Mali: 1.5 Million Apply for 6,000 Dinars, Sept 21 Deadline

A total of 1,504,000 citizens have applied so far for the one time aid of 6,000 dinars, Finance Minister Sinisa Mali told TV Prva today, September 13. Applications remain open until September 21, and the minister put the total value of the entire aid package at 980.6 million euros.

According to Mali, around four million people will ultimately receive the 6,000 dinars. That figure includes both citizens who applied and those who get the money automatically as rights holders under the Shareholding Fund.

How to apply and get paid

Applications go through the Treasury Administration’s portal, idp.trezor.gov.rs, by entering a citizen’s unique master number (JMBG). Anyone the system recognizes as a Shareholding Fund rights holder does not need to apply, since the money is paid out to them automatically. Payouts to applicants begin on September 22; according to Tanjug, payments run from September 22 through September 25. Applicants have a full year to collect the funds, and payment is made through the Postal Savings Bank. Only adult citizens who are not already entitled to free shares qualify for the 6,000 dinars.

Applications are rising by the day

The figure Mali gave today shows an acceleration compared with the first days of the application window. On the very first day, September 7, Tanjug reported more than 500,000 applications. By September 8, according to a Finance Ministry statement carried by Newsmax Balkans, more than a million citizens had applied, while over 1.3 million had checked their status on the portal. Today, September 13, the minister cites 1,504,000 applicants, meaning roughly half a million new applications came in over five days.

Pensioner payouts start tomorrow

Separate from the aid available to all adult citizens, one time payments to pensioners begin on Monday, September 14, split into three tiers based on income: 35,000 dinars for the lowest pensions, 27,500 dinars for mid range pensions and 20,000 dinars for the highest. Recipients of child allowance, veteran’s allowance and cash social assistance will each receive 25,000 dinars, Informer reports.

Budget status and pay, pension announcements

Alongside the aid figures, Mali also gave an update on the state of the treasury.

“We have around 560 billion dinars in the account, or nearly five billion euros. We are completely liquid, stable,” Mali said on September 13, according to Informer.

Starting December 1, public sector wages will rise by 8 percent, wages in social welfare institutions by 12 percent, and pensions by 7.5 percent. Mali said the average pension after that increase should reach around 520 euros, up from 204 euros in 2012. The average salary in December should hit 1,200 euros, and Kurir reports that the “Serbia 2027” program aims for an average salary of 1,400 euros by the end of next year. The minimum wage will top 600 euros for the first time starting January 1, 2027, with a target of 650 euros by the end of 2027.

The minister also said unemployment currently stands at about seven percent, compared with 25.9 percent in 2012, and that real wages have risen 69.6 percent since 2012. Serbia’s public debt, he said, stands at 43.7 percent of GDP, against a eurozone average of roughly 89 percent.

Srpske.rs has previously reported on the amounts of the one time aid for pensioners. What is new in today’s statement from the minister is the number of citizens who have applied for the 6,000 dinar aid, the application deadline, and the estimated value of the entire package at 980.6 million euros.