| Ss. 1 & 2 | 7 March 2008 | Commenced on enactment |
| S. 3 | 1 April 2008 | S. 3(2) |
| S. 4 | 7 March 2008 | Commenced on enactment |
| S. 5 | | S. 1(6) |
| Ss. 6 & 7 | 7 March 2008 | Commenced on enactment |
| S. 8 | 8 May 2008 | S. 8(3) |
| S. 9 | 5 June 2008 | S. 9(2) |
| S. 10 | 1 June 2005 | S. 10(2) |
| S. 11 | 7 March 2008 | Commenced on enactment |
| Ss. 12, 13 & 14 | | S. 1(6) |
| S. 15 | 1 April 2009 | Commenced by the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2008 (Sections 15 and 16)(Commencement) Order, 2009 (S.I. No. 143 of 2009), art. 2 |
| S. 16(a)-(b) | 1 April 2009 | Commenced by the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2008 (Sections 15 and 16)(Commencement) Order, 2009 (S.I. No. 143 of 2009), art. 2 |
| S. 16(c) | 2 June 2010 | Commenced by the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2008 (Section 16(c)) (Commencement) Order 2010 (S.I. No. 246 of 2010), art. 2 |
| S. 16(d)-(i) | 1 April 2009 | Commenced by the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2008 (Sections 15 and 16)(Commencement) Order, 2009 (S.I. No. 143 of 2009), art. 2 |
| S. 17(1), (2), (3), (4) | 1 September 2009 | Commenced by the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2008 (Section 17) (Commencement) Order 2009 (S.I. No. 347 of 2009), art. 2 |
| S. 17(5) | | S. 1(6) |
| S. 18(1) | 7 March 2008 | Commenced on enactment |
| S. 18(2)-(4) | 1 October 2011 | Commenced by the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2008 (Sections 18(2), 18(3) and 18(4)) (Commencement) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 496 of 2011), art. 2 |
| Ss. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 | 7 March 2008 | Commenced on enactment |
| S. 26 | | Commenced on enactment (7 March 2008) |
| | | Commenced by the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2008 (Sections 26, 29, 30 and 31) (Commencement) Order 2008 (S.I. No. 84 of 2008), art. 2, (14 April 2008)Note: Appears to have been commenced twice |
| S. 27 | | Commenced by the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2008 (Section 27) (Commencement) Order 2008 (S.I. No. 277 of 2008) (1 November 2008) Note: Commencement order revoked by S.I. No. 398 of 2008, art. 4 |
| | 1 November 2008 | Commenced by the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2008 (Section 27) (Commencement) (No. 2) Order 2008 (S.I. No. 398 of 2008), art. 3, (1 November 2008) (other than in so far as it relates to the insertion in the Pensions Act 1990 of s. 64P) |
| S. 28 | 1 February 2010 | Commenced by the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2008 (Section 28) (Commencement) Order 2009 (S.I. No. 506 of 2009), art. 2 |
| Ss. 29, 30, 31 | 14 April 2008 | Commenced by the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2008 (Sections 26, 29, 30 and 31) (Commencement) Order 2008 (S.I. No. 84 of 2008), art. 2 |
| Sch. 1 | | S. 1(6) |
| Sch. 2 | 14 April 2008 | Commenced by the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2008 (Sections 26, 29, 30 and 31) (Commencement) Order 2008 (S.I. No. 84 of 2008), art. 2 |
