Pass to benefits

First January 2027 – the start of the reform

This status could be a large number of children, disability, state rank or participation in hostilities. Now only those who really need it can count on state financial support. This turn has already taken concrete shape. From the first of October 2026, a phased information of citizens begins, and the main changes in the rules for the appointment of fourteen types of payments are planned from the first of January 2027. At the center of the new system was the Digital Family Card, which distributes households into five levels of well-being and allows the state to see not only the formal status, but also the real financial situation.

For a long time, Kazakhstan’s system of social payments was based on a categorical approach. In the nineties and two thousand years, when the country was going through a difficult transition period, this approach seemed fair and understandable. The state sought to support families with children, people with disabilities, veterans and those with special merit. Over time, the list of benefits has grown, budget expenditures have grown, and with them the feeling that a significant part of the funds goes not to the most needy families. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has repeatedly spoken about this problem. In one of his messages, he said bluntly that the current system sometimes encourages laziness and dependency, and called for a review of approaches. These words became a kind of starting point for a serious restructuring.

Former Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Population Svetlana Zhakupova, while still in office, often and emotionally spoke about the fact that in matters of receiving targeted social assistance, there are people who cheat the system, forge documents, draw up fictitious divorces or begin to pay contributions only before retirement. Zhakupova stressed that many payments were ineffective and even generate dependent moods. She explicitly articulated a new priority that should focus not on a mother of many children per se, but on a mother who really needs help. A digital family map and artificial intelligence elements were already being used to better assess household vulnerability. The minister said that the system takes into account the indices of dependency load, informal labor relations and shadow income, and in some cases it initiates a proposal to issue targeted social assistance if it sees a sharp drop in family income.

Since 2026, Askarbek Yertayev became the Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population. Under him, reform began to take on clearer contours. At government meetings, he reported that at the first stage, a regulatory framework was being formed for transferring fourteen types of payments to the principle of need. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov formulated the government’s position quite rigidly and cautiously. The state consistently fulfills its social obligations, but the necessary assistance should be paid only to the really needy citizens. He demanded that ministers and akims conduct a large-scale explanatory work and provide an understanding of what will happen.

Payments under the new principle

So, the list of payments that are planned to be transferred to the new principle includes a childbirth allowance, a childcare allowance for up to one and a half years, payments to awarded mothers with many children except for pensioners, allowances to large families, support to parents and guardians raising children with disabilities, a benefit to a person caring for a person with a disability of the first group, a funeral allowance, state social allowance for disability except for the first and second groups and children, a survivor's allowance except for round orphans, special payments to certain categories of veterans of military personnel, as well as special state allowances to holders of persons with disabilities of the first group of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan, etc. It is important that the changes will affect only those recipients who are classified by the Digital Family Card as categories A and B, that is, families with a high or affluent level of well-being. Categories C, D and E will continue to be supported.

The evaluation method is still being clarified, but the general logic is already clear. Level A is for families with high stable incomes, multiple properties, businesses, transportation and no major debt or medical problems. Level B is a middle class with a steady job and sufficient income, but no significant surplus. Lower levels reflect varying degrees of material hardship, down to extreme need. The Ministry has repeatedly stressed that each payment will be considered separately. If a person with a disability of the first group receives the appropriate allowance, it is retained. But if the same family becomes eligible for childbirth allowance, it will already be assessed through the prism of need.

From the first of October 2026, phased information through SMS, eGov Mobile application and mobile applications of banks begins. Legislative amendments have yet to be considered in Kurultai. The full transition to the new order is tied to the first of January 2027. In parallel, it is planned to combine thirteen types of local social assistance into four directions, also taking into account the need. Separately, the reduction of the term of payments for loss of work is discussed. Now, with sufficient experience, you can receive benefits for four, five or even six months. From 2027, the maximum period is planned to be limited to three months, and the income replacement ratio will be 45 percent. In 2025-2026, the average size of such payment fluctuated within 92-94 thousand tenge.

The digital map of the family has become a key tool of the whole reform. The system generates data on income, property, expenses, employment, availability of loans and other parameters. On its basis, a scoring model is formed. The level of well-being will be checked monthly. Artificial intelligence is already working. In the process of providing support to persons with disabilities, 167 cases of forgery of medical documents were identified. In another 12,000 cases, identical data was found in different people. The materials were transferred to law enforcement agencies, the inspection continues. These figures show how serious the government is about transparency.

The budget parameters of the reform are also important. In 2026, almost two trillion tenge is provided for all benefits for two million recipients. Total expenditures on social and labor sphere exceeded six trillion eight hundred billion tenge and increased by more than 15 percent compared to the previous year. The authorities emphasize that this is not about reducing social obligations. Basic guarantees, such as pensions, disability benefits of the first and second groups, payments to round orphans, all of them remain. It is about reconfiguring the system, not about folding it.

Give to those who really need it

Experts generally support targeting, but point to risks. Zhanar Jandosova, director of the Sanj Research Center, noted that the bulk of the budget for supporting families goes to about six hundred thousand large families, while targeted assistance receives a much smaller number of households. In her opinion, the main criterion should be the level of income, not just the number of children. Other analysts draw attention to the possible mistrust of citizens to the assessment of well-being. If the system is wrong or the data is incomplete, especially in terms of shadow income and property registered to relatives, this can cause social tension. There are also concerns about families who formally fall into category B but have high costs for treatment, education of children or servicing loans.

Members have been cautious at different times. In the past, proposals to revise payments to working pensioners caused a tough reaction in the Majilis. Deputies stressed the need for balanced decisions and compliance with constitutional guarantees. These warnings remain relevant today. The reform touches on sensitive topics, and any mistake in communication or technical implementation can result in serious public outcry.

From the point of view of the effectiveness of budget expenditures, the transition to targeting looks reasonable. With limited resources and growing obligations in the areas of pensions, health care and education, the state seeks to avoid a situation where families who can support themselves receive assistance. This is a classic approach of many countries with a developed system of social protection. In parallel, indexation continues. In 2025-2026, benefits and pensions were regularly increased taking into account inflation and the growth of the subsistence minimum. The one-time allowance for the birth of the first, second or third child in 2026 was 164,365 tenge, at the birth of the fourth and subsequent - significantly more. Payments to large families were also indexed. These increases show that the state is not abandoning support for families, but is trying to make it more accurate.

The success of the reform will depend on three key factors. The first is the quality and transparency of the Digital Family Card. The second is the quality of education. The third is the flexibility of the system, that is, the ability to quickly adjust decisions when errors are detected or family circumstances change. If these conditions are met, Kazakhstan will be able to build a more equitable and effective social support system. If the transition proves too abrupt or technically flawed, the reform risks creating frustration and mistrust.

Social policy is always at the intersection of economy, justice and trust of citizens. Kazakhstan is now taking an important step towards a more mature model in which status ceases to be an automatic pass to benefits, and real need becomes the main criterion. How this step will be implemented in the coming months and years largely depends not only on the effectiveness of budget expenditures, but also on the sense of justice among millions of Kazakhstanis. The state says that it does not reduce obligations, but learns to help more accurately. Now we have to prove it in practice.