The secrets of the 400 euro allowance for pensioners

Three specific criteria will be examined this year for the payment of the 400-euro allowance or the 13th national pension to 2.2 million pensioners. One is the 65th year for those receiving an old-age or double pension, the second is the 60th year for those with only a widow's pension and the third criterion concerns new beneficiaries and is to receive a definitive pension in the current month (September 2026).

With these special criteria, the allowance will be paid in November.

The income-asset criteria applied last year are abolished.

After the changes, the allowance will be increased to €400 net, i.e. as much as the mixed national pension (€446.87), without considering the annual income limits that were up to €25,000 for individual pensioners and up to €35,000 for pensioner couples. At the same time, the asset criteria of 300,000 euros and 400,000 euros respectively are abolished.

The abolition of income criteria means that the aid will now be paid to pensioners regardless of income and assets.

A 65-year age limit applies to all pensioners who receive an old-age or double pension, due to old age and death, while a 60-year age limit applies by ΄ exception to those who receive only one pension and the one due to death.

The age limit of 65 or 60 years should have been reached in December of the previous year of payment of the aid, i.e. by December 2025.

Those who completed their 65th year last year but retired this year will receive the 400 if they have been awarded a final pension and are paid in September 2026.

Those who reach the ages of 65 and 60 this year will receive the allowance in November 2027, while those who turn 65 and 60 in 2027 will be paid it in 2028 and so on.

In addition, with the abolition of income and property criteria, the allowance will be given twice to pensioner couples who would otherwise lose it.

For example, a pensioner over the age of 65 with an annual income of 26,640 euros would not receive the allowance according to the previous income criteria. With the new scheme, because the income threshold is abolished, it will receive €400 in November.

Couple of pensioners over 65 years old with an annual income of 35,800 euros would lose the allowance, while with the abolition of the criteria both spouses will receive the aid with 400 euros each and a total of 800 euros in November.

A reinforcement of 400 euros will be paid by the end of November and an estimate of ΄ in the week 23 to 27 November. The amount will be paid to 2.2 million beneficiaries and is tax-free and unattachable in their accounts. Afterwards, in December and just before the Christmas holidays, pensioners will be paid the pension of January 2027, which will have the increase that ΄ estimate will be around 2.8%.

Apart from pensioners, the allowance will be paid to 300,000 beneficiaries of disability benefits and uninsured seniors of OPEKA, for whom neither age, income nor property criteria apply.

Source: capital.gr