Updated on 13.05.2024.

A disability pension is a type of pension through which the state financially supports people who have become disabled for a period of time or for life. In order to be given a disability pension, you must have a certain degree of disability that has been established officially. You can find out what is the procedure to establish your disability in this article:

Procedure for establishing disability

The disability pension does not deprive you of your right to continue working under conditions that are suitable for you. 

If you have a refugee or humanitarian status, have temporary protection or have humanitarian status, you are entitled to work in Bulgaria under the same conditions as Bulgarian citizens. That is why you are also entitled to a disability pension. You can find out more about working in Bulgaria as a person with refugee or humanitarian status or temporary protection here: 

Working in Bulgaria

There are different types of disability pensions that can be granted if you meet certain conditions. In this article you can learn about the different types of disability pensions, what conditions you need to meet and how to apply for them. 

Disability pension due to general illness

You are entitled to such a pension if you have worked in Bulgaria and paid contributions for general illness - e.g. if you worked under a labour contract, are a civil servant, are a freelancer, are a partner in a company, etc. 

Important! You do not need to be working at the time you submit the documents, it is only necessary to have worked and paid social security contributions for a specific period of time. This specific experience is the period of time during which you have worked, and your employer has paid your insurance contributions, and the time you have been on leave from work is also considered as a part of it. 

You are only entitled to this type of disability pension if your disability is caused by a general illness that has caused the disability. General illness means that you suffer from a disease.

To get this pension: 

  1. You must have been recognised as having at least 50% disability caused by a general illness by an expert decision of the TEMC (Territorial Expert Medical Committee) or NEMC (National Expert Medical Committee).
  2. You must have worked and paid minimum social security contributions which depend on how old you are:
  • if you are over 30, it you must have worked and paid social security contributions for at least 5 years;
  • up to 30 years - minimum 3 years;
  • up to 25 years - 1 year;
  • if you are under 20 and/or blind by birth or blind before you start work - the the period for which you paid  social security contributions does not matter;
  • and if you are congenitally or permanently disabled, you are entitled to a disability pension for general illness with 1 year of work and paid social security contributions.
  1. You must not receive a retirement pension or an inheritance pension for disability due to general illness. These pensions cannot be received together with the disability pension due to general illness. 

What is the sum of money you can receive?

The amount of the disability pension due to general illness is calculated according to a formula based on your income and years of work experience and paid social security contributions. The calculations are done by the National Social Security Institute when you are granted such a pension. 

Disability pension due to a work accident or occupational disease

You can only apply for such a pension if you:

  • suffered an accident at work or developed an illness due to the nature of your work; and 
  • have at least 50% of estblished disability by a decision of the TEMC caused by that particular work accident or occupational disease.

With this pension you must be insured and have paid contributions for the risks of work accidents and occupational disease. Insured for these risks are e.g. people who work on a labour contract, civil servants and people who do short-term seasonal agricultural work (e.g. if a farmer hires you during a specific season to harvest crops, till the soil, plant plants etc.).  

Important! You do NOT need to have worked and paid certain years of prior social security contributions. 

What is the amount of this pension?

The amount of this pension is also calculated according to a formula based on your income and years of work experience and paid social security contributions. The calculations are done by the National Social Security Institute when you are granted such a pension. 

Civil disability pension

For this pension you must also have a disability of at least 50%, but this disability must have been caused by:

  • Performance of a civic duty – e.g. you saved someone's life, put out a fire. This must be certified by the mayor of the place where you live or some other official authorized by the mayor. 
  • The act of a police officer while on duty – in this case, your disability will have arisen because, for example, you accidentally walked into a shootout while the officers were performing their duties and got injured.

Important! When you submit the documents listed below to apply for this pension, you must also submit a certificate from the mayor, official, or head of the agency confirming that the disability arose from the reasons listed above. 

The amount of this pension is a fixed percentage of the amount of the social pension for old-age and depends on the degree of disability. The social pension for old-age from 01.07.2023 up until now is 276,64 leva. The amount you will receive for this pension:

  • if your disability is established at more than 90% - 414,96 leva;
  • if it is between 71% and 90% - 387.30 leva;
  • if it is between 50% and 70.99% - 318.14 leva.

Social pension for disability

This is the one type of pension where it does not matter why the disability occurred, or whether you are insured or not. All you need is to be over the age of 16 and have a proven disability of at least 71%. 

The amount of the social disability pension is a fixed percentage of the amount of the social pension for old-age and depends on the degree of disability: 

  • if your disability is 100% and you have also been assigned a personal assistant - 442.62 leva;
  • from 91% to 99% - 387.30 leva;
  • from 71% to 90% - 359.63 leva.

Important! You cannot receive this type of pension if you have been granted another pension in Bulgaria or by another country. 

Disability pension under supplementary voluntary pension insurance

If you are voluntarily insured for a pension, then you are also entitled to a disability pension. 

Voluntary insurance is done by pension insurance companies, such as banks, to which you can open an account and you or your employer can pay contributions. 

In this case, you only need to be at least 16 years of age and have paid contributions.

Can you receive these pensions together?

No, you cannot receive more than one disability pension. If you are entitled to two or more disability pensions, then you will receive whichever is the largest amount.

However, you can receive a personal retirement pension together with a personal civil disability pension. In this case, however, you do not receive the full amount of both, but only the larger amount is paid in full, and 50% is paid from the other. The same applies to combining a personal retirement pension with a personal disability pension for a work accident or occupational disease. 

If you receive a pension from another country, there is no obstacle to you also receiving a pension in Bulgaria, except in the case of the social disability pension. 

If you are Ukrainian and receive a pension from Ukraine, you can now receive your pension from the Bulgarian National Social Security Institute as money has been transferred from the Pension Fund of Ukraine and there is an agreement between the two institutions. 

What is the application procedure? 

In order to receive a disability pension, it must be proven that you suffer from a so-called permanent incapacity for work in the percentages specified for each pension. This is proven by an expert decision of the TEMC or NEMC. 

In order to receive a disability pension, you must submit the following documents to the relevant territorial unit of the National Social Security Institute:

  1. An application;
  2. A document certifying the years in wich you have worked and paid social security contributions, e.g. an employment record;
  3. The expert decision of the TEMC or NEMC that proves the disability. How to get such an expert decision you can see in this article: 

Procedure for establishing a disability

  1. If you want your pension to be paid through bank transfer, enclose a document from your bank with the IBAN number of your personal account;
  2. An additional document if you want to be granted a civil disability pension.

Your pension will be granted from the moment your disability is established,  if you submit your documents within 1 month from the moment the time limit for appealing the expert decision of the TEMC or NEMC has expired. Although the National Social Security Institute's decision on whether to grant you such a pension will come after your disability has been officially established, the pension is granted/payable retrospectively from the day of the TEMC/NEMC decision. 

If you submit your paperwork after this 1-month period has elapsed, the pension will be granted from the date of application. 

If you are blind by birth or became blind before you started working, your pension will be paid from the day you submit your documents to the National Social Security Institute.