General Social Assistance Measures

Drepturi de asigurări sociale generale

Coverage

Elderly persons with insufficient financial means residing in Romania.

Financing

Tax-financed out of the general budget.
Exception: hot meal vouchers are financed through the Operational Program for Helping Disadvantaged People 2014-2020, funded by the European Aid Fund.

Administration

The regional social benefit agencies pay the guaranteed minimum income.
The National House of Pensions through the Territorial Houses of Pensions keep record of the pensioners that receive train ride discounts.
The Territorial Houses of Pensions pay the monthly allowance for the surviving spouse.
The Ministry of European Funds, through the specialised structure responsible for the implementation of the program and the local authorities, manages the distribution of hot meal vouchers.

Qualifying Conditions

Persons residing in Romania.
Specific conditions for guaranteed minimum income: persons with net monthly income below the guaranteed minimum income level as defined by law; benefits are means-tested based on the individual’s or the family’s income and assets, as determined by the law.
Specific conditions for hot meal vouchers: persons who have reached the age of 75 or over and are beneficiaries of the social allowance for pensioners or other rights granted by special laws concerning specific groups (persons persecuted for political reasons, military invalids, war widows, and others).
Specific conditions for the monthly allowance for the surviving spouse: pensioners; must not have married again after the death of the spouse; the marriage with the deceased spouse must have lasted at least 5 years; the amount of the surviving individual's pension is less than RON 364.

Benefits

Guaranteed minimum income: the amount of benefits is based on the guaranteed minimum income level provided by the law; it is calculated based on an apportionment of the ‘social reference indicator’ (SRI), which is RON 500, and the family size; the calculation is as follows: 0.283 SRI for a single person; 0.510 SRI for families of 2 persons; 0.714 SRI for families of 3 persons; 0.844 SRI for families of 4 persons; 1.054 SRI for families of 5 persons; 0.073 SRI for every further person who is part of a family with more than 5 family members minus the net monthly income; renewable as long as qualifying conditions persist.
Hot meal vouchers: flat-rate allowance is RON 180/month.
Monthly allowance for surviving spouse: flat-rate monthly allowance is a maximum of RON 90 if the marriage lasted at least 10 years (negative adjust-ments to the benefit if the marriage lasted less than 10 years).
Train rides discount: pensioneers benefit annually from a 50% discount for 6 national train rides.
Benefits are not subject to income tax.

Coverage

Financing

Administration

Qualifying Conditions

Benefits

Elderly persons with insufficient financial means residing in Romania.

Tax-financed out of the general budget.
Exception: hot meal vouchers are financed through the Operational Program for Helping Disadvantaged People 2014-2020, funded by the European Aid Fund.

The regional social benefit agencies pay the guaranteed minimum income.
The National House of Pensions through the Territorial Houses of Pensions keep record of the pensioners that receive train ride discounts.
The Territorial Houses of Pensions pay the monthly allowance for the surviving spouse.
The Ministry of European Funds, through the specialised structure responsible for the implementation of the program and the local authorities, manages the distribution of hot meal vouchers.

Persons residing in Romania.
Specific conditions for guaranteed minimum income: persons with net monthly income below the guaranteed minimum income level as defined by law; benefits are means-tested based on the individual’s or the family’s income and assets, as determined by the law.
Specific conditions for hot meal vouchers: persons who have reached the age of 75 or over and are beneficiaries of the social allowance for pensioners or other rights granted by special laws concerning specific groups (persons persecuted for political reasons, military invalids, war widows, and others).
Specific conditions for the monthly allowance for the surviving spouse: pensioners; must not have married again after the death of the spouse; the marriage with the deceased spouse must have lasted at least 5 years; the amount of the surviving individual's pension is less than RON 364.

Guaranteed minimum income: the amount of benefits is based on the guaranteed minimum income level provided by the law; it is calculated based on an apportionment of the ‘social reference indicator’ (SRI), which is RON 500, and the family size; the calculation is as follows: 0.283 SRI for a single person; 0.510 SRI for families of 2 persons; 0.714 SRI for families of 3 persons; 0.844 SRI for families of 4 persons; 1.054 SRI for families of 5 persons; 0.073 SRI for every further person who is part of a family with more than 5 family members minus the net monthly income; renewable as long as qualifying conditions persist.
Hot meal vouchers: flat-rate allowance is RON 180/month.
Monthly allowance for surviving spouse: flat-rate monthly allowance is a maximum of RON 90 if the marriage lasted at least 10 years (negative adjust-ments to the benefit if the marriage lasted less than 10 years).
Train rides discount: pensioneers benefit annually from a 50% discount for 6 national train rides.
Benefits are not subject to income tax.

Legal Basis: Emergency Ordinance No.115/2020 regarding some measures for the support of the most disadvantaged categories of people which receive hot meals based on electronic vouchers, granted from non-reimbursable external funds, as well as some measures for their distribution (Ordonanța de urgență nr. 115/2020 privind unele măsuri pentru sprijinirea categoriilor de persoane cele mai defavorizate care beneficiază de mese calde pe bază de tichete sociale pe suport electronic pentru mese calde, acordate din fonduri externe nerambursabile, precum și unele măsuri de distribuire a acestora); Law No. 147/2000 regarding the discounts granted to pensioners for internal transportation (Legea nr. 147/2000 privind reducerile acordate pensionarilor pentru transportul intern); Methodological Norm for the application of Law No. 147/2000 on the discounts granted to pensioners for internal transport, with subsequent amendments, and of the Government Emergency Ordinance No. 71/2004 regarding the granting of some facilities to the families of pensioners of 21/12/2004 (Norma metodologică pentru aplicarea Legii nr. 147/2000 privind reducerile acordate pensionarilor pentru transportul intern, cu modificările ulterioare, și a Ordonanței de urgență a Guvernului nr. 71/2004 privind acordarea unor facilități familiilor de pensionari din 21.12.2004); Law No. 578/2004 on granting a monthly allowance for the surviving spouse (Legea nr. 578/2004 privind acordarea unui ajutor lunar pentru soțul supraviețuitor); Law No. 416/2001 regarding the guaranteed minimum income (Legea nr. 416/2001 privind venitul minim garantat); Methodological Norm for applying the Provisions of Law No. 416/2001 regarding the minimum guaranteed income of 19/01/2011 (Norma metodologică de aplicare a prevederilor Legii nr. 416/2001 privind venitul minim garantat din 19.01.2011); Law No. 76/2002 regarding the unemployment insurance system and employment stimulation (Legea nr. 76/2002 privind sistemul asigurărilor pentru șomaj și stimularea ocupării forței de muncă).

Social Allowance for Pensioners

Indemnizație socială pentru pensionari

Coverage

Pensioners who are eligible to a pension of the statutory old age pension scheme or the military pension scheme, who reside in Romania, and whose public pension benefits are below the level of the social allowance for pensioners.

Financing

The scheme is entirely tax-financed out of the general budget, through the budget of the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Romanian Intelligence Service.

Administration

The ‘National House of Pensions’ through the ‘Territorial Houses of Pensions’ administers the scheme (i.e. reviews applications, decides on eligibility, and pays out benefits).

Qualifying Conditions

Persons who have reached the standard retirement age of the statutory old age pension scheme or the military pension scheme.
Persons must reside in Romania.
Persons with the right to pension benefits from the statutory old age pension scheme or the military pension scheme.
Pensions must be below the social allowance level as defined by law.
Benefits are pension-tested: solely based on the level of the amount of the public pension, due or in payment.

Benefits

The amount of benefit is based on the reference social allowance level determined annually by the law (RON 704 in 2020, and RON 800 in 2021) minus the amount of the person’s pension.
The benefit is paid as long as qualifying conditions persist.
Benefits are not subject to income tax.

Coverage

Financing

Administration

Qualifying Conditions

Benefits

Pensioners who are eligible to a pension of the statutory old age pension scheme or the military pension scheme, who reside in Romania, and whose public pension benefits are below the level of the social allowance for pensioners.

The scheme is entirely tax-financed out of the general budget, through the budget of the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Romanian Intelligence Service.

The ‘National House of Pensions’ through the ‘Territorial Houses of Pensions’ administers the scheme (i.e. reviews applications, decides on eligibility, and pays out benefits).

Persons who have reached the standard retirement age of the statutory old age pension scheme or the military pension scheme.
Persons must reside in Romania.
Persons with the right to pension benefits from the statutory old age pension scheme or the military pension scheme.
Pensions must be below the social allowance level as defined by law.
Benefits are pension-tested: solely based on the level of the amount of the public pension, due or in payment.

The amount of benefit is based on the reference social allowance level determined annually by the law (RON 704 in 2020, and RON 800 in 2021) minus the amount of the person’s pension.
The benefit is paid as long as qualifying conditions persist.
Benefits are not subject to income tax.

Legal Basis: Emergency Ordinance No. 6/2009 regarding the social allowance for pensioners (Ordonanța de urgență nr. 6/2009 privind instituirea indemnizației sociale pentru pensionari); annual laws on the state budget (legile anuale privind bugetul de stat).