Balgarianovinite.com The parliamentary Budget and Finance Committee on Thursday passed on second reading the 2026 Public Social Insurance Budget Bill.
After the first reading, opposition MPs proposed amendments mainly intended to increase unemployment benefits, the the child-care benefit during the second year of the maternity leave as a lump sum and a percentage of the wage if the mother decides to resume employment during that period, to increase the maximum amount of one or multiple pensions received, and to keep unchanged the maximum and minimum contributory income.
All versions of these motions were rejected at Thursday’s meeting of the Committee.
Addressing the Committee, Labour and Social Policy Nataliya Efremova said that the increase of the maximum contributory income will generate approximately EUR 130 million in extra budget revenues. The purpose of raising of some minimum contributory income levels varying by economic activity is to roll back the grey economy and bring to light personal incomes. For her part, National Social Security Institute Governor Vesela Karivanova-Nacheva said that for 97% of economic positions in this country, the minimum contributory income does not exceed the minimum wage.
Efremova said that the powerholders attach importance to an increase of the child-care benefit, which is why work is underway on a social package that, however, will be proposed in the 2027 budget.
Budget and Finance Committee Chair Konstantin Prodanov MP of Progressive Bulgaria added that measures regarding the maternity benefits will be proposed in the 2027 budget because the incumbents would rather not address such measures piecemeal but as part of a comprehensive properly resourced policy.
Under the 2026 Public Social Insurance Bill, the average monthly pension will reach EUR 543.46 next year. Pensions will rise 4.5% in real terms, outpacing the average annual inflation projected at 4.3% for 2026 according to the harmonized consumer price index.
Effective July 1, 2026, all pensions granted until the end of 2025 were increased by 7.8%. The minimum monthly contributory-service and retirement-age pension for full contribitory service was thus increased from EUR 322.37 to EUR 347.51. As from the same date, the social old-age pension and the pensions and supplements linked to it were also increased by 7.8%. The maximum monthly amount of one or multiple monthly pensions received remained unchanged from its 2025 level at EUR 1,738.40. Under the bill, a COVID monthly supplement of EUR 30.68 (BGN 60) will not apply to new pensioners.
To retire in 2026, women working under Work Category 3 must have completed an age of 62 years and 6 months and a contributory service of 36 years and 9 months The respective requirements for men working under the same category are an age of 64 years and 9 months and contributory service of 39 years and 10 months.
The EUR 13.503 billion allocated for the payment of all types and pensions and supplements to them account for 10.8% of the country’s projected GDP and exceed the pension funding of 2025 by EUR 1.179 million or 9.6%.
The average number of pensions in 2026 is expected to rise to approximately 2,070,700.
For 2026, the public social insurnace budget has received incomes and transfers totalling EUR 15.265 billion, including EUR 6.745 billion transferred from the central-government budget to make up the shortfall.
The transfer making up the shortfall is to decrease from 42.7% of the total public social insurance revenues in 2025 to 42.5% in 2026.
As from August 1, 2026, the minimum monthly contributory income for self-insured individuals is set at EUR 620.20, as much as the minimum monthly wage for 2026. As from the same date, the maximum monthly contributory income is to be increased to EUR 2,300. Provisions are also made for a higher minimum contributory income for specified economic activities.
The monthly child-care benefit payable until the child’s second birthday and the monthly child-care benefit payable to the birth father (adoptive father) until the child’s eighth birthday remain unchanged at EUR 398.81. The childbirth and pregnancy benefit will be payable for an unchanged period of 410 days, and the child-care benefit payment to the father until the child’s eighth birthday remained unchanged at two months.
The daily unemployment benefit is also kept at its previous level: a minimum of EUR 9.21 and a maximum of EUR 54.78.
As from August 1, 2026, civil servants under the Civil Servants Act and those employed under the Judicial System Act will pay personal social-security contribution. As from that date, with the ratio of the civil servant’s to the employer’s share in the contribution will be 20%/80%, and it will increase to 40%/60% as from January 1, 2027, which is the standard ratio for all persons working under an employment contract. 2026 Public Social Insurance Budget Bill Clears Conclusively Committee Stage 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-07-16 17:36:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law