The relevant changes are provided for in the draft amendments to the Regulations on the Provision of Energy Compensation in the Form of Cash Payments, developed by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection. The draft, which was reviewed yesterday at a meeting of state secretaries, calls for a revision of the eligibility criteria used to exclude high-income households from the program. Specifically, it is proposed to adjust the current income thresholds and supplement the eligibility assessment with a new indicator of financial stability: ownership of a car no more than 3 years old. Particularly, this season, compensation will not be provided to households whose members, as of October 1 of this year, own shares in real estate with a combined cadastral value of more than 1 million lei (last year, this threshold was 2.5 million lei). The threshold for dividend income received by household members will also be lowered—from 300,000 to 150,000 lei. In addition, households whose members own a passenger vehicle with no more than 9 seats, with no standing room, manufactured within the last 3 calendar years, including the current year (data as of October 1, 2026, will be taken into account). When calculating the estimated total monthly household income, for each person who has reached the age of 22 and who, as of October 1 of the current year, did not have the status of a pensioner, a full-time student, unemployed, a recipient of social benefits or social assistance, and for whom no income was identified in government information systems and resources for the period from April through September of the current year, a minimum monthly income equivalent to 50% of the net income from the average wage across the economy—calculated solely on the basis of that person's personal income—will be taken into account. It is proposed to remove from the current regulation the provision stating that applicants who have not paid their gas and electricity bills for the previous heating season are not eligible for compensation. The Ministry of Labor notes that the existence of arrears should not, in and of itself, prevent vulnerable households from receiving assistance. There are also plans to clarify the rules for registering in the SIVE information system: applicants will register once for the relevant heating season and will be able to modify their submitted information within a maximum of 5 days after registration. As a reminder, registration for compensation began on November 2 on the platform compensatii.gov.md// 03.11.2026 - InfoMarket.