Parliament has voted in the first reading on the draft State Social Insurance Budget Law (BASS) for 2026. The document, prepared by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, stipulates that pensions and social benefits will be indexed by 6.8% starting April 1, 2026. In 2026, more than 665,000 people will benefit from pensions.

The birth allowance will increase to 21,886 lei, supporting approximately 36,000 children annually. In addition, over 78,000 children under the age of two will receive a monthly allowance of 1,000 lei.

According to the draft law, both revenues and expenditures of the State Social Insurance Budget for 2026 are estimated at 51.45 billion lei, 4.2% higher than the figures approved for the current year. Their share in GDP is 13.6% each.

Compared to 2025, the largest increase is in allocations for social protection in exceptional cases. Expenditures for this subprogram are projected at 2.49 billion lei (+23.9%). The increase is driven by higher allocations for financial support to disadvantaged families through social aid (580.37 million lei) and vulnerability reduction (1.91 billion lei).

The largest share of BASS expenditures — 66.5% — is for the protection of elderly persons: 34.18 billion lei (+11.2% compared to 2025).

Social protection for persons with disabilities will amount to 5.9 billion lei (11.6%). Allocations for family and child protection will exceed 4.9 billion lei (+2.1% compared to 2025), representing 9.6% of total BASS expenditures.

To support families and facilitate women’s return to the labor market, the budget also includes the creation of 2,000 new nursery places for children under 3 years old. Protection of victims of violence remains a priority in 2026, with new shelters for women and girls affected by domestic violence to be opened in Telenești, Ștefan Vodă, and Cahul.

After finalization, the draft law will be submitted to Parliament for examination in the second reading.