Military Pensions 2025 – Who Benefits in Romania?
According to the provisions of Article 1 of Law No. 223/2015 on state military pensions, the right to a military pension is granted to military personnel, police officers, and civil servants with special status in the penitentiary administration system. Military personnel are defined as Romanian citizens who have been granted the rank of officer, military master, or non-commissioned officer, based on their military and specialized training, under the conditions provided by law. A police officer is defined as a civil servant with special status, armed, who usually wears a uniform and performs duties established by law for the Romanian Police as a specialized institution of the state. Lastly, a civil servant with special status refers to a civil servant in the penitentiary administration system employed within the Ministry of Justice.
In accordance with the provisions of Article 16 of Law No. 223/2015, the right to a service pension for retirement age is granted to military personnel, police officers, and civil servants with special status who meet the following cumulative conditions:
- They have reached the standard retirement age of 65 years;
- They have an effective length of service of at least 25 years, of which at least 15 years must be in service.
Military Pensions Recalculation 2025 in Romania
With the enforcement of Law No. 360/2023, military pensions will also be recalculated. The process involves multiplying the total number of accumulated points by the reference point value established by the new law. The total number of points is calculated by adding the annual scores to the stability points, the latter being granted for contributory service periods exceeding 25 years, as follows:
- 0.50 points for each year beyond 25 years;
- 0.75 points for each year beyond 30 years;
- One point for each year beyond 35 years.
The stability points outlined in the law are also granted for actual work experience or service length achieved in the state military pension system, utilized for determining pension rights in the public pension system, according to the legislation in force at the time of pension determination/recalculation. Following the recalculation, if a higher pension amount results, it will be paid. If the new value is lower than the current one, the amount in payment will be maintained until, through subsequent increases in the reference point value, it reaches a higher sum than the current one.
Military Pension Payment Date 2025 in Romania
Military pensions are determined and paid based on specific conditions. If the application and required documents are submitted within 90 days of the cessation of salary payments or the death of the supporter, the pension is granted from the date of these events. If the documents are submitted after this period, payment begins on the first day of the month following the submission. For individuals who meet retirement conditions after leaving active military service/service termination or after the death of the supporter, the pension is determined and paid starting from the first day of the month following the one in which the application and necessary documents were submitted to the sectoral pension houses.
If discrepancies are found between the amounts paid and the legally due amounts, the sectoral pension house will make the necessary corrections through a revision decision, either ex officio or at the request of the beneficiaries. These adjustments are made within the general limitation period, calculated from the date of identifying the discrepancies.
In the military pension system, payments are made monthly. The beneficiary may be the pension holder, their guardian or curator, the person entrusted with the orphaned child, or an authorized representative designated through a special power of attorney. Payment can be made via postal mandate, into a current account, or to a bank card account, according to the pensioner’s preference and the agreements between the sectoral pension houses and the National Company “Poșta Română” S.A. or partner banks.
Military Pension Indexation 2025 in Romania
State military pensions are indexed annually, starting on January 1, based on the average annual inflation rate of the previous year, as reported by the National Institute of Statistics. This indexation is applied automatically to all pensions in payment as of December 31 of the previous year. However, if the inflation rate is negative, indexation is not applied.
When determining state military pensions, an important limitation applies. The net pension cannot exceed the average net monthly salary corresponding to the gross salaries included in the calculation base, updated with the consumer price index at the date of pension entitlement. If indexation would result in exceeding this average, the amount resulting from the indexation is granted, but without surpassing the sum obtained by applying the average annual inflation rate to the mentioned average net salaries.
For successive indexations, a similar rule applies. The granted amount cannot exceed the sum obtained by applying the average annual inflation rate to the average net salaries, plus the cumulative effect of previous indexations. This provision ensures a controlled increase in pensions over time.
According to Decision No. 63/2020 of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the net state military pension, after income tax deduction, is capped at the level of the average net monthly salary corresponding to the gross salaries in the calculation base, updated at the date of pension entitlement. This interpretation clarifies the application of the cap on military pensions.
