A right tied to the inclusion allowance that is often missed
Vulnerable energy customer status is tied to rights in the social welfare system, so for some clients pursuing the inclusion allowance it is a second right they are entitled to without knowing it. The status is not decided by the energy supplier but in administrative proceedings before the Croatian Institute for Social Work, which issues a decision.
Who qualifies
Under the Regulation on the criteria for acquiring the status of vulnerable customers of energy from network systems, the status may be acquired by an end customer in the household category who is:
- a beneficiary of the guaranteed minimum benefit
- a beneficiary of the inclusion allowance granted at support level one, two or three, who has not been granted an accommodation service
- a beneficiary of a personal disability allowance under social welfare regulations, who has not been granted an accommodation service
- a beneficiary of the national benefit for older persons
- a beneficiary of the cash benefit for unemployed Croatian war veterans with disabilities and members of their families
- a beneficiary of the cash benefit for civilian victims of the Homeland War
Besides the beneficiaries themselves, a member of the household of each of them may also acquire the status. This matters because the person named on the energy bill is often not the beneficiary.
The first and most common obstacle: the support level
The Regulation expressly requires an inclusion allowance granted at support level one, two or three. Levels four and five do not open the right to vulnerable customer status.
For a person granted a lower level whose condition corresponds to a higher one, this means the outcome of the support-level procedure determines not only the monthly amount but also access to this right — one more reason not to accept unfavourable findings without a remedy. The second obstacle is a granted accommodation service: for the inclusion allowance and the personal disability allowance the Regulation requires that accommodation has not been granted.
A note for former beneficiaries
Persons who previously received a personal disability allowance or an assistance and care allowance were transferred to the inclusion allowance after a procedure the Institute conducted ex officio. If support level four or five was granted in that process, the former basis for vulnerable customer status no longer exists. Anyone who previously held the status should check whether a decision terminating it has been issued and on what basis — because an appeal lies against it.
The amount and how it is used
The basic monthly amount is set by regulation, with an increased amount applied in periods of energy crisis; the increased benefit of EUR 70 per month has been extended to 30 September 2026.
The benefit is not paid into a bank account. It is used when paying electricity, gas or heating bills at Financial Agency branches, on presentation of an identity card, the decision granting the right and the original payment slip.
Two practical details are often missed: the benefit may be used for the month it relates to but also for any other month, and the deadline for using a given month’s amount is six months from the end of that month. Anything unused after that lapses.
Duration, obligations and what to do
The right lasts until the Institute establishes its cessation by decision. Because the status depends on an underlying social welfare right, every change in that right — cessation, a change of support level, the granting of an accommodation service — affects the status as well. The Institute notifies the customer, the distribution system operator and the supplier of any change.
The application is filed with the regional office of the Croatian Institute for Social Work, together with the decision granting the underlying right and proof that you are the end customer or a member of the end customer’s household. If the application is refused or a decision terminating the right is issued, an appeal is permitted, followed by an administrative dispute after the appeal decision.
If your vulnerable customer status ended after the transfer to the inclusion allowance, or your application was refused, contact the office — the appeal deadlines are short.