MINIMUM INCLUSION INCOME

(According to Law no. 196/2016)

Information regarding the granting of the minimum inclusion income (VMI)

Legislative framework

– the provisions of Law no. 196/2016, regarding the minimum inclusion income, with subsequent amendments and completions;
– the provisions of GEO no. 114/2022, for the amendment and completion of Law no.196/2016 regarding the minimum inclusion income, with subsequent amendments and completions;
– the provisions of G.D. no. 1154/2022, for the approval of the Methodological Norms for applying the provisions of Law no.196/2016, regarding minimum inclusion income, with subsequent amendments and completions;
Thus, the minimum inclusion income (VMI) is instituted, which represents the financial support granted by the state in order to ensure a minimal standard of living for families and single persons in difficulty, as well as for preventing the risk of poverty among children and stimulating their participation in the education system.
The minimum inclusion income consists of one or more of the following categories of financial assistance:
a) inclusion aid;
b) aid for families with children.

Depending on the needs of the family/single person, the minimum inclusion income is accompanied by other complementary social assistance measures, granted in cash and/or in kind, as follows:
– incentives – special measures for stimulating participation in the labor market, granted in cash or representing deductions applied to the person’s income;
– contributory facilities – health insurance without paying the health insurance contribution;
– other complementary rights – financial transfers and/or support in kind, in order to facilitate social inclusion and prevent the risk of social exclusion, granted to recipients of minimum inclusion income or other categories in special situations, consisting, as the case may be, of:
(i) payment of mandatory home insurance against earthquakes, landslides and floods;
(ii) granting community and emergency aid intended to support the family/single person to overcome temporary hardships and to prevent or reduce the risk of poverty and social exclusion;
(iii) access to financial support measures for the promotion and support of attending educational courses, organized according to the law by the beneficiaries of the minimum inclusion income;
(iv) measures to stimulate employment, as well as other measures that lead to access of persons benefiting from minimum inclusion income to a job;
(v) access to available social services, according to the identified needs in order to overcome difficult situations.

Beneficiaries

VMI consists of the total sums related to the financial aids provided by art.3 para.(2) of the law, which are established depending on the classification of the adjusted net monthly income achieved by the family within the following limits:

1. for inclusion aid, up to an adjusted net monthly income of 346 lei inclusive, which is taken into account when establishing the cumulative family income;

2. for inclusion aid, up to an adjusted net monthly income of 504 lei inclusive, which is taken into account when establishing the income of the single person aged at least 65 years;

3. for the aid for families with children, up to an adjusted net monthly income of 880 lei inclusive.

In this regard, new concepts have appeared, such as: equivalence coefficient (1 for the single person and the legal representative of the family), family size (the sum of the equivalence coefficient corresponding to the family representative = 1 + 0.5 for each family member) and adjusted net monthly income (obtained by dividing the total net family income obtained in the month prior to the application to the family size), to calculate the eligibility threshold and the amounts granted as inclusion aid or aid for families with children.

Granted amounts

The monthly amount granted as inclusion aid will be a maximum of:
– 346 lei, for a single person with no income;
– 504 lei, for a single person aged at least 65 years, without income;
– 519 lei, for a family composed of two persons (346lei * 1.5 family size);
– 692 lei, for a family composed of three persons (346lei * 2 family size);
– 865 lei, for a family composed of four persons (346lei * 2.5 family size);
– 1038 lei, for a family composed of five persons (346lei * 3 family size);

The amount granted as aid for families with children is set depending on the level of adjusted net monthly income and the number of children in the family, as follows:
1. For families with adjusted net monthly incomes up to 346 lei/month, the monthly amount of the aid for families with children is:
– 135 lei, for families with one child;
– 270 lei, for families with 2 children;
– 405 lei, for families with 3 children;
– 539 lei, for families with 4 or more children.

2. For single-parent families with adjusted net monthly incomes up to 346 lei/month, the monthly amount of aid for families with children is:
– 153 lei, for families with one child;
– 303 lei, for families with 2 children;
– 453 lei, for families with 3 children;
– 604 lei, for families with 4 or more children.

3. For families with adjusted net monthly income between 348 lei/month and 880 lei inclusive, the monthly amount of the aid for families with children is:
– 108 lei, for families with one child;
– 215 lei, for families with 2 children;
– 322 lei, for families with 3 children;
– 428 lei, for families with 4 or more children.

4. For single-parent families with adjusted net monthly income between 348 lei/month and 880 lei inclusive, the monthly amount of the aid for families with children is:
– 140 lei, for families with one child;
– 271 lei, for families with 2 children;
– 409 lei, for families with 3 children;
– 541 lei, for families with 4 or more children.

*If the calculation results in an amount less than 63 lei, then 63 lei is granted.

Clarifications:
For the calculation of the adjusted net monthly income, all amounts received/earned by the single person, as well as by each member of the family in the month prior to the VMI application, are taken into account, except for the following incomes:
a. amounts received as social benefits on the basis of Law no.448/2006 regarding the protection and promotion of the rights of disabled persons, republished, with subsequent amendments and completions;
b. the children's allowance granted according to Law no.61/1993 on the state allowance for children, republished, with subsequent amendments;
c. sums awarded as scholarships or other forms of financial support intended exclusively to support the education of preschoolers, pupils, and students, through programs of the Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research, other public and private institutions, including non-governmental organizations;
d. sums received from activities carried out as day laborers, under Law no.52/2011 regarding the exercise of occasional activities carried out by day laborers, republished, with subsequent amendments and completions, as well as those obtained as household service provider under Law no.111/2022 on the regulation of household provider activity;
e. sums received by family members able to work as a result of participating in professional training programs organized by law, if these do not have the status of salary income;
f. occasional amounts from natural or legal persons, as well as emergency aid received from the state or local budget;
g. the educational incentive granted according to Law no.248/2015 regarding the stimulation of preschool education attendance by children from disadvantaged families, republished, in the form of a social voucher for the stimulation of preschool education attendance by children from disadvantaged families;
h. occasional sums granted from the state or local budgets as compensation or financial support for exceptional situations;
i. aid for home heating and the energy supplement granted under Law no.226/2021, with subsequent amendments;
j. monthly food allowance granted under Law no.584/2002 on measures to prevent the spread of AIDS in Romania and for the protection of people infected with HIV or sick with AIDS, with subsequent amendments and completions, and the monthly food allowance provided by Law no.302/2018 on measures for the control of tuberculosis;
k. sums received as support, provided from the state budget or non-refundable funds, granted by law or based on approved operational programs.

Required documents

The minimum inclusion income (VMI) is granted on the basis of a single application submitted by the applicant accompanied by supporting documents.
– VMI standard application form, which contains information about the applicant and data regarding the family composition; download form
– Agreement regarding the processing of personal data; download agreement
– Declaration on one's own responsibility; download declaration, and if necessary download declaration 2, download declaration 3

– Payment commitment (for situations where unduly granted rights may be found); download commitment;
– Identity document of the applicant and family members (ID card/identity card, birth certificates);
– Income certificates for all sources of income;
– Death certificate for any deceased family member;
– Proof of schooling for children between 3 and 16 years old;
– Other documents specific to the applicant’s/beneficiary’s situation:
a. the contract regarding ownership of the dwelling in which they live;
b. utility bills;
c. marriage certificate, if applicable;
d. the court decision for custody/authorization for adoption, under the law;
e. the court decision or, as appropriate, the decision of the child protection commission for the placement measure, according to the law;
f. the court decision by which the temporary delegation of parental authority to the designated person is ordered, according to the provisions of art.104 and art.105 of Law no.272/2004 on the protection and promotion of children’s rights, republished, with subsequent amendments and completions;
g. the decision of the general director of the general directorate of social assistance and child protection or, as appropriate, the court decision for the emergency placement measure, according to the law;
h. the court decision establishing guardianship or, as appropriate, the guardianship authority’s order, according to the law;
i. the supporting document attesting to the capacity of legal representative of the minor person without full capacity for the exercise of civil rights, i.e., parent, guardian, curator, or another person designated legal representative by the decision of the general director of the general directorate of social assistance and child protection or, as appropriate, by court decision;
j. the court decision by which the spouse is declared missing;
k. the court decision by which the spouse is preventively arrested for more than 30 days or serving a custodial sentence and does not participate in the maintenance of the children;
l. if applicable, other supporting documents regarding the family composition.
The family composition, the children’s filiation and their legal status in relation to the legal representative will be checked/validated by the staff of the Social Protection Service by field verification and/or by SNIAS.

Goods leading to exclusion from VMI

The establishment of the right to minimum inclusion income is carried out taking into account the assets of the family or, as the case may be, of the single person, included in the List of goods leading to the exclusion from granting minimum inclusion income. The list can be consulted below.

LIST of goods leading to exclusion from granting minimum inclusion income
A. Immovable property
Buildings, other living spaces outside the home of residence, as well as land located within city limits with an area of over 1,200 sqm in urban areas and 2,500 sqm in rural areas, except for the land for fencing the dwelling and the related courtyard.

1. Movable goods
1. More than one vehicle older than 10 years, with the right to drive on public roads;
2. A vehicle with the right to drive on public roads less than 10 years old, except those used and/or adapted for the transport of persons with disabilities;
3. Motorboats, boats with motor, yachts or other types of watercraft, except those necessary for transport for persons living in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve area;

NOTE:
If one or more goods owned by the single person/family beneficiary of minimum inclusion income is rented/leased/granted by concession, this asset will be taken into account for the person/family who rents/leases/takes in concession, and for the legal owner, the value obtained from ceding the right of use of the asset will be considered.
A person or family who, in addition to the home of residence, owns a share of another building/living space/property may benefit from minimum inclusion income regardless of the size of the share if this possession cannot be valorized by them.

1. Bank deposits
At least one family member holds, as account holder, one or more bank accounts/deposits, whose total sum is greater than 3 times the value of the gross average salary according to the Social Insurance Law. (Currently, the value is 6095*3=18285 lei)

Obligations of the holder

The holder of the minimum inclusion income has the obligation to notify the city hall in whose territorial area they have their domicile or residence, of any change regarding domicile, income, and number of family members, within a maximum of 10 days from the date the change occurred.
Single persons and families who benefit from minimum inclusion income are required to submit to the city hall, every 6 months, a declaration on one’s own responsibility regarding the changes occurred, accompanied by supporting documents, as the case may be.

People able to work who do not obtain income under an individual employment contract, service rapport or other legal form of employment, nor from independent or agricultural activities, as defined by Law no.227/2015, with subsequent amendments and completions, are obliged to appear, whenever required by the territorial labor agency where they are registered as job seekers, for employment or for participation in employment stimulation and professional training services.

In the case of single persons and families who benefit from minimum inclusion income consisting exclusively of aid for families with children, the above obligation does not apply.

In the case of families receiving minimum inclusion income which includes the inclusion aid component, one of the adult able-bodied persons in that family is obliged to perform, at the mayor’s request, activities or work of local interest, respecting the normal duration of working time and occupational health and safety rules.

Exceptions are families for which the amount of inclusion aid is up to 63 lei. For these, the working hours are set quarterly and are carried out in any of the months of the quarter.