Social Assistance
Sotsiaalabi
Coverage
- Persons residing in Estonia who cannot sufficiently cover their necessary subsistence from income.
- Persons in a socially helpless situation who are in need of emergency social assistance (i.e. provision of food, clothing and temporary accommodation).
Financing
- The monthly subsistence benefit is entirely tax-financed from the state budget.
- Further social benefits are financed from the local government budgets and may be paid or delivered as services.
Administration
- Local governments manage the subsistence benefits (i.e. review applications, decide on eligibility, and pay out benefits) and provide emergency social assistance.
Qualifying Conditions
- Persons permanently residing in Estonia or foreigners residing in Estonia on the basis of a temporary residence permit or a temporary residence right.
- Persons living alone or with family with monthly net income/assets (incl. benefits from other schemes such as national pension and pensioners living alone allowance and after the deduction of housing expenses) below subsistence level as defined by law.
- Subsistence benefits are means-tested based on the previous month’s net income of the person (living alone) or household.
- Subsistence benefits are provided based on local authorities’ discretion and may be refused/reduced if: it is established that the property used/owned by the applicant or his or her family or the lease, rental or sale thereof ensures sufficient funds; it is established that the applicant (or a member of a family applying for a benefit) has made no other effort to improve his/her own material situation or the material situation of his/her family.
Benefits
- Subsistence benefit: monthly benefits based on the sum of the subsistence level amounts and the housing costs minus income; subsistence levels for a person living alone or to the first family member is EUR 150 per month; the subsistence levels for each minor family member is EUR 180 (i.e. 120% of the single rate) per month and EUR 120 per month (i.e. 80% of the single rate) for each subsequent adult family member; beneficiaries with only minor family members are entitled, in addition to the subsistence benefit, to an additional social benefit of EUR 15 in total for their household.
- Emergency social assistance: guaranteeing at least food, clothing and temporary accommodation; typically provided until the person is no longer in a socially helpless situation.
- Further social benefits: local governments use different social services (e.g. personal assistance in the person’s home) and other forms of social assistance to alleviate needs.
- Benefits are not subject to income tax.
Coverage
Financing
Administration
Qualifying Conditions
Benefits
- Persons residing in Estonia who cannot sufficiently cover their necessary subsistence from income.
- Persons in a socially helpless situation who are in need of emergency social assistance (i.e. provision of food, clothing and temporary accommodation).
- The monthly subsistence benefit is entirely tax-financed from the state budget.
- Further social benefits are financed from the local government budgets and may be paid or delivered as services.
- Local governments manage the subsistence benefits (i.e. review applications, decide on eligibility, and pay out benefits) and provide emergency social assistance.
- Persons permanently residing in Estonia or foreigners residing in Estonia on the basis of a temporary residence permit or a temporary residence right.
- Persons living alone or with family with monthly net income/assets (incl. benefits from other schemes such as national pension and pensioners living alone allowance and after the deduction of housing expenses) below subsistence level as defined by law.
- Subsistence benefits are means-tested based on the previous month’s net income of the person (living alone) or household.
- Subsistence benefits are provided based on local authorities’ discretion and may be refused/reduced if: it is established that the property used/owned by the applicant or his or her family or the lease, rental or sale thereof ensures sufficient funds; it is established that the applicant (or a member of a family applying for a benefit) has made no other effort to improve his/her own material situation or the material situation of his/her family.
- Subsistence benefit: monthly benefits based on the sum of the subsistence level amounts and the housing costs minus income; subsistence levels for a person living alone or to the first family member is EUR 150 per month; the subsistence levels for each minor family member is EUR 180 (i.e. 120% of the single rate) per month and EUR 120 per month (i.e. 80% of the single rate) for each subsequent adult family member; beneficiaries with only minor family members are entitled, in addition to the subsistence benefit, to an additional social benefit of EUR 15 in total for their household.
- Emergency social assistance: guaranteeing at least food, clothing and temporary accommodation; typically provided until the person is no longer in a socially helpless situation.
- Further social benefits: local governments use different social services (e.g. personal assistance in the person’s home) and other forms of social assistance to alleviate needs.
- Benefits are not subject to income tax.
Legal Basis: Social Welfare Act (Sotsiaalhoolekande seadus).
Pensioners Living Alone Allowance
Üksi elava pensionäri toetus
Coverage
- Pensioners residing in Estonia who live alone or are care-dependent and receive a low pension.
Financing
- The scheme is entirely tax-financed out of the general budget.
Administration
- The ‘Social Insurance Board’ manages the scheme (pays out benefits).
Qualifying Conditions
- The person must have reached the standard retirement age of the statutory old age pension scheme and have qualified for any public pension and live alone or receive 24-hour care service.
- The person must reside in Estonia.
- Allowances are pension-tested; individual must receive pension below threshold as defined by law: pension amount of less than 1.2 times the Estonian average old age pension (EUR 582 in 2020).
- The person must not be imprisoned or in custody pending trial or have received a court order for coercive psychiatric treatment.
- Further persons who can qualify: guardian of pensioner or person under guardianship of pensioner; person living together with pensioner who is entitled to receive maintenance from the pensioner.
Benefits
- A single annual allowance of EUR 115.
- Annual allowance is not subject to income tax.
Coverage
Financing
Administration
Qualifying Conditions
Benefits
- Pensioners residing in Estonia who live alone or are care-dependent and receive a low pension.
- The scheme is entirely tax-financed out of the general budget.
- The ‘Social Insurance Board’ manages the scheme (pays out benefits).
- The person must have reached the standard retirement age of the statutory old age pension scheme and have qualified for any public pension and live alone or receive 24-hour care service.
- The person must reside in Estonia.
- Allowances are pension-tested; individual must receive pension below threshold as defined by law: pension amount of less than 1.2 times the Estonian average old age pension (EUR 582 in 2020).
- The person must not be imprisoned or in custody pending trial or have received a court order for coercive psychiatric treatment.
- Further persons who can qualify: guardian of pensioner or person under guardianship of pensioner; person living together with pensioner who is entitled to receive maintenance from the pensioner.
- A single annual allowance of EUR 115.
- Annual allowance is not subject to income tax.
Legal Basis: Social Welfare Act (Sotsiaalhoolekande seadus).