Opened the online platform MyThermal of the Hellenic Public Revenue Service, for the submission of applications so that beneficiaries can receive the heating allowance for the period 2022/23. The beneficiaries are estimated at about 1.3 million households.

The amount of the allowance ranges from €100 to €1,600. The first payment is scheduled to be made by 21 December. It will apply to those who also received an allowance last year. Provided, of course, that they have made the relevant application by 9 December 2022.

It should be noted that one of the differences compared to last year is that the allowance in areas where the score is above 1 - that is, in those areas where it is the coldest - will be increased by 25%.

Also, the heating allowance for those who use firewood and pellets as fuel will be granted to all those living in areas with up to 10,000 inhabitants, while last year it was granted to residents of areas with up to 2,500 inhabitants.

To apply, households should be aware of the following:

1. Beneficiaries

Natural persons who are unmarried or married or widowed or in a civil partnership or who are separated or divorced, which consume for their heating internal combustion heating oil or fuel oil (blue kerosene) or natural gas or LPG or firewood or biomass (pellets) or thermal energy through district heating. Especially for the granting of heating allowance to consumers of firewood and biomass (pellets), an additional condition is that the property must be located in a settlement with a population equal to or less than 10,000 inhabitants and the corresponding subsidy rate must be equal to or greater than 0.8.

2. Amount of allowance

The allowance ranges from €100 to €800 with a supplement of €1,000 especially for people living in very cold areas while for new beneficiaries and those who give up gas the allowance is doubled up to the 1,600 euros. Areas with very cold weather are considered to be settlements of which the subsidy rate is greater than or equal to unity (1). These areas include many regions such as Florina, Kozani, Karpenisi etc. The heating allowance for each beneficiary will be calculated by multiplying the basic amount of 350 euros by the subsidy coefficient of 0.12 to 1.62 determined for the settlement where the main residence is located.

3. Subsidised fuels

The allowance is granted on condition that the beneficiary makes purchases of the subsidised of heating fuels or thermal energy of a value equal to or greater than twice the value of the allowance to which the above entitlement applies, from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023 and especially for the heating oil from 14 October 2022, the date on which its availability began. For firewood, the heating allowance is granted on condition that purchases are made between 1 June 2022 and 31 March 2023.

4. Payments

The allowance will be paid in three instalments as follows:

By December 21, 2022 for the advance payment of old beneficiaries and all purchases invoiced by November 30, 2022, if they correspond to an allowance exceeding the amount of the advance payment and provided that the required data are registered by December 9, 2022. In case a beneficiary received during the 2021/2022 winter season an advance payment that was less than half (1/2) of the value of the eligible purchases of subsidized heating or thermal energy fuel items under Joint Ministerial Decision A.1243/2021 (B' 5298), then he/she is not a beneficiary of an advance payment .The amount advanced under this provision will be deducted from the allowance payments made on the same date and the immediately following ones.

By 28 February 2023 for all purchases invoiced by 31 January 2023 and subject to the registration of the required data by 15 February 2023.

By 28 April 2023 for all purchases invoiced by 31 March 2023 and subject to the registration of the required data by 15 April 2023.

The subsidy on gas

Specifically for natural gas, purchase documents for the period 1.10.2022 to 31.03.2023 will be registered until 31 May 2023 with the date of issue of the payment document until 16 May 2023 and the corresponding amount of the allowance will be paid until 15 June 2023.

For the consumption of thermal energy through district heating, purchase documents for the period 1.10.2022 to 31.03.2023 will be registered by 15 July 2023, with the date of issue of the payment document by 30 June 2023 and the corresponding amount of the allowance will be paid by 10 August 2023.

5. Criteria

The following criteria are laid down for granting the allowance:

Income: Annual total family income, actual and imputed, up to EUR 16,000 for an unmarried or widowed or divorced person and 24.EUR 24 000 for a married taxpayer or married persons or parties to a civil partnership who submit a separate tax return or married persons submitting a tax return or natural persons who have entered into a civil partnership and have submitted a joint tax return without children, increased by EUR 3 000 for each child. For a single-parent family, the income is up to €27,000, with an additional €3,000 for each child after the first.

Real Estate: The total value of real estate must not exceed €200,000 for unmarried persons, and €300,000 for married or cohabiting couples and single-parent families.

6. New beneficiaries

Beneficiaries who cumulatively meet the following criteria receive double the heating allowance up to 1,600 euros:

• did not receive an allowance themselves during the winter season 2021/22
• the spouse or party to the civil partnership did not receive an allowance in the winter period 2021/22, if they were already spouses or parties to the civil partnership before 15 November 2021 (when checking the criteria for payment of the allowance for the winter period 2021/22)
• for the 2022/23 winter period, they do not receive a gas allowance, but the application submitted is for another fuel or district heating
• their total annual family income is EUR 14,000 for an unmarried or widowed or divorced person and EUR 20,000 for a married person or parties to a cohabitation agreement, plus EUR 3,000 for each child. For a single-parent family, the income is up to €23,000, increased by €3,000 for each child after the first

7. Application

Interested parties apply through an application on myAADE, to join the Register of Beneficiaries of the heating allowance. The application shall include the following information, where applicable:

• the Tax Identification Number (TIN) of the person applying for a tax return
• his full name
• the number of dependent children
• the indication if it is a block of flats
• the electricity supply number of the main residence property
• the postal address corresponding to the specific electricity supply, if the dwelling is owned, rented or free of charge, as well as the VAT number of the lessor or free of charge grantor
• the square metres of the main rooms of the main dwelling at the time of application
• the type of heating fuel or thermal energy to be subsidised
• his/her contact details (e-mail address, mobile and/or landline phone number)

Before the application is finalized, the IBAN account number of the beneficiary, to which he/she wishes to be credited with the amount of the benefit, must be declared.

8. Apartment buildings

If the beneficiariespay the heating costs through common charges, then the number of the common charges payment receipt is also entered in the application.

Alternatively:

• the number on the payment slip (if no receipt for payment has already been issued at the time of application)
• the tax registration number of the manager or the person representing the building or the management company of the building
• and the amount due to the beneficiary

The managers or representatives of blocks of flats or management companies of blocks of flats shall declare the following information in the application:

• the tax identification number of the manager or the person representing the building or the management company of the building
• the VAT number of the apartment building, if available
• the number of the common electricity supply or of an electricity supply corresponding to the block of flats
• the millimetres of participation of the apartments in the heating costs
• the names of the natural persons living in the apartments which are not used as business accommodation

After completing the above information, they proceed to activate the payment process. This activation cannot take place after 9 December 2022.

9. Without TAXISnet codes

To enter the online application, they declare their VAT number. Also a notification number of the Income Tax returns of the last five years.

10. The heating allowance is tax-free, does not constitute income and is not subject to any deduction in favour of the State or a third party.