Pensioners Up to 31,092 Dinars Get Cheaper Electricity
Amended Energy-Vulnerable Customer Decree gives Serbia's lowest-income pensioners the status automatically, cutting bills by about 1,500 dinars a month in the heating season.
Serbia’s caretaker government adopted amendments to the Energy-Vulnerable Customer Decree on September 24, automatically granting that status to pensioners with monthly incomes up to 31,092.11 dinars. The status comes with a 1,000 dinar discount on electricity bills, running for six billing months, from October 2026 through March 2027.
Who gets the discount without applying?
There’s no application process for pensioners with the lowest incomes: the local self-government unit assigns the status automatically, provided the electricity meter is registered in their name. For this group, the October to March lowering of the threshold between the blue and red consumption zones, from 1,600 to 1,200 kilowatt-hours, won’t apply. Officials estimate the combination of the discount and the unchanged threshold will cut the monthly bill by about 1,500 dinars during the heating season.
The same right, but only upon application to the local self-government along with the latest electricity bill, extends to war veterans, wartime and peacetime military disability pensioners, civilian war disability pensioners and recipients of family disability benefits, provided the meter is in their name.
Nothing changes for the broader group of energy-vulnerable customers: depending on household size, they already get a 40 to 60 percent reduction on electricity bills year-round, on natural gas from October to March, and on district heating. Recipients of cash social assistance, child allowance and the increased allowance for assistance and care of another person stay under the existing rules, with an application to the local self-government processed within one month, which can be filed at any time of the year.
What the government is saying
Sources differ on which ministry announced the measure. Tanjug and B92 cite a statement from the Ministry of Finance and Minister Sinisa Mali, while Danas attributes the same decision to the Ministry of Mining and Energy. In any case, the government adopted the decree at its September 24 session.
According to the statement carried by the Ministry of Finance, Mali said:
“We continue to provide concrete support to citizens and, in line with the state’s capabilities, to take part of the burden upon ourselves.”
On policy priorities, he added:
“Pensioners and socially and medically vulnerable citizens remain our priority. A responsible state will always be there for its citizens, as it has shown so many times before.”
He also stated:
“The state pursues a responsible policy, takes care of public finances, and at the same time looks after its citizens by providing concrete support to those who need it most.”
Part of a larger package
The amended decree is part of a citizen support package worth 980.6 million euros, of which 583.7 million euros goes to pensioners and socially vulnerable citizens, and 396.9 million euros to adult citizens generally. The first wave of that aid was paid out automatically on September 14, when about two million citizens received a one-time payment: pensioners earning up to 31,092.11 dinars got 35,000 dinars, those with pensions between 31,092.12 and 56,822 dinars got 27,500 dinars, and pensioners with higher incomes got 20,000 dinars.
The next change for pensioners arrives on December 1, when all pensions rise permanently by 7.5 percent. According to the finance minister’s announcement, the average pension should then reach about 520 euros.
