Personal differences allowance and punctuality check: a double “package” of increases for pensioners

December 21 will be the date of payment of the personal difference allowance and financial assistance of 150 euros that will be given to pensioners, according to information from Dnews.

In particular, according to information from Dnews, EFKA services are working feverishly so that by December 21 pensioners will receive the frightening personal dispute and financial assistance of 150 euros.

In more detail, before the holiday, pensioners are expected to be paid:

• Financial assistance worth 150 euros
• Personal difference allowance between 100 and 200 euros
• January pension increase by 3.1%
• About 1,055,000 pensioners will receive emergency financial assistance of €150 before the Christmas holidays.

In particular, the beneficiaries of the new financial aid amounting to 150 euros will be:

Pensioners with no personal difference or – Pensioners with a personal difference of less than 10 euros, who receive a main pension amount of up to 700 euros (about 1 million beneficiaries).

It should be noted that the pensioners in question who will receive €150 will normally receive a pension increase from 1.1.2024.

Assistance of €150 will also be provided to beneficiaries of the OPCA Uninsured Older People’s Allowance (about 33,000 beneficiaries also receive an increase as of 1/1/2024).

The cost of the financial assistance of 150 euros is estimated at 158 ​​million euros.

Allowance for personal differences

750,000 pensioners will receive a personal difference allowance with a personal difference of more than €10 and a maximum pension of €1,600 per month.

For a pension amount of up to 700 euros, an allowance of 200 euros will be paid, for a pension amount of 701 to 1,100 euros instead of 150 euros, and for a pension amount of 1,101 to 1,600 euros instead of 100 euros.

The 3 bonus tables will be based on the size of the pensions and will be organized as follows:

The value of the one-time exceptional financial assistance is as follows:

a) Up to EUR 200 for an e-EFKA pensioner, whose main old-age, disability or death pension was paid in October 2023 for a cumulative total net pre-tax amount of up to EUR 700.

b) Up to EUR 150 for an e-EFKA pensioner, whose main old-age, disability or death pension was paid in October 2023 with a cumulative total net pre-tax of EUR 700.01 to EUR 1,100.

c) Up to EUR 100 for an e-EFKA pensioner, whose main old-age, disability or death pension was paid in October 2023 with a cumulative total net pre-tax of EUR 1,100.01 to EUR 1,600.

This allocation shall be exempt from taxes, non-assignable and non-confiscatable, in the hands of the state or a third party, despite any other provision to the contrary. It is neither binding nor set off against confirmed debts to the Tax Administration and the Tax Administration. The state in general, legal entities subject to public law, municipalities of local organizations and their legal entities, insurance funds or credit institutions, and are not counted in the income limits for payment of any social benefit or welfare.

Increase pensions

The pension increased by 3.1% will be received by thousands of retirees who receive main pensions, disability pensions, rural old-age pensions, uninsured old-age and widows’ pensions. Therefore all pensions will be adjusted accordingly.

Of the 2.5 million who will receive the raise, 1.5 million will go into their pockets, and another 300,000 will get a raise, but smaller, because part of it will be compensated by the personal difference.

The remaining 700,000 pensioners will see an increase in their national and compensatory pensions, but they will not see a benefit in their pockets, because they will be left with a personal difference balance.

The following should be highlighted

Increases are calculated in both the national and compensatory pension.

The national pension, which currently stands at €413.76, will increase as of 1/1/2024 by 3.1% (+€12.82) and will reach €426.58. This means that those who retire as of 1/1/2024 will receive a national pension of €426.58.

The same National Pension amount will be received from 1/1/2024 for everyone who will be on the pension by then. At the same time, the compensatory and national pension already received by retirees, as well as those who have applied or will apply for retirement for 2023, will be increased.

Disability pensions. Due to the increase in the national pension, the temporary pension, disability pension and widows’ pension will be adjusted.

The national pension of 426 euros will be obtained for beneficiaries of disability pensions whose disability rate exceeds 80%.

People with a disability rate between 67% and 79.99% will receive €320 (75% of the national) from €310 today, and the minimum pension due to a work accident or occupational disease, which until 31.12.2023, is 827. 52 euros automatically adjusted and as of 01.01.2024 it will amount to 853.16 euros.

Widow’s pensions. Accordingly, widow’s pensions cannot be less than the national pension.

Therefore, here too the minimum rises to €426.58 from €413.76. If the deceased’s insurance period was less than 20 years, the amount of €426 is reduced by 1.25% for each remaining insurance year until the 20th anniversary. For an insurance period of less than 15 years, the amount to which the survivor or divorcing spouse is entitled cannot be less than the amount of €382.6 (the small national amount is currently €371.7).

Temporary pensions. At the same time, temporary pensions will be adjusted to the same level as the national pension. The temporary pension may not be less than the amount corresponding to the national pension.

Basic syntax p.OGA. The father’s OGA basic pension, which currently stands at €387.90, has also been revised. From 1/1/2024 it will rise to 399.9 euros. The reduction rates on the basic pension are calculated as of 01/01/2024 on the increased amount.

Pension and allowances for uninsured elderly people. The monthly amount of pension and uninsured elderly allowance increases from €387.90 to €399.9, due to the adjustment of the basic pension amount of the previous OGA.

Also modified are:

• Absolute disability benefit for elderly insured persons
• – Absolute disability benefit for new insured persons
• Total disability allowance pr. OGA
• Expatriate pensions: They are granted to those who have permanent, legal residency in the country for a period of 30 years, starting in 1992.

The law stipulates that the total amount of the monthly basic pension or more than one pension due to old age, disability or death cannot exceed 12 times the national pension with 20 years of insurance. Therefore, the new ceiling will rise from 4,965 euros to 5,118 euros. euro.

The upper limit on supplementary pensions, which is set at 6/20 of 12 times the national pension, rises from €1,489.54 to €1,535.4.