The Hungarian State Treasury started its operation on 1 January 1996.
Tasks of the Hungarian State Treasury
During the state budget implementation, the Treasury is responsible for the handling of payments and for clearings, for the forecast of the budgetary position and the management of liquidity, as well as for specific reportings.
It keeps records of State guarantees and counter-guarantees.
The institution performs the payroll accounting of approximately nine hundred thousand people employed in the public sector, as well as the related tax and contributions accounting and declaration.
Based on the instruments of incorporation, it keeps records in the register of budgetary institutions, similarly to the company register.
It provides support from the central government budget to local governments, multi-purpose micro-regional associations and healthcare institutions on a net basis, and monitors the use of said support.
The Treasury performs independent financial compliance audits based on sampling – taking risk assessment as a basis – in local governments, nationality self-governments, associations, regional development councils and the budgetary institutions they control.
It accepts and collates budget implementation reports.
It disburses and controls European Union and domestic grants, and reclaims unduly granted support.
The institution performs the contributing organisational tasks of the Spatial and Urban Development Operational Programme (Terület- és Településfejlesztési Operatív Program).
It manages the accounts of Treasury participants and payment account holders, carries out the financial tasks related to the allocation of expenditure and the collection of revenue, and performs liquidity and appropriation coverage verifications concerning expenditure.
It provides securities distribution and related account management services to clients in treasury offices located in county seats.
The Treasury is both a participant and supervisor of the spending of public funds. Its task is to track the path of public funds to ensure that no undue payments are made.
Merger of the National Directorate-General for Pension Insurance into the Hungarian State Treasury
Since the National Directorate-General for Pension Insurance merged into the Hungarian State Treasury on 1 November 2017, the Treasury has participated in the professional management and control of the determination and payment of social security pension benefits, support to families, health insurance cash benefits, travel reimbursements, accident sickness benefits and other benefits referred to it, and has promoted the uniform application of rules regarding these benefits.
The Treasury manages the Pension Insurance Fund, exercises equity powers in specific cases, and keeps the official register of pension insurance. Furthermore, it performs the tasks related to the personal social security account, and develops and operates the professional IT systems belonging to its scope of responsibilities. The institution maintains the social, child welfare, child protection and rehabilitation registers referred to it.
Regarding the benefits belonging to its scope of responsibilities, the Hungarian State Treasury performs the tasks of an international liaison department, and is involved in the performance of EU Member States’ tasks related to the coordination of social security systems.
In cases defined by law, it determines the pension increase rate, but the management of claims related to benefits is also part of its responsibilities. It provides central receipt, filing and delivery services, as well as central printing and communication by post in relation to the types of mail items specified in legislation.
The Hungarian State Treasury also performs benefit determination and payment tasks, and determines survivors’ benefits, certain political rehabilitation benefits and the allowance for national resistance. It arranges for the increase of pension benefits and other benefits and performs deductions from benefits, as well as issues and sends the beneficiaries’ travel vouchers to the right-holders.
In order to support the tasks, it manages the data necessary for making payments and performs customer service activities.
Merger of the Office for Agriculture and Rural Development into the Hungarian State Treasury
From 1 January 2017, following the merger by separation of the Office for Agriculture and Rural Development, the Hungarian State Treasury performs the paying agency activities concerning the resources specified in the European Union’s common agricultural policy (‘CAP’), and also arranges for the payment of national support for agricultural and rural development.
Within the framework of this activity, it manages and assesses applications, makes and prepares related decisions, authorises and makes payments, performs administrative and on-site controls, and operates the registration systems related to its core activity.
Furthermore, its tasks include the provision of information, data storage, reporting, training and client information.
As agricultural damage mitigation body, the Hungarian State Treasury grants significant support to farmers each year in order to mitigate and uniformly manage the impact of risks due to weather and other natural events affecting agricultural production, and within this framework, operates the Agricultural Risk Management System.
The objective of the Hungarian State Treasury is to implement the smooth payment of agricultural and rural development subsidies in accordance with legal regulations, and to build partnerships with clients.
The Objective of the Hungarian State Treasury
The objective of the Hungarian State Treasury is to make every client satisfied. Through the central customer service, it gives more and more space to electronic and telephone-based client relations. A key consideration is for clients to be able to manage their affairs more comfortably, possibly without personal appearance, through electronic means or phone.
The list of the most important laws defining the core activity and organisation of the Treasury is contained in Appendix 4 of the Organisational and Operational Rules.