Wealthy Kazakh families may lose some social benefits

From the new year, the rules for assigning social benefits in Kazakhstan will change. When distributing state support, authorities will consider not only household income but also the overall wealth of the entire family. As a result, affluent Kazakhstanis may lose the right to some payments, according to Khabar 24 correspondent Gulnara Khasan.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection will use the Digital Family Card to sort households into five welfare categories, from A to E. Category C, families with average income, makes up more than half of households, or 3.2 million, which is 52%. Payments for categories C, D and E will be kept. Childbirth and childcare benefits may be lost by affluent families if the mother did not work.

Working mothers who return early from childcare leave will keep receiving payments until the child turns 1.5. The maximum unemployment benefit period will be halved, from six to three months. The card will be linked to bank systems with the consent of adult family members, and the welfare category will be reviewed monthly.