Greece with economic measures package / Pensioners will receive an extra 400 euros every year!

A new package of economic measures is expected to bring significant changes for pensioners, public and private sector employees in Greece. According to government announcements, pensioners will receive an extra payment of 400 euros every November, while salary increases and other benefits are foreseen in the coming years, Protothema reports.

The 400-euro payment will start in November 2026 and will be granted permanently every year.

The number of beneficiaries is expected to increase from 1.87 million to about 2.2 million, as income and wealth criteria will be removed. The main condition will be that the pensioner has reached the age of 65.

The measure will also be extended to persons with disabilities and uninsured elderly.

The payment has been increased by 100 euros, from 300 to 400 euros, approaching the current level of the national pension, which is about 446 euros.

Increase for all pensioners

At the end of December, another important change is expected: the final abolition of the “personal difference” mechanism.

This will mean that all approximately 2.5 million pensioners will receive the full annual increase. About 670 thousand pensioners who still have a personal difference will also receive the full increase.

According to examples presented by the prime minister, a pensioner receiving 823 euros will benefit from an annual increase of 208 euros, and together with the 400-euro payment, the annual benefit will reach 608 euros.

For a pensioner with a pension of 1086 euros, the annual benefit will be 684 euros, while for a pension of 1716 euros, the benefit will reach 849 euros.

500-euro bonus for public sector employees

From December 2027, about 720 thousand public sector employees are expected to receive a gross bonus of 500 euros every year for Christmas.

The measure is considered partly as a return of the 13th salary, while pension contributions will also be calculated on the bonus, affecting the future benefit of employees after retirement.

Public administration employees, at all salary levels, will also benefit from a 30-euro increase from April 1, 2027.

Minimum wage heading towards 1000 euros

Private sector employees paid the minimum wage are also expected to benefit from successive increases.

According to the presented plan, the minimum wage will exceed 950 euros in April 2027, while the goal is to reach 1000 euros in January 2028.

The increase will also affect the wages of employees who benefit from the system of three-year work experience increments.

According to the example given, an employee with one three-year experience increment will be able to receive a salary of about 1045 euros after the increase.

Salary increase for employees with experience

Private sector employees with a contract receive a 10% supplement for each three-year experience increment, up to three increments. This means that an employee with at least nine years of experience can receive up to a 30% supplement on top of the base salary.

Meanwhile, from April 1, 2027, a reduction of social security contributions by 0.5 percentage points is also planned. The measure is expected to increase employees’ net income and at the same time reduce labor costs for businesses.

According to estimates, the reduction in contributions will cost the insurance fund about 220 million euros per year.