Budget 2026 shorts

The following are some of the key numbers and measures:

Parent tax cut: €160 million in tax cuts for families with children spread over three years. Check out how much you will save in 2026 with our salary calculator.

COLA: €4.66 per week

Pensioners: €10 per week increase, including COLA. Get more on pension measures here.

Children’s Allowance: €250 increase per child for families earning less than €30,000

In-work benefit: €75 increase per child

Carers’ Grant: €179 increase to reach €5,369 per year

Disability therapy refund: €250 yearly increase to reach €1,000 per year. Eligibility to be extended to 23 years of age

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The baby bonus paid out on the birth of a child is set to increase by €500

Baby bonus: €500 increase to birth and adoption bonus. First child bonus will be €1,000, second child €1,500 and third child or more €2,000

Adoption grant: Increase to a maximum of €12,000 for adoptions from abroad and €2,000 for local adoptions

Elderly carer grant: €500 increase to €9,000 per year for those who employ a carer for elderly relatives

Wage increase support: Government to finance up to 65% of the wage increase (up to a maximum of €780 per year) for two years in the private sector for workers who have been employed for more than 4 years. In Gozo, support will be higher at 80% (up to a maximum of €960 per year).

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Stipends: 15% increase equivalent to between an increase of between €17 and €58 every four weeks excluding COLA

Free gym membership extended to young people aged between 16 and 21

Free gym: Young people aged 16 to 21, born between 2004 and 2009, will benefit from a six-month free gym membership.

Gozitan students: Gozitan students over 18 studying in Malta are set to receive a new monthly grant of €280 to help cover travel and accommodation costs, an increase of over €100.

Laptop grant: €500 grant for Yr10 and Yr11 students

Fish Fridays: Government schools will be serving local fish on Fridays to promote healthy eating habits

AI: Free AI courses and subscriptions

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