Serbia Cracks Down on Fake Disability Pension Fraud as Pension Calculation Rules Explained

Serbian authorities have uncovered a nationwide scheme that sold falsified disability diagnoses to individuals seeking early retirement benefits. Corrupt doctors and intermediaries fabricated medical records—often in psychiatry, cardiology or orthopaedics—for fees ranging from a few thousand to over ten thousand euros. The fraudulent certificates enabled the issuance of lifelong disability pensions paid by the state, despite recipients being able to work informally. In response, the Republic Fund for Pension and Disability Insurance (Fond PIO) launched extraordinary, country‑wide reviews that exposed statistically abnormal spikes in pension approvals in several regions and led to legal actions, large‑scale repayments and stricter oversight.

At the same time, the Fond PIO clarified how pension amounts are calculated. A pension is not determined solely by length of employment; it also depends on recorded earnings, contribution bases and the legally guaranteed minimum. For example, a Barajevo resident with 27 years of service receives only about 5,000 dinars above the minimum, while a colleague with ten fewer years receives the minimum pension. The explanation highlights that longer work tenure alone does not ensure a significantly higher pension.