The Parliamentary Committee on Budget and Finance adopted the draft budget of the State Social Insurance Fund (SSO) for 2026, submitted by the Council of Ministers, on second reading, and is discussing that of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). The ruling and opposition parties entered into sharp clashes, although the opposition did not submit a single editorial proposal between the two readings, "Nova Televizia" indicated.
Among the main changes in the SSO budget is the increase in the minimum insurance income for self-insured persons. From August 1, it will be equal to the minimum wage and will reach 620.20 euros. From the same date, the maximum social security income for all insured persons will be increased to 2,300 euros.
An update of the minimum social security thresholds in some economic activities is also planned. Desislava Taneva from GERB-SDF spoke out against this, indicating that she is categorically against the increase. According to her, the introduction and use of this mechanism as a minimum social security income “is in practice an archaic tool for making business more transparent“.
The MP from “Democratic Bulgaria“ Martin Dimitrov expressed concerns about small businesses in smaller settlements, warning that the government wants “to force these people to move from the transparent to the gray economy“. He addressed his colleagues in the committee with the words that if “Progressive Bulgaria“ They only talk about actuarial calculations that no one has seen, he wonders how such things get support. Dimitrov added that the state does not give any rights against these additional insurances that are required of people.
During the debates, the MP from “We Continue the Change“ Venko Sabrutev turned to the ruling party with criticism that they are asking them to support something that is impossible to support. He expressed dissatisfaction with the proposed “raising the burden, plus raising the prices of electricity, water, heating, vignettes, and also freezing the minimum wage“.
Another red line turned out to be the maternity benefit in the second year, which will not change this year, since the treasury is empty. On this occasion, the MP from “Progressive Bulgaria“ Konstantin Prodanov accused the opposition of not doing anything about the issue when the situation in the country was more stable. He said that now the government must pay their share of all other expenses, but assured that "absolutely everything will be done" for the parents.
During the meeting, accusations of a hidden tax were also made, as it was pointed out that the proposed budget includes over 3 billion euros set aside for maintenance and capital expenditures that are not described in the document.
For her part, Social Minister Natalia Efremova defended the texts, explaining that the authorities took into account several benchmarks when creating the task. She specified that the most important of them was the average achieved social security income from real payments, which must be updated by law.
Over 13.5 billion euros have been set aside for pensions and supplements to them in 2026, which is nearly 1.2 billion euros more than the previous year. The project provides that from July 1, all pensions granted by the end of 2025 will be increased by 7.8% under the so-called Swiss rule. Thus, the minimum pension for social security and old age will increase from 322.37 euros to 347.51 euros.
The budget also includes a change for civil servants and those working in the judicial system. From August 1, they will start paying personal social security contributions, with the initial distribution between employer and employee being 80:20. From the beginning of 2027, the ratio will become 60:40, as it is for the rest of the working population.
The total revenues and transfers in the budget of the Social Insurance Institution for the next year are expected to reach 15.3 billion euros. Of this, nearly 6.8 billion euros will be provided through a transfer from the state budget to cover the shortfall in the system.
When presenting the project, the Minister of Labor and Social Policy Natalia Efremova emphasized that the budget guarantees the payment of all social security payments, including pensions, sick leave, maternity and unemployment benefits.
The deputies also adopted the budget of the National Health Insurance Fund for 2026. It includes revenues and expenses in the amount of 5.26 billion euros. Health insurance revenues are expected to reach 5.14 billion euros, with over 3.1 billion euros coming from health contributions and nearly 2 billion euros from government transfers.
Health fund expenses will increase by over 412 million euros compared to 2025, which represents an increase of 8.5%. The largest resource is again planned for hospital care - over 2.34 billion euros. Specialized outpatient care is set at 351.2 million euros, and primary outpatient care - 345.6 million euros.
The health contribution rate of 8% is also maintained, with the 60:40 distribution between employer and employee remaining for most workers. The exception is civil servants, for whom the ratio will be 80:20.
The draft budgets for the Social Insurance Institution and the National Health Insurance Fund are part of the financial framework for 2026, after the parliament has already approved the state budget for next year at first reading.
On Tuesday, the relevant committee will hold an extraordinary session on the republican budget.