Support to low-income families and single persons

Monetary Social Assistance for Residents with low-income

According to the Law on Monetary Social Assistance for Low-Income Residents, families and single residents unable to provide themselves with sufficient funds for living shall be entitled to the following financial social assistance:

• social benefit.
• compensations for the costs of housing heating, hot and drinking water.

Both types of support are means-tested.

The law applies to individuals residing in the Republic of Lithuania, including:

• Citizens of the Republic of Lithuania.
• Foreign nationals holding a long-term residence permit in the European Union issued by the Republic of Lithuania.
• Citizens of European Union member states or European Free Trade Association states and their family members, who have been issued documents, in accordance with legal provisions, confirming or granting the right to reside in the Republic of Lithuania, and who have resided in the Republic of Lithuania for no less than 3 months. This requirement does not apply if person is a citizen of one of these countries and works (as employed or self-employed) in Lithuania.
• Foreign nationals who have been granted asylum or temporary protection in the Republic of Lithuania.
• Citizens of Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, and South Korea, and their family members, who have been issued temporary residence permits in the Republic of Lithuania and who have resided in the Republic of Lithuania for no less than 3 months, or who have acquired the right to remain in the territory of the Republic of Lithuania in the case specified in the Law of the Republic of Lithuania On the Legal Status of foreigners (Art. 22¹, para. 1, pt. 5). This requirement does not apply if person is a citizen of one of these countries and works (as employed or self-employed) in Lithuania.

Social benefit is paid to the family or single resident if the value of their property does not exceed the average property value set for their residential area and the monthly income is below the level of the 1.1 state supported income (SSI) per family member per month.

For a single resident:

• amount of social benefit is the difference between the amount of 1.4 SSI per person per month and the actual income of a single person when social benefit is paid for up to 6 months.
• the difference between the amount of 1.2 SSI per person per month and the actual income of a single person when social benefit is paid for up to 6-12 months.
• the difference between the amount of 1.1 SSI per person per month and the actual income of a single person when social benefit is paid more than 12 months.

For a family:

• for the first family member amount of social benefit is the difference between the amount of 1.1 SSI per person per month and the average actual income of the family member.
• for the second family member - 90 percent of the difference between the amount of 1.1 SSI per person per month and the average actual income of the family member.
• for the third and subsequent family member - 70 percent of the difference between the amount of 1.1 SSI per person per month and the average actual income of the family member.

To receive cash social assistance, a part of the work income of working person and unemployment social insurance benefit is exempted:

• 20% – for family that does not have children or single person,
• 25% – for family raising one or two children.
• 30% – for family raising three or more children.
• 35% – for individuals raising one or two children.
• 40% – for individuals raising three or more children.
   

A family or single resident shall be granted additional social assistance after employment if:

• A single person or at least one of the members of a family becomes employed and works full time. Those working part-time may also qualify, provided their employment meets the specific conditions set forth in the Labour Code. The individual must also meet the condition to receive a salary not less than the minimum monthly wage.
• Before employment, the persons were registered with the Employment Service or the state employment service of another country for at least 3 consecutive months and did not work or worked less than prescribed by law. It also applies to individuals for whom registration with the Employment Service was not mandatory prior to employment (e.g., those raising small children or caring for persons with disabilities).
• The family or the single person were recipients of social assistance for at least one month in the last 3 months before employment.
• The application for additional social assistance upon employment is submitted no later than 12 months after employment.

The amount of additional social benefit after employment is differentiated depending on the duration of payment:

• for 1-6 months of payment - the amount of additional social benefit is equal to 100% of the average amount of the social benefit paid during the last 6 months prior to employment,
• for 7-12 months of payment - 50% of the average amount of the social benefit paid during the last 6 months prior to employment.

Proportionate reduction of the social benefit is applied only to unemployed persons of working age, who are capable to work (as well as to persons who are not self-employed):

• 20% reduction – if social benefit is paid 12-24 months,
• 30% reduction – 24-36 months,
• 40% reduction – 36-48 months,
• 50% reduction – 48-60 months.

If a person has received the social benefit for more than 60 months, the benefit is paid in non-monetary form.

Proportional reduction of cash social assistance is not applied in cases when Employment Service did not offer a job or to participate in active labour market policy measures, employable unemployed, not studying working age persons receiving social benefit participate in socially useful activities organised by the municipal administration.

Compensations for the costs of house heating, hot, and drinking water are provided under the following conditions:

• A family shall pay for the heating of the accommodation not more than 10 percent of the difference between the received income and the 2 SSI provided to a family. A single resident shall pay for the heating of the accommodation not more than 10 percent of the difference between the received income and the 3 SSI provided to a single person.
• The compensation covers the part of the cost of drinking water exceeding 2 percent of the income gained by a family or a single resident.
• The compensation covers the part of the cost of hot water exceeding 5 percent of the income gained by a family or a single resident.
   

Ratios for Calculating Compensations

Standard size of accommodation:

• 50 m² for a single resident,
• 38 m² for the first family member,
• 12 m² for the second family member,
• 10 m² for the third and subsequent family member.

Standard of drinking water when the centralized heating supply system is used to produce hot water:

• 2 m³ for the first family member and a single resident,
• 1.5 m³ for the second family member,
• 1 m³ for the third and subsequent family member.

Standard of drinking water, when other types of energy or fuel are used to produce hot water:

• 3.5 m³ for the first family member and a single resident,
• 2.5 m³ for the second family member,
• 1.5 m³ for the third and subsequent family member.

Standard of hot water:

• 1.5 m³ for the first family member and a single resident,
• 1 m³ for the second family member,
• 0.5 m³ for the third and subsequent family member.

If the application for compensations is submitted one month before the beginning of the heating season or during the heating season, compensations are granted for the entire period of the heating season, instead of three months.

Families or single residents who own a dwelling in a multi-dwelling building are entitled to support towards the cost of a loan taken out to finance the renovation of the building, provided they participate in the modernisation project, and they are entitled to the compensation for cost of housing heating.

Municipalities may, in accordance with their own procedure, allocate cash social assistance from the municipal budgetary resources in cases not described in the Law on Cash Social Assistance for Poor Residents, such as one-time, conditional, periodical, targeted allowance or other support. These types of support are allocated after assessing the individual situation of the person enquiring.