As many as 54,445 people will receive €26.6 million between them as two more social benefits are paid out this weekend.

The Ministry for Social Policy announced on Friday that the bonus for those who do not qualify for a contributory pension as well as the Grant for the Elderly benefit will be paid over the coming days.

An important change in the bonus for those who do not qualify for a pension is that from this year the bonus rate is linked to the amount of contributions that a person has paid. The greater the number of contributions, the higher the bonus rate.

This bonus is paid to those who have paid less than 10 years of contributions. The rates vary from €550 for those who have paid a year of contributions to €1,000 for those who have paid up to nine years.

This is the seventh time that the bonus rate has been improved since it was first given in 2015. In total, 13,216 senior citizens, mostly women, are receiving the bonus amounting to more than €10 million.

Social Policy minister Michael Falzon said in the first five weeks of the year the government had “already implemented 24 out of 45 social measures from the 2025 Budget.”

The Elderly Grant will benefit 41,329 people who will receive €16.5 million between them. Elderly people between the ages of 75 and 79 are receiving €350 per year, while those over 80 are receiving €450 per year.

Moreover, people who are caring for two family members will, from this week, be paid one and a half times the highest rate of benefit to which they are entitled.