Starting in 2027, Kazakhstan will assess not only a family's social status but also its financial situation when awarding benefits — and families that are well off will be denied payments. The news is reported by infohub.kz.
The country has changed the rules for providing support to families. From 2027, every family will be assigned its own wellbeing category. The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan has explained how the new rules will apply to large families.
Currently, the large-family benefit is paid to all families with four or more children living together, regardless of income. From 2027, however, the award of payments will take into account the family's wellbeing level, its financial situation and its life circumstances.
An identical family composition will no longer confer identical rights. Today, entitlement to a number of state benefits is determined by category, meaning families with the same social status can receive the same payments even when their financial means differ substantially.
The ministry gave the example of two large families with the same composition. The first owns its own home, an expensive car, a stable income and a business — on the combined indicators it is placed in category "A", which corresponds to a high level of wellbeing. The second lives in a small apartment, the parents are salaried employees, and the family has no expensive property or additional financial resources — the assessment places it in category "C", with a satisfactory level of wellbeing.
In other words, with the same number of children, the two families' financial circumstances differ: for one, additional payments may not be of primary importance, while for the other, state support can significantly ease the burden of everyday expenses. Under the new rules, the first family will no longer receive the state large-family benefit, while the second will still be able to count on support.
Importantly, owning an apartment, a car or other property does not in itself mean a family will be placed in a high-wellbeing category. The decision on awarding a benefit is made after analysing more than 59 indicators across 8 main areas. The information is drawn from the Digital Family Map — a system that collects data on all citizens and updates it periodically.
The new rules will apply to 14 types of state benefits. Families in categories "A" and "B" will not be awarded these payments, except in cases provided for by law. Families in categories "C", "D" and "E" will retain the right to these support measures.
At the same time, if a family's circumstances change significantly — for example, someone loses a job or overall income falls — this is taken into account in assessing its wellbeing, and entitlement to state support may reappear. We previously explained how to determine which wellbeing category a family in Kazakhstan falls into. The government also recently said that some citizens have already begun voluntarily giving up benefits. And you can find out here which benefits Kazakhstanis will receive even with high incomes.