The administration of the 100 to 200 euro precision check to the 930,000 low-income pensioners with an income of up to 700 euro per month is being processed by the government’s financial staff. According to information from Realnews, the accuracy, which remains at particularly high levels mainly in food, medicine and services, has led the government to the need to provide an emergency aid for this specific, socially vulnerable, category of pensioners. It is recalled that this category had been excluded in recent years from this benefit.
By Argyros K. Mavrouli
Low pensioners, in addition to the emergency assistance scenario, will this year receive an increase of 2%-2.5% which will be given from January 1, 2025 (an increase of 14-17.5 euros per month for a pensioner with earnings of 700 euros, i.e. 168-210 euros per year).
The final percentage of the increase is expected to be “locked in” at the end of October, when the final estimates for inflation and the growth rate of the Greek economy will be announced. In case of deviation, the correction (up or down) will be made in the next year’s increases (in 2026).
For now, according to revised forecasts for 2024, growth is expected to be close to 2.2%, while inflation is estimated at 3%. With these data, the increase in pensions is estimated to move between 2.4% and 2.5%.
The increase in pensions will be based on the change in the average annual general consumer price index of the Hellenic Statistical Authority and the provision of law 4670/2020 will not be applied which provides that the increases will be given based on the wage change index, as the mathematical formula he is not ready yet.
Who does it concern?
The extraordinary financial support will range from 100 to 200 euros and will come from the extraordinary taxation of the surplus profits of the refineries, amounting to 243 million euros. The other, apart from pensioners, five categories of beneficiaries who will receive the aid just before Christmas are as follows:
- 700,000 pensioners with a personal difference will receive an extraordinary financial aid of 100 to 200 euros. Specifically:
– Those who receive a sum of main pensions up to 700 euros will be given an aid of 200 euros.
– Those who receive the sum of their main pensions from 700.1 to 1,100 euros will be given an aid of 150 euros.
-Those who receive the sum of their main pensions from 1,100.1 to 1,600 euros will be given an aid of 100 euros. - 767,000 beneficiaries of the OPECA child benefit will receive an additional installment of child benefit.
- 220,000 beneficiaries of the OPECA disability allowance and the beneficiaries of the non-institutional allowance and other disability allowances of the e-EFKA will receive an aid of 200 euros.
- 35,000 uninsured elderly beneficiaries of the corresponding OPECA allowance will receive an aid of 200 euros.
- 205,000 beneficiaries of the Minimum Guaranteed Income will receive an additional 50% of the monthly allowance during the month of December.
Allocation
The increases in pensions concern all 2.5 million pensioners, however about 1.73 million pensioners will see real increases in their pockets. About 700,000 pensioners have a personal difference. Of those, about 100,000 retirees with a potential increase of close to 2.5% are estimated to zero out their personal difference and see raises starting next year. Experts estimate that the increase will start from 15 euros and in cases of very high pensions it may exceed 60 euros, with the average being around 25 euros. They will see an increase in both the compensatory and the national pension.
If the increase is 2.5%:
- The national pension from 426.17 euros will rise to 436.8 euros.- The upper limit for the main pensions will be formed from 5,114.04 euros to 5,241.89 euros.
- The upper limit for supplementary pensions will rise from 1,534.21 euros to 1,572.56 euros.
- The basic pension of the former OGA from 399.54 euros will be 409.5 euros.
It is noted that the average pension in July was only 821.99 euros, while the average supplementary did not exceed 196.89 euros. According to data from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security:
- 57.4% (1,430,378 pensioners) receive up to 1,000 euros gross (940 euros net).
- 38.5% (958,188 pensioners) receive up to 700 euros gross (658 euros net).
- 30.5% (758,974 pensioners) receive up to 600 euros gross (564 euros net).
- 19.9% (496,392 pensioners) receive up to 500 euros gross (470 euros net).
It is recalled that last year pensioners with an income of up to 700 euros received an extraordinary financial aid of 150 euros and an additional increase of 3%. For the first time in recent years, the special financial aid of 243 million euros from the taxation of refineries will not be given to low-income pensioners with an income of up to 700 euros who do not have a personal difference, which has caused various reactions. Last year, beneficiaries of the financial support of 150 euros were also pensioners without a personal difference or pensioners with a personal difference of less than 10 euros, who receive a sum of main pensions up to 700 euros (about 930,000 beneficiaries).
See the Realnews article
Source: www.enikos.gr
