Bulgaria to Decouple Personal Assistants' Pay from Minimum Wage in 2027

MPs from Progressive Bulgaria have submitted changes to the Personal Assistance Act that will decouple personal assistants' pay from the national minimum wage starting 1 January 2027. The proposal was uploaded to parliament's website on Tuesday evening.

The current system, in place since 2019, links assistants' hourly pay to the minimum wage with a coefficient of 1.4. With the minimum wage set to rise by 6.4% next year, assistants would have earned €5.57 per hour. Instead, the new rules keep pay at the 2026 level of €5.24 per hour. The measure is expected to save €228 million in 2027, alongside reforms to medical expert commissions.

The proposal also replaces assistants' labour contracts with special contracts for providing personal assistance. Assistants will remain insured for pension and health, with optional cover for maternity and general illness. They will no longer be restricted from taking other jobs, and people previously excluded – such as lawyers and civil servants – will be allowed to become personal assistants.

The switch to new contracts will happen between 1 April and 1 June 2027. Additional requirements include fitness to provide care, no conflict of interest, territorial proximity (same settlement or within 40 km), and a medical certificate confirming mental health. The motives note that many assistants are family members, and the new model allows them to work full-time elsewhere.

The programme currently serves around 80,000 people, and funds for personal assistance will be set annually in the state budget to ensure payments match fiscal capacity. Bulgaria's public debt is projected to rise by €6.6 billion to €44.3 billion next year.