For most families, the border poll debate will come down to a few practical questions. Will my pension be safe? Will I still see a GP for free? Who pays for the services we rely on? Supporters of Irish unity have not yet given clear answers. Here is what we know today.
Pensions
Today, people in Northern Ireland receive the UK State Pension. From April 2026 the full new State Pension is £241.30 a week, and it rises each year under the triple lock. The UK pension age is 66, rising to 67 between 2026 and 2028.
In the Republic of Ireland, the maximum State Pension (Contributory) is €299.30 a week from January 2026, and the pension age is 66.
The Irish figure looks higher, but a pension is only worth what it buys. Living costs in the Republic are generally higher, and many health costs that are free here must be paid for there (see below).
What happens to pensions already earned? Under the UK–Ireland social security agreement, contributions made in either country already count towards a pension. But nobody has explained who would pay for future pensions in Northern Ireland, at what rate, or how the move from one system to another would work.
Healthcare
This is where the difference is greatest.
| Northern Ireland (NHS) | Republic of Ireland | |
|---|---|---|
| Seeing a GP | Free | Usually about €45 to €75 a visit, unless you have a medical card or GP visit card |
| Prescriptions | Free | Up to €80 a month per person or family under the Drugs Payment Scheme, unless you have a medical card |
| A&E | Free | €100 if you go without a GP referral |
| Hospital stay | Free | Free since April 2023 |
About a third of people in the Republic hold a medical card, which covers most of these costs. Most working families do not, and many pay for private health insurance.
The NHS has real problems, including some of the longest waiting lists in the UK. But they are problems to fix within the UK, not a reason to give up care that is free at the point of use.
Benefits and public services
Public spending in Northern Ireland is higher than the taxes raised here. The gap is covered by the UK as a whole and has been estimated at billions of pounds a year in official Department of Finance figures. That money pays for schools, hospitals, benefits and pensions.
In a united Ireland, that support from the UK would end. The gap would have to be met by Irish taxpayers, by cuts, or by both. No Irish government has said which.
The questions still unanswered
- Would the NHS model be kept in Northern Ireland, or replaced by the Republic's system?
- Who would fund pensions and benefits, and would current rates be guaranteed?
- How long would any transition take, and what would happen to people part-way through claims or treatment?
- What would it cost Irish taxpayers, and would they vote for it?
Until these questions have honest, costed answers, nobody can say a united Ireland would leave households here better off. The safest guarantee of the pension and healthcare people rely on today is Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom.
