Six plus one new measures aimed at providing financial support to households, employees, professionals and pensioners are entering the final stage before implementation. The measures will come into effect during June and July, immediately after the omnibus bill of the Ministry of National Economy and Finance is passed. The legislation has already been submitted to Parliament and is currently under discussion.
The measures are primarily those announced by the Prime Minister in March, following Eurostat’s confirmation of Greece’s fiscal overperformance in 2025.
“The economic team’s policy remains strategically focused on distributing the surplus in a fair manner. This surplus is not based, as the opposition claims, on taxation—let alone indirect taxes—but on growth, increased investment and, of course, the fight against tax evasion. These are certainly not pre-election handouts, as we have consistently made it clear that elections are not expected before spring 2027. Our pro-people policies are entirely separate from the political calendar. We proved this last year as well, when we provided support to many social groups despite there being no prospect of elections. We are pro-people full time, not part time,” newly appointed Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance Dimitris Markopoulos said in a statement to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA).
Payments Starting in June
At the forefront of the measures to be implemented immediately is the extraordinary financial support payment for families with children. Under the relevant provision (Article 16 of the omnibus bill), the payment is expected to be made in the coming days and no later than 30 June.
The support amounts to €150 per child, while the income threshold is set at €40,000 for couples (or €39,000 for single-parent families), increased by €5,000 for each additional child. The funds will be deposited automatically into the bank account (IBAN) beneficiaries have registered with the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), without the need for an application.
Special provision is also made for children born in 2026 (up to 31 July, including those born after the bill is passed). However, parents must submit an application for the child’s Tax Identification Number (AFM) by 10 August in order to receive the payment.
In all cases, the support payment will be tax-free, protected from seizure and will not be counted towards the income criteria of other benefits.
New Measures from 1 July
Other provisions of the bill currently before Parliament introduce six additional measures and benefits:
1. Salary Difference Equalisation Allowance
From 1 July, a monthly allowance of €300 will be paid to public sector employees serving in ministries, state bodies and organisations, independent authorities or judicial authorities, in positions where a personal salary difference is provided. The allowance will be offset against that personal difference.
For example, an employee receiving a personal difference of €200 will see it eliminated from July and will instead receive a permanent €100 increase in salary. The measure will also apply to future recruits appointed to these positions.
2. Increase in the Protected Bank Account Threshold
Upon publication of the law in the Government Gazette (by late June or early July at the latest), the protected bank account threshold for individuals will increase from €1,250 to €1,600.
The measure covers debts owed both to the State and to private creditors (banks, suppliers, etc.) and effectively frees up an additional €350 per month—or up to €4,200 annually—for hundreds of thousands of households already subject to debt collection measures, as well as for those at risk of seizure proceedings that have not yet been imposed.
The provision applies to one protected account only, which individuals must have officially designated as protected through declarations submitted both to AADE and to their bank.
3. Lifting of Bank Account Seizures
During July, immediately after the relevant implementing circular is issued, a new mechanism for lifting bank account seizures related to certified tax debts will come into force.
Debtors will be able to have account seizures lifted if they repay one quarter of their debt and settle the remaining balance through an approved arrangement. This will provide an immediate route to the release of all their accounts for debtors already subject to seizure measures.
4. New 72-Instalment Tax Debt Settlement Scheme
Following publication of the law, a new extraordinary 72-instalment repayment scheme will become available, allowing debtors to repay older debts owed to the tax and customs authorities (AADE) over a period of up to six years, instead of the two years allowed under the standard 24-instalment arrangement.
The scheme covers debts incurred before 2024, provided they were not under an active repayment arrangement on 21 April 2026.
Applications must be submitted by 31 December 2026 through the myAADE platform, where the relevant option will be made available.
Debtors will immediately regain tax clearance certificates, while those joining the scheme will also have the option of early repayment with exemption from the corresponding arrangement interest charges.
The minimum monthly instalment is set at €30, and the first payment must be completed within three days of the application; otherwise, the arrangement will be cancelled.
5. 72-Instalment Social Security Debt Settlement Scheme
A corresponding repayment scheme of up to 72 instalments will also be introduced for debts owed to social security institutions (insurance funds and EFKA/KEAO).
It applies to debts incurred up to 31 December 2023, provided they were not under a repayment arrangement on 21 April 2026, with a minimum monthly instalment of €30.
6. Expansion of the Out-of-Court Debt Settlement Mechanism
At the end of July, the out-of-court debt settlement mechanism will also open to debtors with liabilities below €10,000, who until now were automatically excluded from debt write-downs and repayment plans of up to 240 instalments for public debts or 420 instalments for debts owed to banks and financial institutions.
The relevant provision (Article 13), which lowers the minimum debt threshold for participation from €10,000 to €5,000, will come into effect one month after publication of the law, allowing time for the necessary technical upgrades to the platform.
More Measures to Follow from September
The omnibus bill also includes additional benefits and support measures that will be activated after the summer.
From September, the second major phase of interventions will begin, including protection of primary residences through the out-of-court mechanism, a subsidy covering two months’ rent for teachers, doctors and nurses serving in regional areas, as well as an increase in the annual support payment made every November to pensioners and vulnerable groups from €250 to €300, alongside expanded eligibility criteria to include more beneficiaries.
“It is clear what message we, as a government, are sending to society just a few months before the Thessaloniki International Fair. It is a message of support for a range of social groups. A message that clearly reflects our intention to assist pensioners, families and children, while at the same time focusing on resolving housing issues and providing solutions for those seeking a way out of their private debt burdens,” Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance Dimitris Markopoulos told ANA-MPA.
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