The sum of €26.6 million is being paid between 54,445 total beneficiaries of two special benefits that are being paid out by the end of the week, the Ministry for Social Policy and Children's Rights stated on Friday.

Those two social benefits, it stated, are that of the bonus for those who do not qualify for a contributory pension as well as the benefit of the grant for seniors.

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

It commented that this bonus is paid to those who have paid less than 10 years of contributions, and that the rates vary from €550 for those who have paid a year of contributions to €1,000 for those who have paid up to 9 years. The Ministry indeed that this is the seventh time that the bonus rate is being improved since it started being given in 2015.

A total of 13,216 seniors are receiving the bonus with an investment that reaches more than €10 million, the Ministry stated, as it added that most recipients are women.

Minister Michael Falzon commented that by the first 5 weeks of the year, the government has implemented 24 out of 45 social measures from Budget 2025. He continued that this means the Maltese people "are already seeing the fruits of more than half of the social measures promised for this year".

The Ministry added that Permanent Secretary Mark Musu spoke of the other payment that will be made this week, that being the seniors' grant, which he said will have 41,329 people benefitting from it. The Ministry said that these beneficiaries will be receiving €16.5 million between them, and added that seniors between the ages of 75 and 79 are receiving €350 per year, while those over the age of 80 are receiving €450 per year.

It concluded that with a new budget measure being implemented from this week, people who are taking care of two family members will be paid one and a half times the highest benefit rate to which they are entitled.