July the 15th, 2021 - The Croatian pension Covid supplement was announced several months ago and has been being paid out to Croatian pensioners in varying amounts depending on their monthly income. When will the next payout arrive?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the second payment of the Croatian pension Covid supplement, paid out to mitigate the consequences caused by the ongoing pandemic will begin on Thursday, July the 15th, the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute (HZMO) reported on Tuesday.

In the second round of payouts, the Croatian pension Covid supplement will be paid out to 57,468 pension beneficiaries who, in addition to having a pension earned in the Republic of Croatia, also receive a pension from abroad, as well as Croatian pension beneficiaries who have completed insurance periods abroad but haven't yet exercised their right to a foreign pension.

The second payment also includes beneficiaries whose pension rights have been in progress up until this point, those who were granted the right to a pension on the 31st of March 2021 or earlier. For the second payment, 38,909,600 kuna has been provided, as follows:

- For 7,742 pension beneficiaries whose total pension income is up to 1,500 kuna, 1,200 kuna will be paid out once, and 9,290,400 kuna has been provided for that

- For 9,950 pension beneficiaries whose total pension income is in the amount of 1,500.01 kuna to 2,000 kuna, 900 kuna will be paid out once, and 8,955,000 kuna has been provided for that

- For 23,769 pension beneficiaries whose total pension income in the amount of 2,000.01 kuna to 3,000 kuna, 600 kuna will be paid out once, for which 14,261,400 kuna has been provided

- For 16,007 beneficiaries with a total pension income of 3,000.01 kuna to 4,000 kuna, a one-time payment of 400 kuna will be paid, for which 6,402,800 kuna has been provided

It's worth reminding you that the decision of the Croatian Government on the payment of Croatian pension Covid supplements to mitigate the consequences caused by the pandemic on the 14th of April 2021 regulated the payment of one-time cash benefits provided that their pension doesn't exceed the amount of 4,000 kuna. 

The same goes for beneficiaries who are paid a pension from abroad in addition to the pension earned here in Croatia. They will receive the supplement as long as their total pension income from Croatia and abroad doesn't exceed 4,000 kuna per month.

Beneficiaries who receive part of their pension from abroad for the payment of the Croatian pension Covid supplement were required to submit proof of the amount they receive per month to the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute by the 30th of June 2021. 

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ZAGREB, 6 July, 2021 - The Croatian Pension Insurance Institute (HZMO) said on Tuesday that the number of pension insurance contributions had been on the rise for five months in a row, and the number of insurees was higher by 3.54% at the end of this June compared to June 2020.

At the end of this June, the contributions were paid by 1,596,112 insurees, or by 54,499 people more than the year before.

Broken down by sector, the highest number of pension insurees was registered in the processing industry (more than 246,000 people covered by insurance contributions).

The rise in the number of insurees has been registered in several sectors, for instance, in construction, IT, the hospitality industry and so on.

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ZAGREB, 6 July, 2021 - The Croatian Pension Insurance Institute (HZMO) said on Tuesday that the number of pension insurance contributions had been on the rise for five months in a row, and the number of insurees was higher by 3.54% at the end of this June compared to June 2020.

The government-sponsored amendments were forwarded to the parliament at the session of the Andrej Plenković cabinet on 1 July.

In May, there were 216,000 family pension beneficiaries, and most of them were surviving spouses whose average monthly pension allowance was HRK 2,096, which was below the average pension. For instance, in May, pension associations reported that the average pension paid out  for February stood at HRK 2,567.

The budget allocation for this purpose has been ensured for 2022 and 2023.

According to the government's estimates, this year, an estimated 1,100 recipients of family pensions can exercise this right to work part-time and continue receiving family pensions. In 2022, the numbers can rise to 3,200 and in 2023 to 4,100 beneficiaries.

(€1 = HRK 7.484635)

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March the 10th, 2021 - A certain group of Croatian retirees are set to get a one off coronavirus payment which will be added on to whatever the amount of their individual monthly pension payout is. The move has been made by other European countries as a means of compensation and will now come to fruition here too.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Croatian retirees with a low monthly income should receive almost one full supplementary pension payment in the form of a coronavirus payment. It seems that about 800,000 Croatian retirees are set to receive the this so-called covid/coronavirus supplement.

¨There is no dispute, the main things have all been agreed on,¨ they state from the Croatian Pensioners' Union.

"This is certainly going to be the case for those Croatian retieers who are neglected, socially excluded and have a low income, and that refers to at least 800 thousand pensioners across Croatia. They should receive the payment and that payment will definitely come,¨ said Jasna A. Petrovic, the president of the Croatian Pensioners' Union, in conversation with RTL Danas.

When asked if she can give any promises on this matter at this point in time, she said that she does have some "firm promises", but also that it has been agreed that the amounts will not be made public for the time being, but that it will also be a good addition to the pensions of those who fall into the low-income bracket.

The coronavirus supplement for Croatian retirees, at least as things stand now, would not be given to all retirees, but only to those drawing smaller monthly pensions. Those with the least income per month would get the most. The details are still being discussed with the competent state institutions.

"After April the 10th, 2021, calculations and payments of the coronavirus allowance will get underway," assured Petrovic.

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February the 21st, 2021 - Croatian pensions are often the subject of scrutiny, with many preferring to opt to head to Germany, the UK or Ireland for a few years to make sure they have a more respectable amount to withdraw when they hit that age.

A lot could be said, but in short, when it comes to Croatian pensions, there aren't many screaming from the rooftops about how comfortably they're living, although a few do. With the recent announcement of potential coronavirus boosts for Croatian pensioners and more, just how much are Croatian pensions set to grow in 2021?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the first adjustment of Croatian pensions this year will of course by very modest, which isn't outside of anyone's ration expectations, increasing by only half a percent, which will bring people who are drawing an average Croatian pension only thirteen kuna more than they had so far, according to a report from Vecernji list.

The Central Bureau of Statistics (CES) has since stated that during the second part of pandemic-dominated 2020, average gross wages increased by a wholly unimpressive 0.8 percent compared to the first half of the year, and as prices stagnated in that part of the year compared to the first part of it, the result is a modest increase in Croatian pensions of half a percentage point only. Pensions are otherwise adjusted to reflect wages and inflation twice a year, and the increase is paid out from April and September.

The coronavirus-induced recession is thus spilling over to the country's very many retirees as well, from where the pressure on the Croatian Government to pay out the aforementioned one-off COVID allowance/pension boost is more than likely to increase. Labour Minister Josip Aladrovic recently addressed the issue and said that the final decision would also depend on the amount of adjustment, ie the financial capacity of the country's state budget.

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