Invalidity Pension

Overview

The Invalidity Pension is granted to individuals who are medically certified as unable to continue their current employment or self-occupation due to a serious illness, physical impairment, or mental disability. Eligibility also depends on meeting the social security contribution requirements outlined in the Social Security Act (Cap. 318.).

This pension may also be awarded to individuals who were granted Injury Benefit and are certified as having over nintey percent (90%) disablement caused by a work-related accident or disease.

Invalidity Pension beneficiaries are granted Social Security Credits, which are taken into account when calculating their Retirement Pension upon reaching retirement age.

Before applying, individuals must have submitted at least six (6) months of blue medical certificates, unless they are cancer patients, in which case their application is assessed immediately by a Medical Panel doctor.

Medical assessment is carried out by the applicant’s family doctor by filling in the impairment application accordingly. If the medical evidence is insufficient, further documentation may be requested.

Public Service employees have their applications assessed by the People and Standards Department before the case moves to the Department of Social Security for the final decision.

As from January 2026, all Invalidity Pension beneficiaries will benefit from the five-hundred and twenty (€520) annually increase, which includes the cost-of-living adjustment.

Individuals assessed at the forty (40)-point level, which is the highest level of incapacity, currently receive the net National Minimum Wage. However, as from 2026 they will instead receive the Two-Thirds Pension rate they would have been entitled to upon retirement.

Partial Invalidity Pension

As from 2026, individuals with bipolar disorder, psychotic depression, or acute depression may work part-time while receiving a partial Invalidity Pension rate, following:

A treating specialist’s recommendation,
At least three (3) years of continuous treatment, and
Confirmation by a government consultant psychiatrist.

Three (3) months before the Invalidity Pension’s date of the certification period is reached, beneficiaries are informed to refer back to their medical doctor or their treating specialist for review of the case.

For information on cross-border situations, click here.

What you’ll get

The Invalidity Pension is paid every four (4) weeks in advance.

There are two (2) categories of an invalidity pension a person can receive:

IP – Invalidity Pension, for claimants who receive a Service Pension.
NMIP – National Minimum Invalidity Pension, for those not receiving a Service Pension.

The previously imposed limit of ten (10) years of credits, under which the number of Invalidity Pension credits awarded could not exceed the number of Contributions paid, is no longer in effect. Hence as from 2026 all the years that a person is on the Invalidity Pension will be credited but will be awarded for pension purposes only.

Please click here for a Schedule of Benefits Rates.

Eligibility

The applicant must be under retirement age.
The applicant must have been in continuous full-time or regular part-time employment, or registered for work under Part 1, for at least twelve (12) months prior to the application.
The applicant must be certified by the Medical Panel as incapable of suitable full-time or regular part-time work for a period of one (1) to three (3) years.
Must have at least two-hundred and fifty (250) paid contributions and an average of twenty (20) contributions per year from the age of eighteen (18) up to the application date.
Applicants with severe mental conditions may qualify with a minimum of fifty (50) lifetime contributions.
Applicants with a terminal illness may receive the full rate even if their yearly contribution average is below fifty (50), provided they have at least fifty (50) lifetime contributions.
Upon reaching the age of sixty-one (61) years, beneficiaries may apply for a Retirement Pension if contribution requirements are met. Official notifications for a Retirement Pension are issued by the Department of Social Security only at retirement age. Any earlier application is the responsibility of the beneficiary.

Documentation required

Medical certification completed by a Treating Specialist. Click here to download this medical report.
If the medical report is not immediately available due to long appointment waiting times, this must be submitted later through the page contactdss.gov.mt and from the drop-down list choose ‘Invalidity Pension’ from the ‘Contributory Pensions’ sector.
Cancer patients may apply immediately without the need to wait for twenty-six (26) weeks of blue medical certificates to be submitted.
Supporting medical documents, such as hospital discharge reports.
FS3s for the previous two (2) years if employed, or Profit & Loss statements and contribution receipts for self-occupied applicants.
Following written medical approval from Department, applicants must close any active full-time and/or part-time employment or self-occupation. This is not necessarily required at the time of application.
Ensure that your banking details held by the Department of Social Security are updated to receive payments by direct deposit in a bank account. The IBAN should be a local savings or current account, but not a loan account. The indicated account must be in the name of the beneficiary only. Banking details can be updated on bankingdss.gov.mt.