The provision for the retroactive payment of an additional rent allowance to approximately 50,000 doctors, nurses and teachers serving in regional areas is expected to be the first legislation from the Ministry of National Economy and Finance for the new year. According to competent sources, the goal is for this regulation to be voted on within the first two months, so that the allowance for 2024 rentals can be paid to beneficiaries before the end of March.
It should be recalled that the granting of two annual rent allowances for public servants in decentralized services was announced by the Prime Minister during the vote on the new budget, as part of interventions to address the housing crisis. With the new regulation, beneficiaries will receive retroactively one additional rent allowance for 2025, which leads to a total refund of up to three rent allowances during 2026: one covering 2024 rentals and two more this November, which will correspond to rents paid in 2025.
Beneficiaries of the allowance are all doctors, nurses and teachers who serve far from their permanent residence and rent primary housing in regional areas, excluding those working in Attica and Thessaloniki. No income criteria are provided for the payment of the allowance, while the measure has a permanent character, aiming to retain and attract personnel in areas where needs in health and education sectors remain high.
Rent refund amounts
The allowance amount reaches 800 euros for primary residence, with an increase of 50 euros for each dependent child. In any case, the amount of each refund cannot exceed 1/12 of the total annual rental expense declared to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (IAPR). The measure covers the entire country except Attica and Thessaloniki, with the basic requirement that the rented residence be located in the same Regional Unit as the beneficiary’s place of service. To receive the maximum amount, the monthly rent must exceed 800 euros and be paid for the entire year.
How payments will be made
The retroactive payment of one rent allowance for 2024 will be made automatically, without requiring application submission, based on data from the tax declaration submitted by beneficiaries this year.
For the double rent refund in November 2026, the following will be required:
• Submission to IAPR of the Rental Information Statement (“Lease Agreement”) for the property.
• Declaration of this statement’s number in the 2025 tax return to be submitted by July 2026. In case of lease modification, it suffices to have declared the number of the last lease declaration. If the lease agreement number has not been declared in E1, IAPR will conduct a cross-check and provided that from the tenant’s income tax return data and the active rental information statement submitted to IAPR, the rental data are identified through the declared electricity supply number, the allowance will be paid normally.
