New Child Benefit Criteria Take Effect from 1 August.
From 1 August, new rules and income thresholds for monthly child benefits, as set in the state budget, come into force.
The main purpose of the update is to raise the income criterion, which will allow a larger number of parents to benefit from this financial support.
The specific changes to the criteria will take effect on August 1. To receive the full amount of the benefit, the previous requirement was that the average income per family member should not exceed 388.58 per month. Under the new texts, this threshold is raised to415 per person.
The threshold is also being increased for families with slightly higher incomes that are entitled to receive 80% of the full amount of the allowances.
At present, the state provides monthly benefits to lower-income families, with the amount varying according to the number of children. For one child, the allowance is just over 25 per month, while for four children the amount reaches nearly90.
The changes are part of a broader package of budget measures that also provide for higher social security contributions for people with high incomes, a higher excise duty on cigarettes and an increase in vignette prices.
According to the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, thanks to the more liberal threshold, the parents of about 440,000 children on average per month will continue to have access to this financial support.
Despite the update, some parents in Bulgaria remain sceptical and believe that social policy does not effectively support families.