Will the poorest pensioners (once again) be deprived of a higher pension?

By: Moja Dolenjska

Some widowed pensioners receiving very low pensions are at risk of losing their right to a guaranteed widow’s pension if they do not submit their application by the end of the year.

The Pension and Disability Insurance Institute (ZPIZ) has recently urged eligible recipients of the guaranteed widow’s pension to submit their application by the end of December. They warned that those who miss the deadline will not be entitled to receive this pension. Legislation limits the right to claim the widow’s pension only to this year.

Many have raised concerns that older individuals may be unaware of the requirement to submit a formal request to receive the widow’s pension. Advocates are calling on the Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunities to submit a legislative amendment to the National Assembly, which would allow the widow’s pension to be granted to all eligible recipients without requiring a formal application.

If the Ministry does not act – which seems unlikely – eligible individuals must ensure they submit their application on time.

To qualify for the guaranteed widow’s pension, widows or widowers must meet eligibility criteria for both the widow’s and their own pension (old age, early, or disability). These individuals may currently be receiving either the widow’s pension or their own pension (plus a portion of the widow’s pension), but their total income, which may include foreign pensions, falls below the guaranteed widow’s pension amount of €748. In such cases, they are entitled to the guaranteed widow’s pension, calculated as the sum of their own pension and the base for calculating the widow’s pension, up to a maximum of €748. This applies to pensioners who were already receiving either the widow’s or their own pension (and part of the widow’s pension) on the amendment’s effective date, December 28^th, 2023.

A specific application must be submitted to ZPIZ to receive the guaranteed widow’s pension by no later than December 31^st, 2024. Those who do not submit their application on time will not be eligible for the guaranteed widow’s pension.