Social Assistance in Material Need

Систем социјалне заштите за лица која се налазе у стању социјалне потребе

Coverage

Persons residing in the Republic of Serbia who cannot sufficiently cover their necessary subsistence from income or from assets.

Financing

The scheme is completely tax-financed out of the general budget.

Administration

The administration and organisation of the social protection fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, as well as under the jurisdiction of autonomous provinces and local self-government units.
Local Centres for Social Welfare (Центар за социјални рад) manage the scheme and take administrative responsibility for all affairs related to the scheme; benefits are granted and provided by the Local Centres.

Qualifying Conditions

Persons residing in the Republic of Serbia.
Persons with income/assets below subsistence level as defined by the Law on Social Protection.
Benefits are means-tested based on the individual’s and the household’s income and revenues from the last three months preceding the month in which the request for social assistance was submitted; the monthly incomes and revenues taken into account include different sources.¹ The beneficiary of the right to financial social assistance has the duty to report to the competent Local Centre for Social Welfare any changes which can impact the recognised right within 15 days from the day when the change occurred. Further conditions apply.²
Excluded from means-testing are certain incomes and revenues provided in the respective regulation.

Benefits

Monthly social assistance: the amount of benefit is based on the reference social assistance amount (RSD 6,050 in 2020; RSD 8,781 in 2021) minus the amount of average monthly income/assets of an individual or family received during the three months preceding the month in which the request for cash social assistance was submitted; the basis for determining the social assistance amount is adjusted twice a year (on 1^st April and 1^st October) to the consumer price index in the previous six months based on statistical data.
Increased social assistance: provided for certain categories of persons that are incapable of work, and which include both women and men who have reached the standard retirement age. Amount of benefit is determined by increasing the corresponding amount of monthly social assistance for an individual or family by 20%.
Benefits are not subject to income tax.

Coverage

Financing

Administration

Qualifying Conditions

Benefits

Persons residing in the Republic of Serbia who cannot sufficiently cover their necessary subsistence from income or from assets.

The scheme is completely tax-financed out of the general budget.

The administration and organisation of the social protection fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, as well as under the jurisdiction of autonomous provinces and local self-government units.
Local Centres for Social Welfare (Центар за социјални рад) manage the scheme and take administrative responsibility for all affairs related to the scheme; benefits are granted and provided by the Local Centres.

Persons residing in the Republic of Serbia.
Persons with income/assets below subsistence level as defined by the Law on Social Protection.
Benefits are means-tested based on the individual’s and the household’s income and revenues from the last three months preceding the month in which the request for social assistance was submitted; the monthly incomes and revenues taken into account include different sources.¹ The beneficiary of the right to financial social assistance has the duty to report to the competent Local Centre for Social Welfare any changes which can impact the recognised right within 15 days from the day when the change occurred. Further conditions apply.²
Excluded from means-testing are certain incomes and revenues provided in the respective regulation.

Monthly social assistance: the amount of benefit is based on the reference social assistance amount (RSD 6,050 in 2020; RSD 8,781 in 2021) minus the amount of average monthly income/assets of an individual or family received during the three months preceding the month in which the request for cash social assistance was submitted; the basis for determining the social assistance amount is adjusted twice a year (on 1^st April and 1^st October) to the consumer price index in the previous six months based on statistical data.
Increased social assistance: provided for certain categories of persons that are incapable of work, and which include both women and men who have reached the standard retirement age. Amount of benefit is determined by increasing the corresponding amount of monthly social assistance for an individual or family by 20%.
Benefits are not subject to income tax.

¹ Income on the basis of employment, i.e. salaries, or wage compensations, occasional and temporary jobs and employment contracts; pensions; disability benefits and other incomes according to the regulations on the rights from veteran disability protection; income from agricultural activities; income from self-employment; unemployment benefit; severance pay in case of termination of the need for work of employees due to technological, economic or organisational changes; income from leasing real estate; income from property rights on which tax is paid; deposits given in savings and cash.

² An individual will be entitled to financial social assistance if there is no other real estate, except for housing that meets the needs of the individual or his/her family, i.e. land in an area of up to 0.5 hectares; if the individual or family member has not sold or donated immovable property or waived the right to inherit immovable property; if an individual, i.e. a family member, does not own movable property, the use or alienation of which, without endangering basic living needs, may provide funds in the amount of six times the amount of financial social assistance that would be determined at the time of applying for financial social assistance; if the individual, i.e. the family member, has not concluded a contract on lifelong support.

Legal Basis: Law on Social Protection (Закон о социјалној заштити) ‘Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia’, No. 24/2011; Regulation on Income and Revenues that Affect the Exercise of the Right to Financial Social Assistance (Уредба o примањима и приходима који су од утицаја на остваривање права на новчану социјалну помоћ), ‘Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia’, No. 36/2011.