House Approves Changes to 13th Pensions, Upper Limit to Be €300

Bratislava, October 21 (TASR) – Parliament on Wednesday approved changes to 13th pension payments introduced by the previous government; thereby officially making them a state social benefit that will not exceed €300 per month.

Previously, retirees received a Christmas bonus at the end of each year, which was set to be replaced by a 13th-pension payment approved by the previous government. The value of this 13th pension payment was supposed to be approximately equal to the value of the person’s average monthly pension.

However, the Labour Ministry has amended the legislation. Under the changes, a retiree with a monthly pension of €214.82 should receive a 13th pension payment of €300, which is €100 higher than what they received last Christmas as a bonus. A pensioner with a €300-pension should receive €269.34, with a €400-pensioner getting €233.34 and €500-pensioner garnering €197.34 (compared to their last Christmas bonus of €71.86).

“If the monthly pension value or its sum is higher than the subsistence minimum for one adult person, the 13th pension amount is determined according to a formula. As the monthly pension amount grows, the 13th-pension amount linearly decreases. Also being proposed is a guarantee of a minimum 13th-pension value of €50,” noted the Labour Ministry.

Those entitled to a 13th-pension payment include all retirees plus recipients of disability pensions, social pensions, widows’ and orphans’ pensions and recipients of selected pensions paid by the relevant retirement authority.