By Vangelis Dourakis

Conversely, the time to pay the 250 to 500 euros to retirement to retirees: money will enter – according to the relevant information – in the bank accounts of the beneficiaries earlier than the original plan was foreseen. Payment of the amounts of the aid will be “automatically” without the need for any action by retirees, who will have to meet specific age, income and property criteria.

Sources from the Ministry of Labor even say that the competent services of EFKA are being made by the EFKA’s competent services the annual allowance of 250-500 euros for vulnerable pensioners and disability beneficiaries to be paid on November 15, perhaps earlier, to the beneficiaries. The original design provided for the payment to be made at the end of November.

What are the beneficiaries of the annual aid

The amount of the aid is € 250 for individual beneficiaries and at 500 euros for couples.

Payment will be made without request or other action by the pensioners concerned, while the signing of a Joint Ministerial Decision by the relevant Ministries of Labor and National Economy is not required.

This annual financial support of EUR 250 net – on a permanent basis – has been established for retirees, beneficiaries of disability benefits and uninsured elders. It will be paid until November 30 of each year, starting in November 2025.

Beneficiaries are:

  • Pensioners over 65 years of age with annual family income up to € 14,000 for unmarried and fortune up to 200,000 euros and annual family income of up to € 26,000 for married cohabitation.
  • The value of real estate should not exceed EUR 200,000 for unmarried and EUR 300,000 for married.
  • Pensioners of Disability of the EFKA and the beneficiaries of disability benefits by OPECA, uninsured elders receiving a pension, as well as the beneficiaries of an extra -institutional allowance granted by EFKA.

It should be noted here that for the beneficiaries of disability pensions the age limit does not apply, that is, the allowance will be paid, regardless of whether they are over or under 65 years.

However, the income and property criterion applies in these cases.

The aid is tax -free, irreversible and unmistakable, and if one belongs to more categories, he only receives the amount once.

Who will get 500 € and who are excluded

The amount of the aid is 250 euros per beneficiary, but for pairs of pensioners who meet the criteria, it reaches 500 euros.

The same applies to pairs receiving an uninsured elderly or disability benefits OPECA.

About 450,000 pensioners are not entitled to the allowance due to age (under 65), and outside the pensioners who work, as their income is calculated at the total annual limit.

Specifically, outside the allowance will be found:

  • Pensioners who receive a main pension and are under 65 years of age. If by the end of 2025 they complete this limit, they will receive the allowance in November 2026.
  • Pensioners who have an annual income exceeding income and property criteria. Thus, for example, those who receive a pension of more than 1,200 euros, as well as many employees of retirees, are at risk of being left without a allowance, as their income is taken into account in the annual declared taxable income.
  • Pensioners who received retroactively in 2024. The reason is that this amount is also counted in their annual declared income. That is, their pension may be below 1,268 euros a month and not receive 250 euros because they saw their income grow in the past year due to the collection of some retroactive amounts.

Persons who fall into more categories receive the annual financial support for one of these categories.