An important change to the permanent benefit for pensioners is brought by the new regulation of the economic staff, as from November 2026 the annual financial support increases to 400 euros and is expanded to all pensioners aged 65 years and over, without income and asset criteria.
The support retains the permanent nature it had acquired last year and will be paid every November, while overall the beneficiaries are estimated at approximately 2.2 million citizens.
The main criterion that remains for pensioners is now age. Beneficiaries are those who have reached the age of 65, while special provision exists for pensioners over 60 years old who receive exclusively a pension due to death, that is, a survivor's pension.
At the same time, the benefit is granted regardless of age to beneficiaries of disability pensions and disability benefits, as well as to uninsured elderly people who receive the relevant benefit from OPEKA.
Without income limits
The abolition of income and asset limits is the most important change. Thus, a pensioner with a higher annual income is no longer excluded from the support simply because they exceed some income threshold.
The same applies to real estate property. Under the previous regime, the annual support was linked to specific income and asset criteria. These now cease to be a prerequisite for the payment of the 400 euros.
This means that those who benefit from the expansion also include pensioners who until now were excluded due to income or property. For example, a couple of pensioners over 65 years old can now receive a total of 800 euros, that is 400 euros for each beneficiary, without examining whether the household income exceeds the previous limits.
By contrast, pensioners who do not meet the age criterion and do not fall into one of the special categories remain outside this specific support.
More specifically, a pensioner under 65 years old who receives an old-age pension does not become entitled to the benefit simply because they are a pensioner. An exception is made for those over 60 years old who receive exclusively a death pension, as well as beneficiaries of disability benefits and uninsured elderly people.
The categories of beneficiaries
According to the official figures, the new regulation increases the beneficiaries by approximately 270,000 compared with the previous regime. For November 2026, the following are projected:
- 1,779,112 beneficiaries aged over 65 years
- 19,753 pensioners aged 61-65 years who receive a death pension
- 176,578 beneficiaries of disability pensions and benefits from e-EFKA
- 171,738 beneficiaries of disability benefits from OPEKA
- 49,570 uninsured elderly people
Overall, the number reaches 2,196,751 beneficiaries, with a fiscal cost of approximately 879 million euros annually.
The payment will be made as a lump sum, into the beneficiaries' bank account, without requiring a separate application. The schedule that has been announced places the payment on 30 November 2026.
Of course, the 400 euros do not constitute a permanent increase in the pension. It is a separate annual financial support, which is paid once a year. Therefore, the pensioner who will receive 400 euros in November will not see the total monthly amount of their pension increase by that amount.
Thus, when the annual increase is given in January 2026, indeed to all beneficiaries, as the personal difference is abolished, it will be given in the monthly pension, without the amount of 400 euros being apportioned to it as well.