Guaranteed minimum benefit

You are entitled to a guaranteed minimum benefit if you are single or living in a household and you do not have sufficient means to cover your living needs

In other words, if you are unable to finance your living needs by working, from income from assets or from persons mandated to pay maintenance to them.

Requirements to exercise this right

Whether an applicant meets the requirements for the recognition of the right to a guaranteed minimum benefit is established based on the income of the applicant and all of their household members, as well as on the assets owned by the applicant and their family members.

Amounts of the guaranteed minimum benefit

The amount of the guaranteed minimum fee shall be determined in the prescribed percentage of the base determined by decision of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. The base on which the amount of the guaranteed minimum benefit is calculated is EUR 150 shall be fixed once a year.

The guaranteed minimum allowance for a single person shall be:

• 100% of the basis for working-age single person = EUR 150
• 130% of the baseline for elderly and fully incapacitated persons = EUR 195
• The guaranteed minimum household allowance is determined as the sum of the share of household members and the share for individual household members is:
• 70% of the adult working age basis = EUR 105
• 95% of the baseline for an adult fully incapacitated and for an elderly person = EUR 142,50
• 120% of single working-age parent basis = EUR 180
• 135% of single parent basis totally incapacitated = EUR 202,50
• 70% of the child base = EUR 105
• 80% of the single parent child base = €120
• 90% of single parent child base = EUR 135
• 120% of the maternity and maternity grounds up to six months after delivery = EUR 180.

In case the single person or the household has an income, the amount of the guaranteed minimum benefit is determined as the difference between the amount of the guaranteed minimum benefit and the single person’s or the household’s monthly income.

Applications for granting these rights must be submitted by 31 December 2022 to the social welfare centre, and as of 1 January 2023 to the institute, competent for your place of residence.

The guaranteed minimum benefit is recognized on the date of filing an application for it or on the date of initiation of the procedure for it ex officio. 

Housing allowance

The right to housing allowance is granted to beneficiaries of the guaranteed minimum benefit, excluding homeless persons in shelters and overnight shelters, persons with a granted service of accommodation in organised housing, victims of domestic violence and victims of human trafficking with a granted service of accommodation in crisis situations.
Within the meaning of this Act, housing costs refer to rent, utilities, heating and water costs, as well as costs incurred in connection with works on increasing the energy efficiency of the building.
The local self-government unit grants the right to housing costs to beneficiaries of the right to a guaranteed minimum benefit.
The local self-government unit grants the right to a housing allowance in the amount of at least 30% of the guaranteed minimum benefit amount granted to a single person or a household.
If housing costs are lower than 30% of the guaranteed minimum benefit amount, the right to a housing allowance is granted in the actual amount of housing costs.
The local self-government unit or the city of Zagreb can pay the housing allowance, in a partial or full amount, directly in the name and for the account of the beneficiary of the guaranteed minimum benefit.