Benefits to be paid based on level of need

Kazakhstan's Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population, Askarbek Yertayev, said state support should primarily be provided to people who cannot meet their own needs. Speaking at the Central Communications Service, he said the actual level of need of a family is now assessed when allocating benefits, rather than relying on formal assignment.

The reform is based on a methodology for determining social well-being, approved on 30 September, which takes effect on 1 January 2027. It has two components: material well-being, covering 59 indicators in six areas including income, property and credits, and social stability, which considers family composition and the presence of children, elderly people and persons with disabilities. Data will be taken from state databases, and citizens will not need to submit additional certificates.

According to the minister, a need criterion will be introduced for only 14 of the 36 benefits funded by the republican budget. Payments linked to nuclear tests and political repression will be retained, as will payments for people who worked in harmful conditions. Regardless of family wellbeing, guarantees remain for children with disabilities, people with Group I and II disabilities, orphans and mothers awarded for raising many children.