Subsistence benefit is state aid for people in need, paid by the local government. The subsistence benefit is set on the basis of the minimum cost of food, clothing, footwear, and other goods and services to meet basic needs.
From 1 January 2026, the subsistence level for a person living alone or the first member of a family is 220 euros per month and 176 euros for the second and each subsequent adult member of the family. The subsistence level for each minor member of the family is 264 euros per month. A recipient of the subsistence benefit whose family members are all minors is entitled to a supplementary social benefit of 15 euros.
For information on how to apply for the subsistence benefit, please contact the local government where you live.
Who has the right to receive subsistence benefit
A person living alone or a family whose monthly net income, after the deduction of fixed housing expenses based on the limit of expenses established by the council of the local government, is below the established subsistence level has the right to receive a subsistence benefit.
Upon the grant of a subsistence benefit, family members are deemed persons who are married or in a conjugal relationship and live in the same dwelling, their children and parents who need assistance, or other persons who have a shared household.
Pupils and students up to 24 years of age are deemed members of the family if their address entered in the Population Register coincides with the address of their family members.
If the address of a pupil or student up to 24 years of age does not coincide with the address of their family members entered in the Population Register, they have the right to receive a subsistence benefit from the local government of their residence entered in the Population Register, provided that their family was granted a subsistence benefit in the previous or given month.
How to apply for subsistence benefits
Subsistence benefits are granted and paid by the rural municipality or city government and a subsistence benefit applicant has to submit an application to the local government in whose administrative territory the actual residence of the applicant is located not later than by the last working day of the month to receive a subsistence benefit for the given month. In the application, the applicant must specify the names, personal identification codes or dates of birth, and social status (child, pupil, student, pensioner, unemployed, conscript, etc.) of themselves and their family members.
A subsistence benefit shall be granted within five working days after the submission of all documents. The benefit shall be paid by the local government within three working days as of the date of making the decision.
Required documents
The application must be accompanied by documents certifying the net income received by the person living alone or by the family members in the previous month, the amount of support paid, and the amount of the sums withheld in enforcement proceedings under sections 131 and 132 of the Code of Enforcement Procedure. If the type or amount of some income cannot be proved by documentary evidence, the applicant for subsistence benefit must sign a declaration to that effect.
When applying for the first time or in the event of a change in the composition of the items on the list below, a written list shall also be submitted specifying the following items used or owned by the applicant and their family:
- movable dwellings
- securities.
The local government checks the databases in the national information system to see whether the person and their family members own vehicles within the meaning of the Traffic Act and immovable property to ascertain the financial situation of the person and their family and their ability to provide sufficient means of subsistence.
If the applicant wants dwelling costs to be covered when the subsistence benefit is granted, the application must be accompanied by supporting documents:
- the right to use the accommodation (a contract of purchase and sale, certificate of the housing association, lease contract, etc.; to be presented when first applying and in the event of a change in the legal basis for the use of the accommodation)
- dwelling costs to be taken into account when determining the subsistence benefit for the current month.
The following dwelling costs for the current month are taken into account when calculating your subsistence benefit:
- rent
- the cost of managing the apartment building, including repair costs
- repayment of a loan for the renovation of the apartment building
- the cost of water supply and wastewater disposal services
- the cost of heat or fuel consumed for the supply of hot water
- cost of heat or fuel used for heating
- cost of electricity consumption
- cost of household gas
- land tax cost, calculated on the basis of three times the floor area of the dwelling
- building insurance cost
- the fee for the transport of household waste.
Since 1 July 2022, the costs of a housing loan are taken into account when determining the subsistence benefit, in the same way as rent costs. If the applicant wishes to have housing loan costs included in the subsistence benefit, they must submit, among other things:
- A valid loan agreement (mortgage loan agreement, real right contract, or a contract of purchase and sale) concluded for the purchase of the dwelling, verifying the purchase of the dwelling, including the payment schedule
- Certificate of use of or refusal to use a grace period (from the bank)
- A mandatory home insurance contract with the monthly payment amount
- Voluntary insurance contract, if available.
In addition to these documents, the local government may require other documents. When the subsistence benefit is granted, an assessment is made of whether the applicant or a member of their family is in need of other social welfare assistance in addition to the subsistence benefit.
How subsistence benefits are granted
The subsistence benefit is calculated on the basis of the total income of all the people living in the same household. Income means all income of a person living alone or of a family which is not exempted by law.
The following are not included in income when calculating the subsistence benefit:
- lump benefits paid by the state or local government
- periodic benefits paid by the local government which are dependent on the income of the family or intended to compensate for the cost of a specific service
- social benefits for people with disabilities, except for the allowance for a disabled parent
- student loans guaranteed by the state
- a grant paid by the Unemployment Insurance Fund and travel and accommodation allowances
- study allowance, needs-based study allowance, needs-based special allowance, and special allowance paid by the educational establishment.
- income earned by a child without secondary education studying in basic school, upper secondary school, or a vocational educational institution until the age of 19 or after reaching the age of 19 until the end of the current school year or until the student is excluded from the student list
- reimbursement of the costs of concluding a lease contract and of interpretation/translation services paid to a person or family who has received international protection.
Arrears on dwelling costs are not included in the dwelling costs due for the current month and are not covered by the subsistence benefit.
In addition, the local government has the right not to include the following in income:
- scholarships and benefits for studying and working
- reimbursements received to cover a specific cost or damage
- financial support and gifts from close relatives to improve the subsistence of the family, up to half the subsistence level per family per month.
Subsistence benefit is calculated on the basis of the size of the accommodation, the number of occupants, and the number of rooms. The standard floor area for which dwelling costs can be deducted from income is 18 m² of total floor area per family member plus 15 m² per family/household. Limits on permanent housing costs are set by the local government council to ensure that a person can live in dignified circumstances.
If a pupil or student up to the age of 24 who is a member of the family has additional dwelling costs, 18 m² of floor space per student is added to the socially justifiable standard floor area per family. For pensioners and people with a reduced or partial capacity for work living alone in the dwelling, the standard floor area may be up to 51 m².
Subsistence benefit is calculated on the basis of the net income received by a person living alone or by all members of a family in the previous month, minus the amount of support paid, the amounts withheld in enforcement proceedings under sections 131 and 132 of the Code of Enforcement Procedure, the dwelling costs payable in the current month, and the subsistence level.
For more information on the subsistence benefit and how it is granted, see the website of the Ministry of Social Affairs.