Vucic: Pension Increase Percentage Due in Seven Days

In seven days, around September 5, Serbian citizens will learn by how many percent pensions are rising. President Aleksandar Vucic announced this on August 29 at the “United Serbia” rally in Uzice, where he also gave, for the first time, the exact payment window for the one-time aid of 6,000 dinars (~51 EUR) to all adult citizens: from September 22 to 25.

In brief

• The percentage of the new pension increase will be announced in seven days, around September 5
• One-time aid of 20,000 to 35,000 dinars is paid out on September 14
• 6,000 dinars for all adult citizens goes out from September 22 to 25
• The payouts depend on the National Assembly passing laws currently before lawmakers
• The average pension for July was 56,822 dinars (~484 EUR), the RFPIO reported

The one-time aid for pensioners comes in three tiers, depending on the size of their pension: 20,000 dinars (~171 EUR), 27,500 dinars (~234 EUR) and 35,000 dinars (~298 EUR). The highest amount goes to recipients whose pension does not exceed 31,092 dinars (~265 EUR) a month. The same aid also goes to recipients of cash social assistance, child allowance recipients and war military invalids, each of whom additionally receives the 6,000 dinars regardless of their tier.

“In seven days we will inform you about the new pension increase for Serbia’s citizens, and in just 15 days a major support package arrives with one-time payments of 20,000 to 35,000, and then another 6,000 for every one of our pensioners,” Vucic said at the rally in Uzice.

The 15-day deadline the president mentioned falls on September 14, when the one-time aid is expected to hit accounts. According to earlier figures, about 1.66 million recipients should receive that aid. The payout of 6,000 dinars to all adult citizens comes somewhat later, and Vucic was specific about it: “From September 22 to 25, we will pay a one-time allowance of 6,000 dinars to all adult citizens of Serbia.”

Both payouts, the one-time aid for pensioners and the allowance for all adult citizens, are conditional on the National Assembly passing the laws currently before lawmakers. Without that step, the dates the president named do not apply.

The payment dates for August pensions have also been moved up earlier than usual. Recipients from self-employed activities get their money on September 2, military and agricultural pensioners on September 5, while the largest group, those who retired from employment, receive their pensions on September 9.

The Pension and Disability Insurance Fund of Serbia (RFPIO) reported on August 25 that the average pension for July stood at 56,822 dinars (~484 EUR). That figure is the baseline for comparison with the announced increase: the percentage the president reveals on September 5 will show how much that average payout actually rises.

The announcement from Uzice follows Finance Minister Sinisa Mali’s statement on August 28 that a decision on raising wages and pensions is coming in 10 to 15 days, with the first effects expected to show up on citizens’ accounts from December. In Uzice, Vucic added broader context to the announcement, saying: “Our wages have never been higher, pensions have never been higher, our minimum wage is rising too, and the unemployment rate has never been lower.”

Srpske Novine previously covered the September payouts in the article “September Payouts: Pension, Then 35,000, Then 6,000 Dinars,” when the one-time aid amounts and timing were known only in broad strokes. What is new as of August 29 is the exact payment window for the 6,000 dinars to all adult citizens and the specific seven-day deadline for announcing the pension increase percentage.

Until September 5, the question of exactly what percentage remains open. Minister Mali has said the effects of the wage and pension increase on accounts will only be visible from December, while pensioners will receive the one-time aid, if the National Assembly passes the proposed laws, considerably sooner, already in mid-September.