MPs approve increase in emergency aid and other social benefits

Mgr. Nikola Šedová

30. March 2025

2 minutes of reading

Legal news

On 26 March 2025, the Chamber of Deputies approved a government amendment introducing a new state social assistance benefit (the so-called “super benefit”), which significantly modifies several existing social benefits. The draft now heads to the Senate and, once confirmed and signed by the President, the changes will be put into practice from autumn 2025. The new system merges multiple benefits into a single one while increasing the benefits collected for the needy. Among the main changes approved are:

Higher emergency disaster aid: the one-off benefit for victims of natural disasters (e.g. floods or fires) will increase from the current maximum of CZK 72 900 to CZK 82 500 from October. At the same time, the annual limit for drawing this exceptional aid per household will rise from CZK 194 400 to CZK 220 000.
Increase in allowances for relative foster carers: foster carers caring for children of relatives will receive an increase of at least CZK 1 000 per month. For grandparents caring for a grandchild, this represents an increase of about CZK 1 150 and for other relatives about CZK 1 480 per month. In the case of care for a severely disabled child, the allowance will rise by around CZK 3 520 per month.
Increase in the subsistence minimum from October 2025: the subsistence minimum for an individual will increase from CZK 4,860 to CZK 5,500. For the first adult in the household, it will rise to CZK 5 000 (from CZK 4 470 now) and for each additional adult it will fall to CZK 3 750 (from CZK 4 040). This increase in the subsistence minimum will widen the range of families that will now qualify for child benefit or childbirth allowance, as the income threshold for these benefits remains at a multiple of the subsistence minimum (e.g. 3.4 times for child benefit). As a result, even families with slightly higher incomes than previously possible will be eligible for these benefits.
Higher non-forfeitable minimum for debtors: in connection with the increase in the minimum subsistence level, the non-forfeitable amount for foreclosures will also increase. As of October, individual debtors should be left with about CZK 640 more of their income than before. The non-forfeitable amount is calculated as the sum of an individual’s subsistence minimum and the normative housing costs (with the addition of a portion for dependants).

The amendment also contains other changes – for example, the extension of the period of payment of replacement maintenance (alimony) by the state from 4 to 6 years or the introduction of new benefits for studying parents and socially vulnerable university students (the so-called “babysitter’s fee” and study allowance) from 2026. The main objective of the reform is to simplify and clarify the system of state social support by merging several benefits into one, while strengthening targeted assistance to the needy.