Applying for social inclusion income (REVIS)

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Demande en obtention du revenu d'inclusion sociale (REVIS) (French, Pdf, 578 Kb)
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Watch the video explaining the REVIS application

The Social Inclusion Income (REVIS) is intended to support households on low incomes and to provide a basic livelihood for anyone who meets the eligibility criteria.

REVIS is made up of:

  • the inclusion benefit, which is a financial aid that provides a basic means of subsistence to people who have no income or whose income does not reach a certain threshold;
  • the activation allowance, which is an allowance for people who participate in activation measures under REVIS.

Who is concerned?

General rules

To be eligible for REVIS, applicants must:

  • be legally resident in Luxembourg;
  • have a right of residence;
  • be listed on the main register of the National Registry of Natural Persons (RNPP);
  • actually live at the address where they have their place of usual residence;
  • be at least 25 years old;
  • be receiving an income, either personally or collectively with their household, which falls below the thresholds set by law;
  • be looking for a job, and be and remain registered as a job seeker with the National Employment Agency (Agence pour le développement de l'emploi - ADEM);
  • be prepared to exhaust all options, in Luxembourg or abroad, to improve their situation (for instance, find out whether they are entitled to unemployment benefits, to a pension, etc.).

Specific rules for EU or EEA nationals and their family members

Nationals of an EU or EEA Member State, or their family members, regardless of their nationality, are not entitled to REVIS for the first 3 months of their stay in Luxembourg, or for as long as they are actively seeking a job if that was the reason for their coming to Luxembourg.

This requirement does not apply to:

  • employed or self-employed persons and persons who retain this status;
  • members of their family, regardless of their nationality.

Specific rules for third-country nationals

Third-country nationals who are neither stateless persons nor beneficiaries of international protection, and who wish to claim REVIS, must:

  • have been legally resident in Luxembourg for at least 5 years (continuously or not) within the past 20 years; or
  • have long-term resident status.

The 5-year residence condition does not apply if the third-country national is a family member of:

  • a Luxembourg citizen; or
  • an EU national; or
  • a national of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) or Switzerland; or
  • a person who has been granted international protection.

Concept of domestic community or household

A household consists of all persons who live in a shared home, who have a shared budget, and who cannot provide material evidence that they live elsewhere.

Acceptable documentary evidence includes:

  • a tenancy agreement;
  • receipts for payment of rent;
  • the deeds of ownership to a residential building;
  • banking or accounting documents showing payment of rent;
  • documents proving payment of bills for electricity, gas, municipal charges, etc.

Such documents must pertain to a period of at least 6 months prior to the date of application for REVIS.

Certain categories of applicants are entitled to a reduced REVIS:

  • hospitalised applicants whose stay exceeds 60 calendar days;
  • forebears living with their descendants;
  • descendants who have reached the age of majority and are unfit for work and living in the household of their parents or siblings.

Any person who has reached the age of majority may be considered as forming a domestic community by themselves for a maximum of 12 months in a domestic community where the REVIS is not due or is not requested. The person must be accommodated free of charge and have come from:

  • a prison; or
  • a medical institution abroad, where they were receiving medical treatment authorised by the Health Board (Contrôle médical); or
  • a hospital or similar institution; or
  • a social or family accommodation structure; or
  • a refugee camp.

Exceptions

Persons under 25 years of age may claim REVIS if they:

  • are raising a child for whom they receive family allowances; or
  • are at least 7 months pregnant (a medical certificate will be required, showing the expected delivery date); or
  • are of legal age and, due an illness or a disability, are unable to earn a living to the standard set by law; or
  • are a carer (home care worker) for a person receiving long-term care insurance.

A person may apply for REVIS without being registered with the ADEM as a job-seeker, and without actively seeking a job, if they:

  • employed on a full-time basis; ou
  • are physically or mentally incapacitated (in which case they will be required to present a medical assessment issued by a practitioner appointed by the head of the National Solidarity Fund (Fonds national de solidarité - FNS); or
  • is in possession of a substantiated opinion on his/her inability to enter the mainstream labour market, which is based on personal circumstances, language skills and professional background; or
  • are receiving an old-age or disability pension; or
  • are over 65 years of age; or
  • are receiving sickness benefit or maternity pay; or
  • is on parental leave; or
  • are a carer (home care worker) for a person receiving long-term care insurance; or
  • are in the process of completing their "classic" or general secondary education; or
  • is self-employed with a professional income below the rate of the non-qualified minimum social wage, where exemption from registration may be granted for a period of 6 months, renewable once; or
  • is self-employed with a professional income equal to or higher than the non-qualified minimum social wage rate.

Exclusion criteria

Applicants is not entitled to REVIS if they:

  • has voluntarily given up or reduced their professional activity;
  • has been dismissed for gross misconduct;
  • have been stripped of their entitlement to unemployment benefit;
  • did not respect the collaboration agreement signed with ADEM;
  • are on unpaid leave or part-time leave in the public or private sector;
  • have been outside of Luxembourg for a period of more than 35 days in a calendar year;

The FNS may waive one of the above on the basis of a duly documented family, professional or health situation that supports the application for REVIS. There is no exemption for situations where the applicant:

  • be in preventive detention or be serving a custodial sentence. However, they may apply for REVIS for periods when:
    • they are on day parole; or
    • they are serving a suspended sentence, are on conditional release, or are wearing an electronic tag; or
  • are in higher education; ou
  • they can produce a statement of financial support from a benefactor.

How to proceed

Submitting the application

Application forms can be downloaded below, under "Online services and forms".

The REVIS application consists of 2 elements:

  • Part 1 contains information about the household and is signed by all adult members;
  • Part 2 is a form for each adult member of the household. One copy per adult applicant is to be added to the 1st part of the file.

Supporting documents

The application must include the following supporting documents:

  • a copy of the adult applicants’ ID cards;
  • a copy of the registration certificate for applicants from an EU or EEA Member State or the Swiss Confederation (Switzerland);
  • proof of legal residence in Luxembourg for a period of 5 years during the last 20 years for applicants coming from a third country;
  • a copy of the decision to grant international protection from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
  • a bank account identification document for the primary applicant, named as the main REVIS beneficiary.

The FNS may request additional documents if necessary.

Interview and activation plan

All applicants under the age of 65 and who are able to work are profiled by ADEM. This interview enables ADEM to rule on the applicant's ability to join the ordinary job market:

  • they are deemed capable to join the job market, in which case they are registered with ADEM and treated as job-seekers. To continue to receive financial aid, they must remain registered and actively look for a job; or
  • have specific needs in terms of social and professional activation and is referred to the National Office for Social Inclusion (Office national d'inclusion sociale - ONIS) on the basis of a substantiated opinion from ADEM.

The guidance offered may change as their specific situation does.

Decision

The FBS informs the applicant of its decision by registered letter as soon as possible.

In case of approval, the notification:

  • specifies the amount of the social inclusion benefit and the date on which payment will begin;
  • lists the items of income and assets taken into consideration;
  • provides the necessary information regarding sickness and maternity insurance.

Amount of REVIS

Calculation of REVIS

The amount of REVIS is determined on the basis of the composition of the household and the income of its members.

Applicants must declare their full gross income and all other financial assets, as well as those of their household members to the FNS.

Income to be declared

The income to be declared includes :

  • professional income (wages, etc.);
  • replacement income (monetary benefits for sickness, maternity, unemployment, work-related accident or illness, parental leave allowance, etc.);
  • pensions received (whether from Luxembourg or abroad);
  • benefits received as part of an employment programme run by ADEM;
  • the benefit paid to people participating in an activation measure by the ONIS;
  • rent received on owned property (e.g. an apartment, a house, a parking space, etc.);
  • maintenance/support payments;
  • direct or indirect donations made or received;
  • inheritances.

25 % of some of the following forms of income may be excluded from the calculation of the amount of REVIS due:

  • professional income;
  • replacement income;
  • pensions received (whether from Luxembourg or abroad);
  • benefits received as part of an employment programme run by ADEM;
  • the benefit paid to people participating in an activation measure by the ONIS;
  • maintenance/support payments.

Exempt income

Some incomes are not taken into account in the calculation of the REVIS:

  • family benefits;
  • back-to-school allowance;
  • birth allowance;
  • special allowance for severely disabled people;
  • long-term care insurance payments (in cash);
  • the earned income of a child under 25, until and unless it is equal to the maximum social inclusion benefit for an adult;
  • State financial aid (e.g. cost-of-living benefit, financial aid for housing, etc.), aid from social welfare offices and other private social welfare charities.

Social inclusion benefit

The benefit is paid to the member of the household named as the primary beneficiary in the application.

The maximum monthly social inclusion benefit includes:

  • a basic flat-rate amount per adult;
  • a basic flat-rate amount per child for which a household member is receiving family benefits;
  • a higher basic flat-rate amount for each child living in a single-parent household and for whom the parent is receiving family benefit;
  • an amount to cover household expenses;
  • an amount to cover household expenses, increased by a certain margin when the household includes one or more children for whom an adult is receiving family benefits.

A reduced allowance is granted for:

  • parents living in the household of their adult children;
  • descendants who have reached the age of majority and are unfit for work and living in the household of their parents or siblings.
  • persons of legal age who have been admitted for more than 60 days as inpatients at hospitals in Luxembourg or abroad, or for treatment authorised by the Social Security Medical Board (Contrôle médicale de la sécurité sociale) in a foreign healthcare centre, paid for by the National Health Fund.

The social inclusion benefit is subject to payment of:

  • health insurance and long-term care insurance contributions:
  • pension insurance contributions, if the beneficiary:
    • has been a member of a pension insurance scheme in Luxembourg and/or abroad for at least 25 years;
    • does not have a personal pension under a Luxembourg pension scheme, or has not reached the age of 65.

The social inclusion benefit is non-transferable, and cannot be pawned or seized.

The FNS may withhold the inclusion allowance up to the amount covering common costs to cover the minimum supply of energy and water, and to repay debts in connection with the costs of acquiring or maintaining a dwelling occupied by the beneficiary, based on a substantiated request from the competent social office.

Activation benefit

A person who participates in community work as part of their activation plan is entitled to an activation allowance.

The activation benefit is calculated on the basis of the social minimum wage for an unskilled worker, taking account of the number of hours worked.

The activation allowance is subject to social security contributions and income tax.

The National Office for Social Inclusion is responsible for managing the measures regarding the social inclusion benefit.

Review of the file

The beneficiary is required to immediately notify the FNS of any fact or event liable to impact their entitlement to REVIS.

The FNS will regularly check whether the access criteria are still met.

Social inclusion benefit

The social inclusion benefit is discontinued if the criteria on the basis of which it was awarded are no longer met.

It will be adjusted or withdrawn with retroactive effect if:

  • the calculation details of the inclusion allowance are changed or it is found that it has been granted due to a clerical error;
  • the beneficiary made an incomplete or inaccurate declaration;
  • the beneficiary failed to inform the FNS, within a month, of a change in circumstances which might impact the benefit, or failed to comply with the summons sent by the FNS to review the conditions on granting of REVIS.

If, during the period for which the inclusion allowance has been paid, a beneficiary has had resources which should have been taken into account for the calculation of the inclusion allowance, the amounts overpaid may be recovered from the beneficiary or his dependants. Restitution is mandatory if the beneficiary has caused the award to be made by alleging inaccurate facts, or by concealing material facts, or if he has failed to report material facts after the award.

Amounts unduly received may be deducted from the monthly inclusion allowance or outstanding arrears.

Activation benefit

If, during the period of the activation plan, the Fund finds that the conditions for benefiting from REVIS are no longer met, it will terminate the payment, after informing the National Office for Social Inclusion in advance, as from the first day of the month following the month in which it became aware of this information.

Repayment of the activation benefit will be sought if and only if it was unduly received.

Penalties

A sanction will be imposed on anyone who:

  • has voluntarily given up or reduced their professional activity;
  • has been dismissed for gross misconduct;
  • does not respect the cooperation agreement signed with the Employment Development Agency (ADEM) or has refused to participate in an active employment measure proposed by the ADEM services;
  • refuses to cooperate with the National Office for Social Inclusion;
  • has been stripped of their entitlement to unemployment benefit;
  • made an incomplete or inaccurate declaration to the Fund;
  • fails to notify the Fund within one month of a circumstance that may lead to a change in the allowance;
  • is on unpaid leave or part-time leave in the public or private sector;
  • has left the national territory for a period exceeding 35 calendar days in one calendar year or does not comply with the Fund's summonses to check the conditions of access to REVIS.

The REVIS is not due for the month in which the above-mentioned events occurred and the following 3 months.

The activation allowance may be reduced or suspended if the beneficiary does not respect the commitments of the activation plan.

Appeal

In the event of disagreement with a decision of the National Solidarity Fund (FNS), the beneficiary may lodge an appeal with the Social Security Arbitration Board within 40 days of the date of notification of the decision concerned.

The decision of the head of the Social Security Arbitration Tribunal may itself be appealed before the High Council of Social Security within the same time frame.

The decisions handed down by the Arbitration Tribunal and the High Council of Social Security may, again within 40 days, be contested by an appeal in cassation.

Repayment

The FNS will claim the amount paid as inclusion allowance:

  • from beneficiaries who have recovered from circumstances other than activation measures and income from a professional occupation;
  • from recipients who received a direct or indirect donation from the REVIS beneficiary after the latter's request for REVIS, or in the 10 years preceding this request, or after the age of 50, up to a maximum of the value of the goods on the day of the donation;
  • from the legatees of the beneficiaries of the REVIS, up to a maximum of the value of the property bequeathed to them on the day the estate was opened.
  • from the estate of the beneficiary of the REVIS. The amount to be returned depends on the estate's assets and the type of estate:
    • where the estate reverts in whole or in part to the surviving spouse or successors in the direct line of succession, the FNS may not make any claim for repayment of the first bracket of the estate's assets set at EUR 280,941.08 (current index);
    • if there are no successors in the direct line of succession, the FNS cannot make any claim for restitution for a tranche of arrears of EUR 1,700, regardless of the number of successors involved.

When the surviving spouse or other successor in the direct line of succession of a REVIS beneficiary continues to live in a building that belonged either to the REVIS beneficiary alone or jointly to the REVIS beneficiary and his or her spouse, the FNS may not, for as long as this situation persists, assert a claim for restitution on that building and on the furnishings in it. However, for the purpose of securing the right to a restitution at a later stage, the building becomes subject to a legal mortgage, the registration of which is required by the FNS.

For the purpose of securing REVIS claims, the real estate belonging to the beneficiaries of the inclusion allowance is subject to a legal mortgage, the registration, postposition and partial or total release of which are required by the FNS.

Online services and forms

Downloadable forms

Note: view tips for using PDF forms.

Demande en obtention du revenu d'inclusion sociale (REVIS)

Last update 18.10.2023

PDF578 Kb

Other language(s)

Annexe à la demande REVIS

Last update 09.11.2023

PDF520 Kb

Other language(s)

Who to contact

National Solidarity Fund

2 of 3 bodies shown

National Office for Social Inclusion (ONIS)

Related procedures and links

Links

Further information

Download

  • De Parcours vum REVIS an Etappen

    Depliant, erstallt vum Ministère fir Famill, Solidaritéit, Zesummeliewen an Ënnerbréngung vu Flüchtlingen an dem Nationale Solidaritéitsfong (FNS)

  • Your REVIS application guide

    Leaflet produced by the Ministry for the Family, Solidarity, Living Together and Reception of Refugees and the National Solidarity Fund (FNS)

  • O percurso do REVIS em etapas

    Folheto produzido pelo Ministério da Família, Solidariedade, Convivência e Acolhimento e pelo Fundo nacional de Solidariedade (FNS)

Multimedia

Legal references

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