First payment to the beneficiaries of the heating allowance by Dec 21

The first payments will be made to the beneficiaries of the heating allowance by December 21, according to the Joint Ministerial Decision published late on Thursday. In the first phase, those who were also beneficiaries last year will receive the allowance and will submit the relevant application on the online platform MyHeating, which will open in the next few days, until December 9. Payments, according to the ministerial decision, will be made in three phases.

The amount of the subsidy will range from 100 to 80 euros, while the criteria are increased compared to last year (income and assets) and it is estimated that 1.3 million households are potentially beneficiaries, while the total amount of the subsidy together with the amount given at the pump is at 500 million euros.

At the same time, it should be noted that those who live in the coldest areas, i.e. with degree days above 1, will receive an allowance increased by 25%, provided that it is not higher than 1,000 euros.

It should be noted that in the end of October, the Joint Ministerial Decision which will specify the requirements for the heating allowance which will start to be paid a few while before Christmas and will conclude at the end of April 2023 will be issued this week.

The total amount to be allocated reaches 500 mln euros along with the 25 cents per litre subsidy to the pump, a measure that, in first phase, will be applied until the end of 2022 without excluding the possibility to be extended in case the conditions require it.

The entitled households are about 1.3 mln this year while in 2021 were under 900.000 and this because the assets criterion basis has increased due to the increase in the objective values. The highest amount that a household will receive will be 800 euros from 750 last year and the lowest 100 euros, the same as in 2021.

It is noted that this year the households that will return to heating oil instead of any other heating fuel (natural gas or electricity) will receive double the amount of the heating allowance