Invalidity Pension

Overview

The Invalidity Pension is granted to individuals who are medically certified as being permanently unable to continue performing their current employment or self-occupation due to a serious illness, physical impairment, or mental disability. Eligibility is also subject to the social security contribution conditions established under the provisions of the Social Security Act (Cap. 318.).

This pension may also be granted to persons who previously received Injury Benefit and are medically certified as having sustained a disablement of ninety percent (90%) or more, resulting from a work-related accident or occupational disease.

Invalidity Pension beneficiaries are awarded Social Security credits for the duration of their claim, and these credits are added to their paid contributions when calculating their Retirement Pension entitlement.

Before applying, individuals must have submitted at least six (6) consecutive months of blue medical certificates. However, this requirement does not apply to individuals diagnosed with a terminal illness, as their applications are referred immediately to a Medical Panel doctor for assessment.

Medical assessment needs to be carried out by a qualified medical practitioner, who is required to complete the Invalidity Pension Medical Report. If the certified medical evidence provided is insufficient, further documentation may be requested to support the assessment. In addition, the Medical board doctors may seek the claimant’s consent to access hospital records where further clinical information is necessary.

Applications submitted by Public Service employees are initially assessed by the People and Standards Division (P&SD). The case is then forwarded to the Department of Social Security for a final decision.

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

Under a 2026 Budget measure, individuals assessed at the forty (40)-point level, representing the highest degree of incapacity, will be awarded a pension equivalent to two-thirds of the Retirement Pension rate to which they would have been entitled upon reaching retirement age.

Partial Invalidity Pension

From 2026 onwards, individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder, psychotic depression, or acute depression may engage in limited weekly employment, as advised by their medical consultant, while receiving a partial Invalidity Pension rate, subject to the following conditions:

A recommendation from the treating specialist,
At least three (3) years of continuous treatment, and
Confirmation by a Government consultant psychiatrist.

Three (3) months prior to the expiry of the Invalidity Pension certification period, beneficiaries are notified to submit a review application to be completed by a qualified medical practitioner. The medical report is then referred to the Medical Board for assessment and 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.

Below are the two (2) categories of an Invalidity Pension a person may receive:

IP – Invalidity Pension, payable to claimants who are in receipt of a Service Pension.
NMIP – National Minimum Invalidity Pension: Payable to claimants who are not in receipt of a Service Pension for those not receiving a Service Pension.

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 I with Jobsplus, for at least twelve (12) months prior to the date of 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.
The applicant Must have at least two-hundred and fifty (250) paid contributions and a yearly average of twenty (20) contributions from the age of eighteen (18) up to the date of application. However, applicants with severe mental health conditions may qualify with a minimum of fifty (50) lifetime contributions.
Applicants diagnosed with a terminal illness may be awarded the full rate even if their yearly average of contributions is below fifty (50), provided they have at least fifty (50) lifetime contributions.
Formal notification regarding entitlement to a Retirement Pension is issued by the Department of Social Security once the individual attains the statutory retirement age. However, upon reaching the age of sixty-one (61), beneficiaries may still apply for a Retirement Pension, subject to meeting the required contribution conditions.

Documentation required

Medical certification completed by a Treating Specialist. Click here to download this medical report.
If the medical report is not at hand during the application, it may be submitted at a later stage via the Contact Us Page by selecting ‘Invalidity Pension’ from the ‘Contributory Pensions’ drop-down menu.
Supporting medical documents, such as hospital discharge reports.
FS3s forms covering the previous two (2) years if employed, or Profit & Loss statements and contribution receipts for self-occupied applicants.
Upon receiving written medical approval from the Department, applicants must cease any active employment, including full-time, part-time employment or self-occupation. This is not necessarily required at the time of submitting the application.
Applicants must ensure that their banking details held by the Department of Social Security are up to date as payments are made by direct credit to their bank account. The IBAN provided must correspond to a local savings or current account but not a loan account and must be held solely in the name of the beneficiary. The banking details can be updated from the page bankingdss.gov.mt