More than nine million people in our country receive a pension from Social Security. However, the amount of this economic benefit is sometimes insufficient, since many of them do not even collect the minimum pension. Faced with this situation, from the National Institute of Social Security (INSS) they have created minimum supplements, that is, an economic amount that is added to the contributory pension, for those people who do not reach the minimum established by law.
Of the total number of pensioners, 2,177,222 of them include the minimum supplement, 24% of all those who receive this aidaccording to the latest data published by the Ministry of Labour, Migration and Social Security as of January 2023. Therefore, one in four pensioners need this supplement to reach the minimum set in the General State Budget.
In this context, the beneficiaries of this supplement will be those whose income from a pension, added to that of a job, capital or capital gains, if they have them, do not reach 8,614 euros per year; and who also have a legal residence in Spain, as established in article 23. 2. a) of Royal Decree 1058/2022, of December 27.
How can they take away part of our pension?
The supplement to minimums does not have a “consolidable character” and it is reviewed annually, so if the pension is lower, it will increase and vice versa, as explained on the Social Security website. In order to maintain it, pensioners must present an income certificate every year -where the income, patrimonial assets and the contribution of the submitted tax returns appear- before the end of March.
“If, once the economic supplements have been recognized, the existence of any contradiction between the declared data and reality, the applicant will be obliged to reimburse what was improperly receivedwithout prejudice to its possible administrative review”, establishes article 24. 3. of Royal Decree 1058/2022, of December 27.
Therefore, this is not a lifetime aid, but there are several reasons why the beneficiaries may stop receiving it. In the event that the income certificate is not presented when required by Social Security, This may entail a sanction and, consequently, the possible withdrawal of the supplement to a minimum, that can be recovered when the required documentation is presented. Likewise, this aid may cease to be received when they no longer meet the access requirements (income and residence in the country).