19.04.2024
WHAT BENEFITS ARE FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN ENTITLED TO THIS YEAR?
From this year, more families with children are entitled to benefits, as from 1 January 2024 the required income was raised, where you can receive child benefits for example. They are also the most familiar and widespread benefits that parents receive for raising a child until the completion of secondary education, but not more than 20 years of age.
Starting this year, the average monthly income of a family member for the last 12 months to receive the aid has been increased by BGN 200 - from BGN 510 to BGN 710. For example, a family with one child must have an average monthly income of less than BGN 2,130, or both parents must receive up to BGN 1,065 per month for the last year.
If you have such an income, you can receive the full amount of the aid, which for one child is 50 BGN per month, for 2 children - 110 BGN, for 3 children - 165 BGN, for 4 - 175 BGN, and for each subsequent amount grows by BGN 20 each. In the case of twins, the amount of assistance is BGN 75 for each child.
If the family has an average monthly income above BGN 710, but not higher than BGN 810, the amount of the aid is 80% of the monthly amount depending on the number of children – for example, for one child it is BGN 40.
This aid is paid in two ways - in cash and in kind. In-kind assistance is provided when the mother is under 18 years of age, as well as in cases where the parents do not take care of their child/children and do not use the assistance as intended.
The money is granted by the "Social Assistance" Directorate at the current address of the family, depending on the family status, on the basis of a submitted application-declaration form, to which you must attach the following documents:
Pregnancy help
In order to receive this type of assistance, the pregnant woman must meet several conditions, such as the average monthly income of a member of her family being less than or equal to BGN 810 for the previous 12 months. This income is calculated by adding up all the monthly incomes of all family members and dividing by the number of members. Family members include a spouse or the person with whom they live and raise a child without being married, children under the age of 18, children up to the age of 20 if they are still studying and not married. The pregnant woman must not be insured for general sickness and maternity or be insured but not have reached the 12-month insurance period at the start of the pregnancy and childbirth leave, and live in Bulgaria for more than 183 days within 12 months.
In order to receive the aid, an application-declaration must be submitted to the "Social Assistance" Directorate at the current address within 45 days until the date of birth, and if the child is born before this period - within 3 months from the date of birth.
Last year this aid was BGN 150, but this year it is now BGN 225 and is paid once.
Childbirth assistance
Mothers of a live-born child have the right to it, when the child is not placed to be raised outside the family. In 2024, the amount of the aid is BGN 375 for the first child, BGN 900 for the second, BGN 450 for the third and BGN 300 for each subsequent child. In the case of twins, it is BGN 900 for each of the children. Until the child is 3 years old, the mother can receive this assistance, for which she must submit a declaration with the birth certificate to the "Social Assistance" Directorate at the current address. All this can also happen with a Personal Identification Code from the National Insurance Institute or the National Revenue Agency electronically.
If by the time the child reaches the age of 2, permanent disabilities of 50 and over 50 percent are established, the mother is paid an additional one-time benefit in the amount of BGN 100.
Help for a student mother
Mothers who follow full-time studies as students can benefit from a one-time grant of BGN 2,880. It is paid in two parts. It is applied until the child turns one year old. The mother must provide a note of enrollment in the following semester to receive the second part of the aid - this prevents the vicious practice of enrolling to study formally without actually studying, just to take the money.
Motherhood
What we generally call "maternity money" is two types of benefits:
From 45 days before the due date until the child turns 1 (or a total of 410 days), pregnancy and childbirth benefits are paid. Its amount is determined based on the mother's insurance income for a period of 24 months before the start of the benefit. In simpler words - income and insurances 2 years ago compared to 45 days before the due date are taken into account. The monthly benefit represents 90% of the average daily insurance income or gross remuneration for this period, and it cannot be less than the minimum wage, which for 2024 is BGN 933, and higher than the net remuneration received. The estimated amount of this compensation can be calculated through the website of the National Insurance Institute.
In order to receive such compensation, the mother must have had 12 months of previous insurance experience and, accordingly, have been insured for general illness and maternity. A social security status check can also be made on the website of the National Insurance Institute with the PIN and PIC.
After the child reaches 6 months of age, the mother can transfer the use of the pregnancy and childbirth benefit to another family member - father, grandmother or grandfather, provided that this person works in a labor or service relationship. The amount of compensation that the father, grandmother or grandfather will receive until the age of 1 is 90% of their average insurance income for the previous 24 months.
If the mother returns to work before the end of this one-year period and does not transfer her maternity leave to another family member, she continues to receive 50% of the monthly amount.
Additional leave to look after a child up to 2 years of age - begins after the expiry of the benefit period under the previous point, i.e. it is about the money that is received in the second year of motherhood. For 2024, the amount remains unchanged - BGN 780 per month. If the mother returns to work before the end of this period, she continues to receive 50% of the intended benefit, i.e. BGN 390.
Aids for a child with a disability
Monthly benefits for raising a child with a permanent disability are provided regardless of the family's income, provided that the child lives permanently in the country and is not placed to be raised outside the family. The amount of the aid was increased from this year, after not being changed since 2016. The amount is:
Support for foster families remains lower, although it has also been increased. For a child with a 90 and over 90% degree of disability, the amount will be BGN 620, for a child with 70 to 90 percent it will be BGN 530, and for a child with 50 to 70 percent - BGN 450.
After reaching the age of majority, the aid is transferred to the law on people with disabilities, where it is determined based on the poverty line, which this year is BGN 526.
The largest amount for disabled adults is the amount for those with over 90 percent disability with certain foreign assistance, who receive social disability pension, military disability pension, civil disability pension, inheritance pension - 57% of the line of poverty, i.e. about BGN 300 for 2024. Together with the social disability pension, the maximum amount of which is BGN 442.62 and will remain at this level until July 1, and also with the foreign aid supplement, which is currently BGN 207.48 BGN, a person can receive about BGN 900. However, there are also people with over 90% disability, for whom the amount will be only BGN 131.50.
Allowance for a child up to 1 year
If the mother is not entitled to compensation for pregnancy and childbirth in the first year of the child and the average monthly income of a family member is no higher than BGN 810 for the previous 12 months, she is entitled to a monthly allowance for raising a child until the age of one year in the amount of BGN 200 per month. Assistance is also provided to a single father or a foster family if they meet these criteria.
Aids for students
The one-time aid for students can be received by children enrolled in I, II, III, IV and VIII grades, regardless of whether they study in a public, municipal or private school. The amount of the aid is BGN 300, which is paid twice - BGN 150 in the first academic term and BGN 150 in the second. There is no income criterion, and applications are submitted to the "Social Assistance" Directorate at the current address at the beginning of the relevant academic year by October 15.
Pocket money for students placed in a health and social service for residential care
This aid is received if the child is:
student from 1st to 12th grade with refugee/humanitarian status or you have temporary protection
The student has the right to receive pocket money in the amount of BGN 90 every month until the completion of secondary education, but no more than reaching the age of 20.
Monthly assistance to cover the initial needs of young people from 18 to 21 years of age
You are entitled to such help if you are a young person aged 18 to 21 and until reaching that age you were placed in a social or integrated health and social care residential care service and you are leaving it for the first time.
To receive this monthly allowance you must:
An identity document/temporary protection registration card must be attached to the application, as well as a document certifying the date on which he/she left residential care, where the information cannot be collected by official means. The aid is granted for a maximum of 3 consecutive months, starting from the month following the month of registration at the Labor Office. The amount of this aid for 2024 is BGN 526 per month. If you want to receive this assistance via bank transfer, you must have a bank account in a Bulgarian bank in your name.
Families with children who receive child allowances should also receive a one-time grant of BGN 300 for transport costs this year. However, it is not yet clear when the money will be paid. The reason is that the required amount has not yet been transferred to the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy from the Power System Security Fund.
