Compared to the previous month, it registered a decrease of 0.27%, the first in the series.
More than two thirds of the payroll went to the payment of retirement pensions, the amount of which amounted to 7,049.44 million euros.
This amount grew by 3.02% in the last twelve months. 1,698.64 million euros were allocated to widow's pensions, 1.28% more than a year ago. The growth in the payroll of permanent disability benefits was 1.15%, reaching 940.17 million. In turn, 139.1 million (1.39%) was spent on orphan benefits, and 25.3 million euros on benefits in favor of family members, 3.62% more.
Number of pensions and average pension
The System as a whole included a total of 9,754,137 contributory pensions (38,508 less than the previous month), 0.48% more than last year. 62.26%, specifically 6,073,499, were due to retirement; 2,343,975 corresponded to widowhood benefits; 953,905 to permanent disability; 339,814 to orphans and 42,944 were pensions in favor of relatives.
The average pension of the System, which includes the different classes (retirement, permanent disability, widowhood, orphanhood and in favor of family members), reached 1,010.11 euros per month, which meant an interannual increase of 2.03%. The average retirement pension amounted to 1,160.6 euros, 2.02% more than last year. For its part, the average widow's pension was 724.6 euros per month.
Regarding new pension additions, their amount was higher than the System average and 9.8% higher than the amount of new pensions in 2019. In April, the last available date, the pensions corresponding to the new retirement additions were 1,472.49 euros per month. Those of the General Regime reached 1,616.33 euros / month.
32.2% decrease in the number of registrations
According to data from the National Institute of Social Security, the number of pension registrations registered in April (31,232 pensions) this year fell by 32.2% compared to the same month last year (46,051) and 13.9% if compared to the previous month (36,274).
These statistics show, accentuating the trend of the previous month, a decrease in the number of pensions and pensioners. In part, this is due to the lower number of discharges in the System due to the closing of offices and the situation of confinement.
So far this year, there has been a reduction of 33.8% in the number of cases initiated compared to the same period last year (according to data provided by the National Institute of Social Security). For example, in March and April 32,512 retirement files were initiated, compared to 49,798 a year earlier.
But it is also necessary to take into account how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced in terms of mortality on the population as a whole and, to a greater extent, on the group of older people.
If the annual accumulated from January to the beginning of May 2020 is considered, 157,896 new pensions have been registered (which represents a decrease of 22.1% compared to the same period of the previous year), and 205,638 pensions have been lowered (17 , 5% more than the previous year).
As a result of the decree of the state of alert, the Social Security offices stopped providing face-to-face attention. Citizens must submit requests for benefits and carry out the rest of the procedures with the body exclusively by telematic or telephone means. This has motivated a part of the citizens to choose to delay negotiations with the agency.
However, Social Security has enabled a form on its website so that those who do not have a digital certificate can carry out these procedures.
Passive Classes
On the other hand, the number of pensions of the Passive Classes in force in the month of April was 636,302, which has placed the payroll in that period at 1,151.15 million euros.
