.
- Send a short message on the day so your parents know to look for it.
- Review the amount with your parents every six months.
For the mechanics of a recurring transfer from an Irish account, see setting up a monthly transfer from Ireland to Nigeria.
Irish gift tax: what the allowance means
Money you give your parents is a gift for Irish Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT) purposes. Revenue's small gift exemption means the first €3,000 a person receives from any one giver in a calendar year is exempt and does not count towards their lifetime threshold; no CAT return is needed for annual gifts up to that amount. Two siblings each giving a parent €3,000 a year means €6,000 exempt in total, because the exemption is per giver. Above that, other exemptions and group thresholds may apply, and the CAT rate is 33% on amounts above the threshold. This is information, not tax advice; our guide to money sent to family and Irish gift tax goes further.
When parents need more
There will be months when the allowance is not enough: a generator breaks, a roof leaks, a parent needs a test the clinic cannot do. Agree in advance how these are handled. One approach is a separate emergency pot, held in naira in Nigeria or by you in Ireland, that your parents can call on with a quick message and a photo of the bill or quote. Paying the supplier directly from that pot keeps the monthly allowance intact and gives you a record. If the same extra cost comes up three months running, it probably belongs in the allowance itself, and that is the moment to review the figure together rather than topping it up each time.
Make it easier for your parents
If your parents find banking apps hard, set things up so they do not need to do much: a single account for the allowance, alerts so they see money arrive, and one trusted local relative they can call. Agree that you will never ask them to send money back or share a code by phone, so that any message asking for one is a red flag. Black tax: supporting family without going broke covers the wider question of how much to give.
Where Pryme fits
A Pryme Personal Account opened from Ireland holds euro and naira; convert with Swap and send naira to your parents on the agreed day, with the rate and the fee shown before you approve. Your Personal Assistant can remind you on the day and prepare the transfer, but nothing moves until you approve it. If your parents want to put part of the allowance aside, Savings Boxes are available for naira held in Nigeria.
Questions people ask
How much should I send my parents in Nigeria every month?
Start from their actual monthly costs (food, power, medicines, transport, data, contributions) plus a small buffer, and pay large bills like rent or hospital costs separately.
Is money I send my parents taxable in Ireland?
Gifts are within Irish CAT. Revenue exempts the first €3,000 a person receives from any one giver in a calendar year; larger amounts may fall under other exemptions or thresholds.
Can I set up a standing order from Ireland to Nigeria?
Some providers offer recurring international transfers and some do not. If yours does not, a calendar reminder and a saved payee do the same job.
How do I stop scammers using my parents' allowance?
Use one fixed account, date and narration every month, and agree you will never ask them to send money back or share codes.
Sources
- Revenue: Small Gift Exemption (published 12 Jun 2025) · accessed Oct 2026
- Revenue: Gift and Inheritance Tax (CAT) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.