The Council of Ministers has recently approved a royal decree with measures to deal with the consequences of the war in Russia. Among the new initiatives that have been included is the check for 200 euros that those people who in 2021 had an income of less than 14,000 may receive, although with some more limitations. This check can be requested from this Friday, July 8. Next, we break down the conditions to be able to request this aid and how to do it.
What is this check about?
The Government approved this Saturday a direct aid of 200 euros for people with low income. The objective, as stated in the Official State Gazette (BOE), is “alleviating the detrimental effect on prices caused by the energy crisis resulting from the crisis in Ukraine”. This aid will reach the beneficiaries in a single payment and the Executive estimates that it will allocate 540 million euros.
Who can request it?
All those people who are currently registered with Social Security, either as employed or salaried workersthey are unemployed and registered in the employment office -the latter may or may not be receiving unemployment benefit-, as long as in 2021 they had received some income less than 14,000 euros per year and have a equity less than 43,196.40 euros.
The computation of this income will be carried out jointly, considering all those people who reside at the same address as of January 1, 2022 and who have marital ties or kinship up to the third degree. The last of the requirements is to have current legal and effective residence in Spain and to have had it continuously for at least the last year.
Can I ask for the check if I collect the minimum vital income?
No. One of the requirements that the Government has imposed is that not all those people who are currently receiving the minimum vital income will be able to benefit from this aid. In these cases, the royal decree already contemplates a 15% increase in the amount of the minimum vital income until the end of the year.
What if I collect a pension?
Either. Another of the limitations included in the royal decree is that those who receive a pension paid by the General Regime, the special Social Security Regimes or the State Passive Class Regime will not have access to this 200-euro check. For these situations, the Government approved this Saturday the revaluation of the non-contributory pensions of 15%, which means 60 euros more per month and 360 until the end of the year. Contributory pensions are already updated with the CPI.
How can I apply for help?
This Monday, once this royal decree comes into force, the application for this aid may be submitted at the Electronic Headquarters of the State Tax Administration Agency, filling out the form made available for this purpose. Requests can be made until September 30 of this same year. The bank account in which you wish to receive the aid must be included in the registration.
When will I know if they grant it to me?
The royal decree establishes that if after three months from the end of the term to present the form the bank transfer of 200 euros has not been received, it must be understood that the request has been rejected. Namely, the deadline to receive it if approved is December 31.