In good economic times, benefits and allowances may not be as valuable, at least for some households, but in times of pandemic, they are especially important for vulnerable groups. “F” collected the basic allowances granted to its citizens by the Republic of Cyprus and they give a little breath each month, such as the Minimum Guaranteed Income. In addition to fixed benefits, there are those given and given to businesses and employees to deal with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
The map of welfare benefits in Cyprus concerns the family with child benefit, single parent family, motherhood, paternity, childbirth allowance, special childbirth allowance for unmarried mothers. Long-term and social care covers benefits (in cash and in kind) for home care, day care, institutional care, respite care. Regarding the benefits of accidents at work and occupational diseases in Cyprus, there is the bodily injury allowance (compensation due to an accident at work or an occupational disease), disability benefits. There is sickness benefit, disability pension. Disability benefits include a severe mobility disability allowance, quadriplegic care allowance, paraplegics care allowance, blind sponsorship, handling allowance, wheelchair access financial assistance scheme, financial assistance scheme, wheelchair assistance scheme to people with disabilities for the supply of technical means, instruments and other aids, a grant scheme for organizations of people with disabilities, a social assistance scheme for adults with very severe disabilities, a plan for the provision of a European disability card in Cyprus. There is also the statutory pension and the lump sum of the statutory pension. There is the widow's pension, social pension, orphanage allowance, allowance for low-income retirement households in Cyprus, funeral allowance, minimum guaranteed income, unemployment benefit. There is a funeral allowance and an allowance for couples to undergo IVF, as well as a special childbirth allowance for unmarried mothers.
Child benefit and single parent allowance are granted to families with legal and permanent residence in areas under the control of the Republic of Cyprus for at least the last five years prior to the submission of the application.
Child benefit is granted to the family only for each unmarried dependent child living with his family under the same roof. Dependent children are children: up to 18 years old, up to 20 years old, provided they are attending a secondary education institution, up to 21 years old, if they are serving in the National Guard, regardless of age, if they are unable to take care of themselves in permanent basis.
A family is entitled to child benefit provided that its annual gross income does not exceed: € 49,000 for families with one dependent child, € 59,000 for families with two dependent children.
Unemployment benefit and how it is paid
Unemployment benefit is paid to insured employees or to optionally insured persons working in the service of a Cypriot employer abroad, aged 16 to 63, who are unemployed. The age limit can be extended up to 65 years, if the insured person is not entitled to a statutory pension. Self-employed people are not entitled to unemployment benefits. An unemployed person who has exhausted his right to unemployment benefit (ie, who has been paid benefit for 156 days) can regain the right if, after the exhaustion of his right, he works for at least 26 weeks and pays contributions, which in total not be less than 26 times the weekly amount of basic insurable earnings. If the unemployed person is over 60 years old and is not entitled to a pension from any professional plan, he can regain his right to unemployment benefit, after working for at least 13 weeks instead of 26 and after paying contributions on insurable earnings, all of which not less than 26 times the weekly amount of basic insurable earnings.
Inability
There are three bonuses in this category. Covers the following: bodily injury allowance (compensation due to an accident at work or an occupational disease), invalidity benefits. Injury allowance is paid to any worker who is unable to work as a result of an occupational accident or occupational disease for a maximum period of 12 months from the date of the accident or the onset of the illness. The amount of the bodily injury allowance is equal to that of the sickness allowance. Disability benefits can be granted in the form of a lump sum or pension, depending on the degree of disability.
Illness allowance
The sickness benefit is paid to salaried employees, self-employed persons, as well as to optional insured persons working in the service of a Cypriot employer abroad, who are between 16 and 63 years old and incapable of work. Individuals who do not meet the insurance requirements for the statutory pension at 63 are entitled to receive the benefit until the required date, but in no case after the age of 65. Sickness benefit is paid for a period of at least 156 days, for each period of interruption of work. If the incapacity for work is not permanent, the payment period of the allowance may be extended for a maximum period of 312 days.
Disability pension
The disability pension is paid to the insured employees and self-employed, as well as to the optionally insured in the service of a Cypriot employer abroad, who are absent from work for at least 156 days and seem to remain permanently incapable of work, e.g. fail to provide, in the course of an activity which they can theoretically pursue under normal circumstances, an income of more than one third of the amount generally earned by a healthy person with the same educational level as the same activity in the same area, or, in the case of older people between 60 and 63 years, to those who are unable to secure an income in excess of 50% of this amount.
Conditions for minimum guaranteed income
The applicant must be a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus, a citizen of the European Union, a third-country national who has the status of a long-term resident of the Republic. The applicant must have, during the immediately preceding period of 5 years preceding the date of submission of the application, legal and continuous residence in the Republic. The beneficiary must maintain his legal and continuous residence in Cyprus throughout the period of receiving the minimum guaranteed income, otherwise he ceases to be entitled to the allowance. The total income of the members of the family unit must be lower than the total needs assessed on the basis of the minimum guaranteed income. Neither the applicant nor any other member of the family unit can own real estate worth more than € 100,000. The private residence of the applicant is not taken into account, as long as it does not exceed 300 sq.m. The bank deposits of the applicant and any member of his family should not exceed € 5,000, increasing by € 1,000 for each additional member of the family unit. The value of other monetary assets may not exceed € 5,000. Any compensation received as a result of injury or damage caused by an accident is not taken into account. The monthly amounts corresponding to the living basket are: € 480 for the applicant / beneficiary, € 240 for the spouse and for each family member over the age of 14, € 144 for each family member under the age of 14. The rent allowance is paid either when the beneficiary lives in a rented house or in a privately owned house for which he pays interest. The amount of the rent allowance is calculated according to the composition of the family and the province of residence.
