Greece's 2026 special seasonal aid pays €719 to €1,438 by trade; applications close at 14:00 on Monday 30 November
The one-off payment depends on your trade and the days you worked in 2025, has no nationality condition, and is not paid to anyone who qualifies for the ordinary unemployment benefit, except builders.
16We read 16 sources, 14 in Greek, 6 of them official documents, including ΔΥΠΑ's 2026 press release with its table of amounts by trade, and both language versions of the official procedure registry, so you can read this in 6 minutes. What we checked ↓
Does this affect you?
- Seasonal hotel, restaurant and catering employees
- Workers with at least 75 insured days in 2025, no more than 50 of them between 1 October and 31 December 2025, can claim €719, unless they qualify for the ordinary unemployment benefit between 10 September and 30 November 2026.17 Temp-agency staff placed with tourism or catering businesses also qualify if their insurance record shows the business activity code.1
- Builders, quarry workers and lime-burners
- Builders, quarry workers and lime-burners with 95 to 210 days in 2025, worked only in their trade, can claim €1,064.12.1 Builders (οικοδόμοι) are the one group allowed to receive both this aid and the ordinary unemployment benefit; ΔΥΠΑ's release does not extend this to quarry workers or lime-burners.1
- Actors, musicians, dancers, film and live-event technicians, and other listed trades
- Most listed trades need 50 to 210 days in 2025 and receive €719 or €1,006.60; emery workers need 50 to 240 days and receive €1,438.1 Musicians, dancers and live-event technicians must be members of their professional or sectoral union and must provide a union certificate.12
- Non-EU nationals working in Greece
- The scheme states no nationality condition: it covers employees compulsorily insured with e-ΕΦΚΑ who work in a listed trade in Greece.12 Third-country nationals must provide a valid residence permit or proof that they have filed an online renewal application.23
What to do If you worked enough days in a listed trade in 2025, apply before 14:00 on Monday 30 November 2026 at gov.gr with your TAXISnet codes, or at a ΚΕΠ citizen service centre; no visit to a ΔΥΠΑ office is needed.12
At a glance
- ΔΥΠΑ, Greece's public employment service, is taking applications for its 2026 special seasonal aid until 14:00 on Monday 30 November 2026, online at gov.gr with TAXISnet codes or at a ΚΕΠ citizen service centre.
- The 2026 special seasonal aid is a one-off payment of €719 to €1,438, depending on the trade and the days worked in 2025; tourism and catering workers need at least 75 days and receive €719.
- Anyone who qualifies for the ordinary unemployment benefit between 10 September and 30 November 2026 cannot also get the special seasonal aid, except builders, who can get both.
Every year ΔΥΠΑ (Δημόσια Υπηρεσία Απασχόλησης, Dimosia Ypiresia Apascholisis), Greece's public employment service, pays a one-off sum to workers whose trades depend on the season.12 It is called the Ειδικό Εποχικό Βοήθημα (Eidiko Epochiko Voithima), or "special seasonal aid".1 For 2026 the aid ranges from €719 to €1,438, and applications close at 14:00 on Monday 30 November 2026.1 ΔΥΠΑ says about 80,000 people received the aid in 2025.1
Who can claim the special seasonal aid?
The aid is for employees compulsorily insured with e-ΕΦΚΑ (Ηλεκτρονικός Εθνικός Φορέας Κοινωνικής Ασφάλισης, e-EFKA), Greece's single social-security fund, who work in one of the trades listed by ΔΥΠΑ.1 The list includes builders, quarry workers, forestry workers, tobacco workers, employees in the shipbuilding and ship-repair zone, machinery operators, actors, musicians, dancers, film and live-event technicians, cinema and theatre ticket checkers and other staff, emery workers, and tourism and catering workers.1 Temp-agency staff placed with tourism or catering businesses also qualify, if the business activity code (ΚΑΔ, Κωδικός Αριθμός Δραστηριότητας) in their insurance record shows it and they meet the other conditions.1
The official registry adds further conditions, including these two.2 In every trade except building, total days worked in any trade in the previous year must not exceed 240.23 Claimants must also still be employees in their trade during the payment period of 10 September to 30 November.23
How much is the 2026 aid, and how many days do you need?
The days that count are those worked in 2025.1 The amounts and day ranges below are from ΔΥΠΑ's 2026 table; editorial.gr and newmoney.gr printed the same figures.189
| Trade | Days worked in 2025 | 2026 aid |
|---|---|---|
| Builders, quarry workers, lime-burners | 95–210, in the trade only | €1,064.12 |
| Tile-makers, brick-makers and potters | 50–210 | €1,006.60 |
| Forestry workers, resin collectors | 50–210 | €1,006.60 |
| Tobacco workers | 50–210 | €1,006.60 |
| Employees in the shipbuilding and ship-repair zone | 50–230 | €1,006.60 |
| Emery workers | 50–240 | €1,438.00 |
| Tourism and catering workers | at least 75, no more than 50 of them from 1 October to 31 December | €719.00 |
| Excavating, lifting, road-building and drilling machinery operators | 70–210 | €719.00 |
| Musicians, dancers and live-event technicians (union members) | 50–210 | €719.00 |
| Actors, film and TV technicians, film projectionists and assistant projectionists | 50–210 | €719.00 |
| Cinema and theatre ticket checkers, cashiers and ushers | 50–210 | €719.00 |
| Shoe workers | 50–210 | €719.00 |
A tourism or catering worker needs at least 75 insured days in 2025, and no more than 50 of those can fall between 1 October and 31 December 2025.17
Check figures against ΔΥΠΑ's table rather than press reprints. enikonomia.gr printed last year's table, headed 2025 and based on days worked in 2024, with amounts from €687.75 to €1,375.50, under a headline about the 2026 aid.11 ΤΑ ΝΕΑ wrote that most trades need 50 to 210 days; ΔΥΠΑ's table sets 50 to 230 for employees in the shipbuilding and ship-repair zone and 50 to 240 for emery workers.101
Can foreign residents apply?
The scheme sets no nationality condition: the test is working in Greece in a listed trade while compulsorily insured with e-ΕΦΚΑ.12 Third-country (non-EU) nationals must provide a valid residence permit or proof that they have filed an online application to renew it.23 The English version of the official registry adds that the permit must grant access to the labour market.3 The sources say nothing separate about EU citizens.12
How do you apply, and by when?
Online applications opened at 11:00 on Thursday 10 September 2026, and applications through ΚΕΠ (Κέντρα Εξυπηρέτησης Πολιτών, Kentra Exypiretisis Politon, the citizen service centres) opened on 23 September 2026.110 The deadline is 14:00 on Monday 30 November 2026.1
- Online: gov.gr → Εργασία και ασφάλιση (Work and insurance) → Ανεργία (Unemployment) → Ειδικό εποχικό βοήθημα ΔΥΠΑ.1 You log in with your TAXISnet codes.27
- In person: at a ΚΕΠ.1
- No ΔΥΠΑ office visit: you do not need to go to a ΔΥΠΑ employment-promotion centre (ΚΠΑ2, Κέντρο Προώθησης Απασχόλησης, Kentro Proothisis Apascholisis), and the decision arrives through ΔΥΠΑ's e-services.1
Some trades need extra documents: a union certificate for musicians, dancers and live-event technicians, who must each be a member of their professional or sectoral union; a licence for machinery operators; form Ε3 from ΑΑΔΕ (Ανεξάρτητη Αρχή Δημοσίων Εσόδων, Anexartiti Archi Dimosion Esodon), the tax authority, for builders; and a permanent-residence certificate for emery miners on Naxos.123
How is the aid paid?
The aid is paid as a single lump sum.23 Since 15 March 2025 ΔΥΠΑ has paid its benefits onto a prepaid card, and cash withdrawals are capped at 50% of each payment.45 ΔΥΠΑ lists the special seasonal aid among the benefits paid by card, and the official registry says the lump sum is credited to the card.423 The card is issued automatically, and holders can check or correct their details at prepaid.minscfa.gov.gr.5 ΔΥΠΑ has not published a payment date for the 2026 aid.1
Is this the same as unemployment benefit for seasonal workers?
No. ΔΥΠΑ's ordinary unemployment benefit has a separate seasonal category for people who worked in businesses that operate seasonally.6 ΔΥΠΑ's benefits page says that category requires at least 100 days of work in seasonal businesses, lasts 80 days, and must be claimed within 60 days from the day after the job ends or is terminated.6 We could not confirm the reference period for those 100 days.6
The two benefits largely exclude each other. ΔΥΠΑ does not pay the special seasonal aid to anyone who meets the conditions for the ordinary unemployment benefit between 10 September and 30 November 2026.1 Builders are the exception and can receive both; ΔΥΠΑ's release does not extend this to quarry workers or lime-burners.1
Why are Crete's hotel workers protesting?
The Heraklion hotel workers' union (Σωματείο Ξενοδοχοϋπαλλήλων Ηρακλείου, Somateio Xenodochoypallilon Irakleiou) has issued what Νέα Κρήτη calls an ultimatum to ΔΥΠΑ: "we will not wait until Christmas" (in our translation).1213 The dispute concerns delays in the ordinary unemployment benefit, not the special seasonal aid.1213 The union says that, if necessary, its members will camp outside ΔΥΠΑ's head offices (in our translation).12 It wants a higher benefit, payment for longer, and "the freedom to manage their own money" (in our translation).1213 That is a reference to the prepaid card: cash withdrawals are capped at 50% of each payment, and the union says members can manage only that half as they wish (in our translation).413 According to the union's Nikos Kokolakis (Νίκος Κοκολάκης), it "could take two and a half or even three months" for workers to be paid last season (in our translation).13 Έθνος reported on 7 January 2026 that many hotel workers were still unpaid, partly because their prepaid cards had not arrived from ΕΛΤΑ (Ελληνικά Ταχυδρομεία, Ellinika Tachydromeia), the Hellenic Post.14
What is the legal basis?
The aid rests on articles 22 and 37 of law 1836/1989 (Government Gazette ΦΕΚ Α' 79) and on ministerial decisions 30659/1989 and 33142/1998.216 The official registry lists no decision specific to 2026; the aid appears to run as a standing annual scheme.2
Glossary
- ΔΥΠΑ: the public employment service, which runs this aid and the unemployment benefit.1
- ΚΕΠ: citizen service centres, which accept applications in person.1
- e-ΕΦΚΑ (e-EFKA): the single social-security fund; compulsory insurance with it is a condition of the aid.1
Athens News published an English report on ΔΥΠΑ's announcement on 10 September 2026.15
What we checked
Highlights from our fact-check against the original Greek documents. Every claim in the article went through the same check.
- Got it wrong
enikonomia.gr ran a headline on 28 September 2026 about the '2026' special seasonal aid, over a table of amounts from €687.75 to €1,375.50.11
That table was headed 2025 and based on days worked in 2024. ΔΥΠΑ's 2026 amounts are €719 to €1,438, for days worked in 2025.1
- Confirmed
ERT reported that tourism and catering workers need at least 75 insured days in 2025, no more than 50 of them between 1 October and 31 December, for €719.7
ΔΥΠΑ's 2026 table gives tourism and catering workers 75 days, of which up to 50 from 1/10 to 31/12, and €719.00.1
- Confirmed
ΤΑ ΝΕΑ wrote that most trades need 50 to 210 days and that emery workers get the highest amount, €1,438.10
Correct, with two exceptions it did not spell out: ΔΥΠΑ's table sets 50 to 230 days for employees in the shipbuilding and ship-repair zone and 50 to 240 for emery workers.1
- Confirmed
editorial.gr and newmoney.gr printed per-trade tables of the 2026 aid.89
Both match ΔΥΠΑ's 9 September table row for row, from €1,064.12 for builders to €1,438 for emery workers.1
What we don't know yet
- When ΔΥΠΑ will pay the 2026 special seasonal aid. No payment date has been announced, and the two language versions of the official procedure registry give different processing times (three months in Greek, one month in English).
- Whether the special seasonal aid is taxable or protected from seizure. We found no official statement either way.
- Whether EU citizens need anything beyond e-ΕΦΚΑ insurance and work in Greece. Only third-country nationals are given a separate document requirement.
- How many people have applied for the 2026 aid so far. ΔΥΠΑ has not published a figure.
- The exact reference period for the 100 days needed for the ordinary unemployment benefit's seasonal category, and its current monthly amounts.
- Whether ΔΥΠΑ will pay this winter's ordinary unemployment claims from seasonal tourism workers faster than last year. No ΔΥΠΑ reply to the Heraklion hotel workers' union was reported.
Sources
- ΔΥΠΑ (Δημόσια Υπηρεσία Απασχόλησης) · Ανοίγουν οι αιτήσεις για το Ειδικό Εποχικό Βοήθημα έτους 2026 της ΔΥΠΑ · 9 September 2026 · in Greek · Open ↗
- mitos.gov.gr (Εθνικό Μητρώο Διοικητικών Διαδικασιών) · Ειδικό εποχικό βοήθημα ΔΥΠΑ · in Greek · Open ↗ · Archived copy
- mitos.gov.gr (National Registry of Administrative Procedures, English version) · Public Employment Service (DYPA) special seasonal allowance · Open ↗ · Archived copy
- ΔΥΠΑ · Απαραίτητη η ενεργοποίηση των προπληρωμένων καρτών για πρόσβαση στα επιδόματα και τις παροχές της ΔΥΠΑ · in Greek · Open ↗
- ertnews.gr · Ειδικό εποχικό βοήθημα 2026: Ποιοι δικαιούνται από 719 έως 1.438 ευρώ - Οι προϋποθέσεις · 13 September 2026 · in Greek · Open ↗
- editorial.gr · Ειδικό Εποχικό Βοήθημα: Ποιοι είναι οι δικαιούχοι που θα λάβουν από 719 έως 1.438 ευρώ (πίνακας) · 29 September 2026 · in Greek · Open ↗ · Archived copy
- newmoney.gr · Εποχικό επίδομα ΔΥΠΑ: Μέχρι πότε γίνονται αιτήσεις – Ο πίνακας με τα ποσά ανά επάγγελμα · 9 October 2026 · in Greek · Open ↗ · Archived copy
- ΤΑ ΝΕΑ · Εποχικό βοήθημα ΔΥΠΑ: Ποιοι παίρνουν έως 1.438 ευρώ - Οι προϋποθέσεις και οι ημερομηνίες · 3 October 2026 · in Greek · Open ↗ · Archived copy
- enikonomia.gr · ΔΥΠΑ: Μέχρι πότε μπορείτε να υποβάλλετε αιτήσεις για το Ειδικό Εποχικό Βοήθημα έτους 2026 - Τα ποσά ανά επάγγελμα - ΠΙΝΑΚΑΣ · 28 September 2026 · in Greek · Open ↗
- Νέα Κρήτη (neakriti.gr) · «Δεν θα περιμένουμε μέχρι τα Χριστούγεννα» – Τελεσίγραφο ξενοδοχοϋπαλλήλων στη ΔΥΠΑ για το επίδομα ανεργίας · 10 October 2026 · in Greek · Open ↗ · Archived copy
- Νέα Κρήτη (neakriti.gr) · Ξενοδοχοϋπάλληλοι Ηρακλείου προς ΔΥΠΑ: «Όχι ξανά 3 μήνες αναμονή για το επίδομα ανεργίας» · 8 September 2026 · in Greek · Open ↗ · Archived copy
- Έθνος (ethnos.gr) · Κρατικό «μπάχαλο»: Χιλιάδες ξενοδοχοϋπάλληλοι απλήρωτοι από τη ΔΥΠΑ · 7 January 2026 · in Greek · Open ↗ · Archived copy
- Athens News (en.rua.gr) · Applications for seasonal benefits up to €1,438 have been opened in Greece: who can receive the money · 10 September 2026 · Open ↗
- e-nomothesia.gr · Υπουργική Απόφαση 30659/1989 - ΦΕΚ 239/Β/5-4-1989 · in Greek · Open ↗ · Archived copy
Every figure in the text links to its source. Our own calculations are marked as such. Translations from Greek are ours. Archived copies are snapshots saved on the Internet Archive when we published.
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