The Guaranteed Income for Elderly Persons (GIEP)

To be entitled to the GIEP, you need to be Belgian or meet one of the following conditions:

• you are a subject of Denmark, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway or Switzerland;
  
  
• you fall within the following European regulations:
  • Council Regulation (EC) No 1408/71 of 14 June 1971;
  • Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the coordination of social security systems.
    
    
• you have a different nationality, but you are entitled to a Belgian retirement or survivor's pension or pension as a divorcee.
  In this case, you should also meet the following conditions:
  • you have the long-term resident statute in Belgium or in another member state of the European Community (article 15 bis and title II, chapter V of the law of 15 December 1980);
  • or you have a career in Belgium of at least 312 full-time days.
    
    
• you are a refugee as described in article 49 of the law of 15 December 1980 concerning the access to the territory, the stay, residence and removal of aliens or you have a subsidiary protection status as described in article 49/2 of the same law.
  Find out more about the asylum procedure on the website of the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless PersonsOpens in a new window.
  
  
• you are stateless and fall within the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.
  Find out more about the recognition as a stateless person on the website of the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless PersonsOpens in a new window.
  
  

To receive a GIEP, you must have your place of primary residence in Belgium and truly live there without interruption.

This means that you, if you receive a GIEP:

• cannot stay abroad for more than 29 days per calendar year;
• have to inform us of every stay abroad that lasts longer than five consecutive days or six nights (the day of departure and the day of return are not taken into account).

At random moments, we will check your presence in Belgium by sending you a registered letter of which you have to confirm receipt.

Find out more about the residence requirements.

To retain your GIEP, you may not stay abroad for more than 29 days per calendar year.

You have to inform us of any stay abroad of more than five consecutive days or six nights (the day of departure and the day of return are not taken into account). You have to inform the Pensions Service before your departure:

• through mypension.beOpens in a new window;
• through the contact form on our website;
• by letter:
  Federal Pensions Service
  Tour du Midi
  Europaesplanade 1
  1060 Brussels
  Belgium

If you do not inform us beforehand of a stay abroad of more than five consecutive days or six nights, we will recover an amount that equates to one month of the GIEP by means of deductions on your monthly payments.

What happens if I exceed the 29-day limit?

We will suspend the payment of your GIEP for every calendar month (from the month you exceed the limit) you spend abroad. You will lose your GIEP for that entire month.

An example to clarify the different rules:

Hélène leaves for Tunis on 1 July and returns to Belgium on 26 July. This means she stayed abroad for 24 consecutive days, as 1 July and 26 July are not taken into account for the calculation. Hélène thus does not exceed the 29-day limit and her GIEP will continue to be paid.

During the end-of-year celebrations, Hélène leaves for the Alsace from 22 until 29 December. Even if the days of departure and return are not taken into account, Hélène stays abroad for six full days.

Taking her stays in Tunis and in the Alsace together, Hélène thus reaches a total of 30 days. The annual limit of 29 days is therefore exceeded. This means that the payment of the GIEP of December will be suspended.

There are two exceptions: you are allowed to deviate from the 29-day limit in the case of:

• a chance or temporary admission to a hospital or other health care institution abroad;
• exceptional circumstances that justify this stay abroad and that are approved by the management committee of the Pensions Service.

Such a deviation should be applied for in writing (Pensions Service - Tour du Midi - Europaesplanade 1 - 1060 Brussels)

• stating the reason for the prolonged stay abroad;
  and
• be accompanied by the necessary pieces of evidence.

If you stay abroad for more than six consecutive months, your entitlement to the GIEP will be cancelled. If you once again live in Belgium, having your place of primary residence there, you can file a new application.

How do we check the residence requirement?

At random moments, we will send you a registered letter of which you have to confirm receipt.

Exceptions:

The automatic check does not happen if you receive a GIEP and you:

• are over 80;
• have been admitted to a retirement home, a nursing home or psychiatric nursing home;
• are registered at a Public Social Service Centres (OCMW) address;
• have a disability with a reduction in ability to live independently by at least 7 points, and which has been recognized by the Federal Public Service Social Security's Disabled Persons Directorate General;
• have a disability and receive an allowance for assistance to elderly people, or a care budget for elderly people with care needs.

Please note: if we suspect fraud or if the declarations are incorrect or incomplete, we will also check the people involved.

If you are receiving a GIEP, you have to inform us of the following changes in your family:

• the termination of child benefits for children living at the same address;
• the registration or termination of legal cohabitation.
  
  

If you are receiving a GIEP, you have to inform us of the following changes in your means of support and those of your partner (spouse or legally cohabiting partner), if you share the same address:

• any changes in professional income or replacement income (sickness benefit, unemployment benefit, ...) or pensions that are not paid by the Federal Pensions Service. The pension paid by the Federal Pensions Service changes? We will automatically adapt your GIEP;
• any increase in movable capital: current accounts, savings accounts, stock accounts, trust funds, shares, obligations, public loans, government securities, capital from life insurances and any other amount that is or is not invested;
• any changes to the maintenance you or your spouse receive or pay. You do not have to inform us of maintenance allowances you receive for your children;
• acquiring movable or immovable property (purchase, bequest, inheritance, deed of partition, ...);
• renouncing movable or immovable property (sale, bequest, deed of partition, relinquishing commercial rights, ...)
• any changes in mortgage interests;
• any changes to other means of support that can lead to a recalculation of the GIEP.
  
  

You have to inform us of any period, regardless of its duration, during which you are interned:

• in a prison;
• in an institution for the protection of society;
• in an external psychiatric institution at the expense of the social security system.

Find out more about the payment of the GIEP during these periods.

• with only my spouse or legally cohabiting partner
  In this case, you are entitled to the basic amount. We calculate your and your spouse's means of support and divide everything by two.
  
  
• with only my children or other direct blood or other relatives
  These persons' means of support are not taken into account:
  • underage children;
  • children who are of age and who entitle you to child benefits;
  • direct blood or other relatives: grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren.

  In this case, you are entitled to the increased basic amount. Your means of support are divided by the number of children of the first degree for whom you receive child benefits + 1, insofar:

  • they are your or your spouse's children of the first degree or children who were placed with you or your partner by means of a judicial settlement;
  • they are registered at your address in the municipal register.

  Child benefits and any other means of support of the children are thus not taken into account as means of support. But we do take into account, to your benefit, that you have children.

  Please note: inform us as soon as possible if you no longer receive child benefits. In this way, you avoid having to repay unduly received amounts. Find out more about your obligations.
• only with my spouse or legally cohabiting partner and with children or direct blood or other relatives
  In this case, you are entitled to the basic amount (for cohabitants). Your means of support are divided by the number of underage children and children who are of age who entitle you to child benefits +2 insofar:
  • they are your or your spouse's children of the first degree or children who were placed with you or your partner by means of a judicial settlement;
  • they are registered at your address in the municipal register.
  Please note: inform us as soon as possible if you no longer receive child benefits. In this way, you avoid having to repay unduly received amounts. Find out more about your obligations.
• with one or several other persons (not your spouse or legally cohabiting partner, no direct blood or other relatives)
  In this case, you are entitled to the basic amount, but only your own pensions and means of support (and those of your spouse or legally cohabiting partner) are taken into account.
  
  

• but retain my home address
  In this case, you are entitled to the increased basic amount, on the condition that you share your home address only with your spouse or legally cohabiting partner.

  Important: if one of the partners (married or legally cohabiting) resides in a retirement or nursing home, but retains his or her official address at the home address, we do take the means of support of both partners into account. All usual rules thus apply to the calculation.
   

• and place my address at the retirement or nursing home
  In this case, you are entitled to the increased basic amount. We will only consider your own means of support in the calculation. We do not take the means of support of the persons living in the same retirement home, nursing home or psychiatric nursing home into account.
   

If you live in a community as a clergy member or layperson, you are entitled to the basic amount. But we will only consider your own means of support in the calculation.

Your and your partner's income (with whom you are married or legally cohabiting) are taken into account as follows:

• 75 % of the gross annual wages in the case of an employee (also in the case of a flexi job);
• 75 % of the gross annual wages in the case of a civil servant;
• 75 % of the actual gross wages or of the fictitious salary as a self-employed helper;
• 100 % of the net professional income (= gross income reduced by any overheads and losses) of the year preceding the start date of the GIEP of the preceding or current year in the case of a self-employed worker;
• the remaining amount is then reduced by 5 000 euros (exemption).
  
  

Please note: We calculate your professional income as an employee or civil servant on the basis of your monthly income.  

To determine your monthly income, we add up the following amounts: 

• your monthly wage
• 1/12 of any holiday allowance you may have received in the calendar year in question
• 1/12 of any year-end bonus you may have received in the calendar year in question

Of this total, we take 75 % into account. 

The result exceeds 1/12 of 5,000 euros? Your GIEP for the month in question may be reduced. 

All your replacement incomes (unemployment, sickness or disability, industrial accident or occupational disease), as well as your partner's (with whom you are married or legally cohabiting), are taken into account for 100 %.

Indemnity and war pensions are taken into account for 100 %.

All your pension annuities (for example periodically paid supplementary pension) are taken into account for 100 %.

• Maintenance you receive from your ex-spouse is taken into account for 100 %
• Maintenance you pay to your ex-spouse is completely deducted.
  
  

Moveable properties (all monies and certificates such as savings, contributions to a pension fund, life insurance, stocks, bonds, ...) are taken into account as follows:

• 1st bracket of 6 200 euros: exempted (0 %);
• 2nd bracket of 6 200 euros up to 18 600 euros: 4 % of the global capital;
• 3nd bracket of 18 600 euros and over: 10 % of the global capital.

Important: Did you give away or part with capital fewer than ten years before your GIEP application?
In this case, we will take the value of this capital at the time you gave it away or parted with it into account.

Immoveable properties (built-on or vacant) in full ownership or in usufruct, even if you do not own them yet (e.g. inheritance in process) are taken into account for:

• 100 % of the unindexed global rateable value. In the case of joint ownership, we take your share of the ownership into account: 1/2, 1/4, ... .
• partial exemptions are applied:
  • built-on properties: 743,68 euros are deducted from the global rateable value + another 123,95 euros for every child for whom you or your cohabiting partner (spouse or legally cohabiting partner) receive child benefits. The result of this deduction is multiplied by three.
  • vacant properties: on the condition that there is no built-on immovable property: 29,75 euros are deducted from the global rateable value. The result of this deduction is multiplied by three.

Immoveable properties in bare ownership are not taken into account.

Important: you sold or gave away your house or other immoveable properties fewer than ten years before your GIEP application?
If so, we take the market value of the properties at the time of the sale or gift into account.

Exception: if, on the start date of the GIEP, the full sales proceeds or a part of the sales proceeds are still your property, we apply the usual rules.

Examples:

• The full sales proceeds were used to buy a new house. We take the rateable value of the new house into account, but not the market value of the previous house.
• A portion of the sales proceeds are still in your savings account.
  • We take the money on the savings account into account (see influence moveable property (capitals)).
  • We take the market value of the immovable property into account, after deduction of the money in the savings account that results from the sale.
• A portion of the sales proceeds is used to invest in an existing immoveable property of your own by carrying out renovation works that lead to an increase in the rateable value.
  • We take the higher rateable value of your immoveable property into account;
  • We take the market value of the immovable property into account, after deduction of the investment costs that lead to the increased rateable value of the property you still own.
    
    

Steps in the calculation of the amounts that are taken into account

• Step 1: The market value is multiplied by a fraction that expresses the importance of your commercial rights:
  • full ownership: 100 % of the market value;
  • usufruct: 40 % of the market value;
  • bare ownership: 60 % of the market value;

  In the case of joint ownership, we take your share of the ownership into account: 1/2, 1/4, ... .
  
  

• Step 2: Under certain circumstances, the market value can be reduced by an exemption and flat-rate reductions.
  • Upon the sale of a house of the applicant and/or partner, on the condition that they do not own another built-on immovable property
    or
  • upon the sale of the only vacant immovable property of the applicant and/or partner, on the condition that they do not own another built-on or vacant immovable property.

  If you meet these conditions:

  • an exemption of 37 200 euros is applied;
  • an additional reduction is applied on the basis of the number of months that follow the sale until the start date of the GIEP;
  • every twelve months:
    • 1 250 euros are deducted if you are entitled to the basic amount of the GIEP;
    • 2 000 euros are deducted if you are entitled to the increased basic amount of the GIEP.

  Example:
  Date of sale house: 03.11.2015
  Start date of the GIEP: 01.12.2022 (you no longer own built-on immovable property)
  Number of months: 84 months or 7 years (from 01.12.2015 up to and including 30.11.2022)
  Additional reduction of the market value:

  • 7 x 1 250 euros = 8 750 euros if you are entitled to the basic amount of the GIEP
  • 7 x 2 000 euros = 14 000 euros if you are entitled to the increased basic amount of the GIEP
    
    
• Step 3: The market value can be reduced by personal debts if the following conditions are met:
  • this concerns personal debts of the applicant and/or cohabiting spouse or legal cohabitant;
  • the debts were made before the immoveable property was sold;
  • the debts have been fully or partially paid with the sales proceeds. The applicant and/or spouse or legal cohabitant must deliver proof.
    
    
• Step 4: To the remaining amount, after having given up your immoveable properties, we add the moveable properties/capitals you and your partner own. On this total, the following exemptions apply:
  • 1st bracket of 6 200 euros: exempted (0 %);
  • 2nd bracket of 6 200 up to 18 600 euros: 4 %;
  • 3nd bracket of 18 600 euros and over: 10 %.