This chapter explains your entitlements within the social welfare system.

If you are a Croatian national with a permanent residence in Croatia or a foreigner under subsidiary protection, an asylum seeker and a foreigner under temporary protection and their family members who legally reside in the Republic of Croatia, as well as a foreigner with the established status of a victim of human trafficking, can receive benefits and services in the social welfare system under the conditions prescribed by this Act, the laws governing it protection against human trafficking and the law regulating the status, rights and obligations of persons with approved international protection and you do not have enough means to cover your living needs and are unable to provide for yourself through work or income from property or other sources, you and your family may be entitled to social welfare benefits.

The range of social welfare benefits may be limited if you are a foreign national temporarily staying in Croatia.

This chapter covers:

• guaranteed minimum benefit (zajamčena minimalna naknada);
• housing allowance (naknada za troškove stanovanja);
• allowance for energy buyers at risk (naknada za ugroženog kupca energenata;)
• personal needs allowance for a residential care beneficiary (naknada za osobne potrebe korisnika smještaja);
• one-time allowance (jednokratna naknada);
• benefit for regular studies (naknada za redovito studranje)
• payment for accommodation costs in the pupil’s dormitory (plaćanje troškova smještaja u učeničkom domu)

In what situation can I claim?

You may exercise your social welfare rights if you are a Croatian national with a permanent residence in Croatia, or a foreign national or a stateless person with a permanent residence permit in Croatia.

A foreigner under subsidiary protection, an asylum seeker and a foreigner under temporary protection and their family members who legally reside in the Republic of Croatia, as well as a foreigner with the established status of a victim of human trafficking, can receive benefits and services in the social welfare system under the conditions prescribed by this Act, the laws governing it protection against human trafficking and the law regulating the status, rights and obligations of persons with approved international protection can claim social welfare.

In exceptional cases, other persons can be entitled to one-time allowance and temporary accommodation.

What conditions do I need to meet?

If you are a single person, a family member or a family and do not have sufficient means to cover your basic living needs, you may be entitled to social welfare benefits. This implies that you cannot earn the means to cover your basic living needs by working, income from property, a person paying maintenance, or any other way.

Social welfare benefits can be provided to orphans or children without appropriate parental care, young adults, children victims of domestic, peer or other violence, human trafficking victims, children with disabilities, children and young adults with behavioural problems.

Social welfare benefits can furthermore be provided to pregnant women and parents with a baby up to 1 year of age without family support and adequate living conditions, parents who require professional assistance and other support due to disturbed relations and persons who were married or cohabitating and have children together.

Social welfare benefits can also be provided to disabled adults, people with other temporary or permanent changes of their health, victims of domestic or other violence and human trafficking victims. Among other things, these benefits can also be provided to people who are unable to care for themselves independently due to age or infirmity, people with alcohol, drug and other addictions, and homeless people.

What am I entitled to and how can I claim?

Guaranteed minimum benefit

You are entitled to guaranteed minimum benefit if you are single or living in a household and you have no income which you can use to cover your living needs. In other words, if you are unable to finance your living needs by working or from income from property.

A person receiving guaranteed minimum benefit who is able to work is required to accept a job offered by the Croatian Employment Service.

The amount of the GMB for a single person is set at the following amounts:

• for single person not capable of working and elderly person EUR 172,54
• for a single working-age person EUR 133

HOUSEHOLD

• working age adult or a child EUR 92,91
• a child in one-parent family EUR 106,18
• single parent EUR 119,45
• an adult completely incapable of work and for an elderly person EUR 126,09
• single working-age parent and for pregnant women and up to six months after childbirth EUR 159,27
• single parent completely incapable of work EUR 179,18

Croatian Institute for Social Work in the claimants' place of residence approve guaranteed minimum benefit. The basis for its calculation is set by the Government, the calculation basis of the GMB is €133 since 25 February 2022.

Housing allowance

If you receive guaranteed minimum benefit, except for a homeless person who is staying in a shelter, a shelter or has been granted the service of accommodation in organised housing, a victim of domestic violence and a victim of human trafficking who has been granted the service of accommodation in crisis situations, you may also be entitled to housing allowance. This cash benefit is intended for settling, for example, the costs rent, utility fees, heating costs, water services and costs incurred due to works to increase the energy efficiency of the building.

It can be granted in cash to the claimant, or the service suppliers pay the housing costs and are reimbursed by the local government or the City of Zagreb, in the amount of at least 30% of the amount of the guaranteed minimum benefit granted to a single person or household.

Allowance for energy buyers at risk

Beneficiaries of guaranteed minimum benefit and of personal disability allowance are entitled to the benefit for challenged energy buyers. The monthly amount of the benefit is determined by the Government Regulation and it reaches up to maximum of EUR 27.00, exceptionally during the period from 1 October 2022, to 31 March 2023, it amounts up to € 66.

Allowance for personal needs The right to allowance for personal needs is recognised for a child attending primary school and a child and a younger adult attending secondary school, another younger adult, an adult and an older person who is recognised as having the right to accommodation or organised housing if their own income cannot ensure the satisfaction of personal needs need for accommodation or organised housing. It is granted to beneficiaries who cannot finance their personal needs from their own income and in the amount:

1. 50% of the base for a child attending elementary school, an adult and an elderly person EUR 33,18;

2. 70% of the base for a child and a younger adult of a high school student and another younger adult EUR 46,45.

One-time allowance

One-time allowance is provided to a single person or a household in the event of ongoing material difficulties due to specific needs. For example, it may be granted for the birth of a child, a child's education, illness or death of a family member, natural disaster, buying basic household items, essential clothes and footwear.

For an individual, the highest amount is EUR 331,81, and for a household it is EUR 464,53. In exceptional circumstances, when the user's life circumstances require it one-time assistance of up to EUR 1327,23.

Benefit for regular studies

The beneficiary of the right to the accommodation or organised housing service is recognised as entitled to compensation for full-time studies in the status of a full-time or part-time student at a university or professional study in amount of EUR 265,45 monthly.

Payment for accommodation costs in the pupil’s dormitory

For a child or a young person under legal age, a high school student with a lower financial status who is not a member of the household who is a beneficiary of the right to the guaranteed minimum benefit, the costs of accommodation in a pupils dormitory are paid by the Ministry in accordance with the provisions of the contract on pupil placement in a pupils dormitory.

Social welfare system entitlements can be claimed through Croatian Institute for Social Work in your place of residence, except Payment for accommodation costs in the pupils dormitory. In certain cases, entitlements are paid by unit of local government or the City of Zagreb, in cooperation with social welfare centres.

Jargon busters

• Permanent residence is the place and address in Croatia at which a person has permanently settled for the purpose of exercising their rights and obligations associated with their life interests, such as family, professional, economic, social, cultural and other interests.
• Temporary residence is the place and address in Croatia where a person is temporarily residing, but has not permanently settled at that address. Temporary residence is registered if it will last longer than 3 months.
• The calculation bases for guaranteed minimum benefit and other social welfare entitlements are set by the Government.

Forms you may need to fill in

You can download the forms for claiming social assistance entitlements at the following link:

The list of regional offices is not yet available

Know your rights

You can find out about your legal rights at the links below. They are not European Commission websites and do not represent the views of the Commission:

• Social Welfare Act;
• Family Act;
• Frequently asked questions about social welfare;
• https://migracije.hr/social-welfare/?lang=en.

Commission publications and websites:

• http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=849&langId=en.

Who do you need to contact?

Croatian Institute for Social Work

The list of regional offices is not yet available

Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy

Ulicy grada Vukovara 78
HR-10000 Zagreb
Croatia
Tel. +385 15557111
https://mrosp.gov.hr/