Catalan government implements guaranteed minimum income

Beneficiaries will earn €414 plus an extra €150 if they engage in employment programs

Promoters of the citizens' initiative in the Catalan Parliament on the day the guaranteed minimum income bill was passed (by ACN)
Promoters of the citizens' initiative in the Catalan Parliament on the day the guaranteed minimum income bill was passed (by ACN) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

September 15, 2017 02:49 PM

The Catalan government is providing a guaranteed minimum income (RGC) to its citizens starting on Friday, September 15, thus extending and simplifying the country's social safety net. The beneficiaries will be eligible to earn up to €564: a fixed income of €414, plus an extra €150 if they engage in employment programs.

After a 4-year-long legal process that started with a citizens’ initiative backed by 121,191 signatures, the Catalan Parliament unanimously passed a bill on July 12 providing a legal framework to provide the guaranteed minimum income for Catalan citizens.

The conditions for receiving the RGC are: being older than 23 years old, not having any other income or benefits, being a resident of Catalonia (and having lived in the country for at least 2 years), and not owning any properties other than one's own home. The only exception will be one-parent families with temporary jobs.