Support to low-income families and single persons

The Law on Cash Social Assistance for Poor Residents

According to the Law families (persons living together) 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 house heating, hot and drinking water.

Both benefits are means-tested.

Social benefit is paid to the family (persons living together) 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 (hereinafter referred to as the SSI) (from 1 January 2024 EUR 193.6 per family (persons living together) member per month).

The monthly benefit level amount of social benefit:

1. For a single resident:

• amount of social benefit is the difference between the amount of 1.4 State Supported Income (SSI) (from 1 January 2024 - EUR 246.4) 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 theamount of 1.2 SSI (from 1 January 2024 - EUR 211.2) 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 theamount of 1.1 SSI (from 1 January 2024 - EUR 193.6) per person per month and the actual income of a single person when social benefit is paid more than 12 months.

2. For a family:

• for the first family member amount of social benefit is the difference between the amount of 1.1 SSI (from 1 January 2024 - EUR 193.6)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 familymember;
• 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 familymember.

Persons additionally are able to get social benefit even when they leave social assistance and get employment.

The amount of additional social benefit is diferentiated depending on the duration of payment:

• for 1-3 months of payment - the amount of additional social benefit is equal 100 per cent of the average amount of the social benefit paid during the last 6 months prior to employment;
• for 4-6 months of payment - 80 per cent of the average amount of the social benefit paid during the last 6 months prior to employment;
•  for 7–12 months of payment - 50 per cent of the average amount of the social benefit paid during the last 6 months prior to employment.

Social benefit is reduced to those beneficiaries who are entitled to social benefit for a long time: 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 social benefit is paid more than 60 month, reduced social benefit is paid in non-monetary form.

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

Proportional reduction of cash social assistance is not applied in cases when Employment Office did not offer a job or to participate in an active labour market policy measures; employable unemployed, not studying working aged persons receiving social benefit participate in social useful activity organized by the municipal administration.

Compensations for the costs of house heating, hot and drinking water are paid in the following cases:

• a family (persons living together) shall pay for the heating of the accommodationnot more than 10 percent of the difference between the received income and the 2 SSI provided to a family (persons living together). 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 per cent of the income gained by a family (persons living together) or a single resident;
• the compensation covers the part of the cost of hot water exceeding 5 per cent of the income gained by a family (persons living together) or a single resident.

Standard size of accommodation:

• 50 m² for the single resident;
• 38 m² for the first family (persons living together) number;
• 12 m² for the second family (persons living together) number;
• 10 m² for the third and later family (persons living together) number.

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

• 2 cubic meters for the first family (persons living together) number and the single resident;
• 1,5 cubic meters for the second family (persons living together) number;
• 1 cubic meters for the third and later family (persons living together) number.

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

•  3,5 cubic meters for the first family (persons living together) number and the single resident;
•  2,5 cubic meters for the second family (persons living together) number;
• 1,5 cubic meters for the third and later family (persons living together) number.

Standard of hot water:

•  1,5 cubic meters for the first family (persons living together) number and the single resident;
•  1 cubic meters for the second family (persons living together) number;
•  0,5 cubic meters for the third and later family (persons living together) number.

Families (persons living together) 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 heating expenses.

Single residents and families (persons living together) are entitled to social benefit and compensations for the costs of house heating, hot and drinking waterif the single resident or at least one of the persons living together works or does not work because they are:

• full-time students (no longer than until they reache the age of 24),
• pensioners or individuals above retirement age or disabled,
• nursing a disabled or sick member,
• registered with the local office of Lithuanian labour exchangeor another member state employment service as unemployed and receiving unemployment benefit,
• taking care of a child under the age of 3 years or under the age of 8 years, if a child does not have opportunity to attend pre-school educational institution, etc.

Social benefit and compensations are granted to divorced or separated persons raising children under 18 if they have entered into the agreement on child maintenance certified by the court or where the support of a child was awarded by the court.

Social benefit is granted to families (persons living together) of single individuals raising children under 18 where the court has acknowledged the father of the child (children) and awarded the support for the child; where it is impossible to establish the identity of a child's father (mother) or the court is unable to award the support of the child to the father (mother); during the judicial proceeding for establishment of fatherhood and award of support for the child.

Owners of the apartment of a multi-dwelling building, who apply for the compensation for heating costs, have to participate in the discussion and decision-making at the meeting due to the apartment building renovation (modernization) project and to take part in the implementation of this project if the decision is discussed and accepted.

When granting social cash assistance, the property of a family (persons living together) or a single resident shall include the following property possessed by the right of ownership by this family (persons living together) members or a single resident:

• buildings, including buildings under construction;
• vehicles subject to registration;
• agricultural machinery subject to registration;
• land, including that occupied with forests and water bodies;
• livestock, poultry, animals, hives, if their total value exceeds € 1.160;
• stocks, bonds, bills of exchange, and other securities, shares, if their total value exceeds € 580;
• works of art, gems, jewellery, precious metals, when the value of a unit exceeds € 580;
• cash resources held in banks and other credit institutions or not in banks and not in other credit institutions, if their total value exceeds € 580;
• received (unpaid) loans, if their total value exceeds € 580, with the exception of state loans for students of establishments of higher education and loans to poor families participating in a project of renovation (modernisation) of a multi-dwelling building;
• money lent to other individuals (unpaid), if their total value exceeds € 580;
• state compensations for immovable property bought out by the state, as well as savings and other funds, which are being restored.

The aggregate value of assets is calculated as the sum total of assets of all family (persons living together) members.

When granting social cash assistance, the following income received by all family (persons living together) members or a single resident shall be included:

• work or service-related income, including daily allowances, rent allowances, food allowances and other income (except for the income of persons under 18 years of age);
• royalties;
• pensions and/or pension benefits, social assistance benefits;
• dividends;
• interests;
• income of an owner of an individual company, received from the taxable profit of such company;
• income from individual activities, including the income received from engaging in the activities with a business certificate;
• income from agricultural activities;
• grants for agricultural practice;
• cash resources received for the maintenance of a child (alimony);
• monthly received income of a social nature, with the exception of compensations of transport costs for the disabled, compensations to donors, social grants and cash social assistance paid pursuant to the Law on the Social Services; a targeted guardianship (curatorship) benefit and child benefit paid pursuant to the Law on Benefits for Children; payment of a compensation for part of housinf rental or lease payment paid pursuant to the Law on State Support for the Acquisition;
• severance pay paid upon the termination of an employment contract or upon the dismissal of civil servants;
• sickness, vocational rehabilitation, maternity, paternity and maternity (paternity) allowances;
• compensation for property and non-pecuniary damage (including one time compensation for lost working capacity);
• cash resources received as a gift;
• inherited cash resources;
• cash resources received abroad or from a foreign State;
• income from property sale, except for the income included in the property; income from property rent;
• lottery and other cash winnings, prizes;
• all types of grants (except grants for students studying at high and vocational institutions; training grant for unemployed, who are involved in the unemployed and warned of dismissal of working age workers training);
• other actually received income.

In order to be granted cash social assistance, the following resources are exempted:

• part of the work income of working person , part of the unemployment social insurance benefit:

20 % – for persons who do not have children (adopted child) or single person;

25 % – for persons raising one or two children (adopted child);

30 % – for persons raising three or more children (adoptive child);

35 % – for individuals raising one or two children (adopted child);

40 % – for individuals raising three or more children (adopted child).

•  a child benefit;
• wages of of persons under 18 years of age;
• compensations of transport costs for the disabled, compensations to donors, social grants and cash social assistance paid pursuant to the Law on the Social Services; a targeted guardianship (curatorship) benefit paid pursuant to the Law on Benefits to Children; payment of a compensation for part of housinf rental or lease payment paid pursuant to the Law on State Support for the Acquisition;
• extraordinary grants;
• special social allowances;
• target compensations for nursing or attendance (assistance) expenses;
• income from agricultural land the total area of which does not exceed 1 hectare;
• cash donations (charity);
• grants for students studying at high and vocational institutions; training grant for unemployed, who are involved in the unemployed and warned of dismissal of working age workers training.

Monthly income of a family (persons living together) or a single resident for receiving a cash social assistance shall be calculated:

• on the basis of the average income received during the three months preceding the month from which social benefits begin to be granted;
• on the basis of the income of the month from which social benefits begin to be granted, if there is the change of income source of at least one member of the family or a single resident compared to the three preceding months, or a lump-sum benefit was received or benefits, received every month, was paid for two or more months as single payment the said month.

Duration and time limits of cash social assistance:

• social benefit is awarded for a period of three months, beginning the first day of the month of submission of the application, if at the time of submission the single resident or the family (persons living together) members were entitled to this benefit. Social benefit may be renewed (unlimited number of renewals) if the circumstances have not changed.
• compensations for cost of house heating, hot and drinking water is granted for a period of three months from the date of entitlement. The compensations be granted retro-actively up to two months preceding the month of submission of the application, provided the single resident or the family is still entitled at the time of application.

Cash social assistance may be granted for a period shorter than three months.

Since 30 September 2022, the duration of payment of compensations has been extended.

If the application for compensations is submitted one month before the beginning of the heating season or during the heating season, compensations are granted not for three months but for entire period of the heating season.

Furthermore, municipalities may, in accordance with their own procedure, allocate cash social assistance from the municipal budgetary resources in other cases not provided by the Law on Cash Social Assistance for Poor Residents (to award onetime condional, periodical, target allowance, or social benefit; to compensate dwelling maintenance expenses that are not specified in the Law; to compensate expenses for heating larger useful floor than the ration fixed by the Law; to cover dwelling indebtedness, etc.).