Fathers on parental leave in Kazakhstan will no longer receive monthly state allowance

From 1 January 2027, fathers on parental leave in Kazakhstan will no longer receive the monthly state childcare allowance, reports Kapital.kz. Working men can still take parental leave, but only women who meet certain criteria will receive the monthly payment until the child turns 1.5.

Labour Minister Askarbek Yertayev said at a briefing that the benefit's name and purpose are changing. It will be called the maternity allowance and is intended for mothers and children. If the father is on leave, the mother may return to work and receive the benefit. For families in categories A and B, the benefit will be paid from the State Social Insurance Fund (SSIF). For categories C, D and E, working mothers will be paid from the SSIF and non-working mothers from the republican budget. Fathers raising a child alone will receive a different payment as sole guardian, said SSIF chairman Almas Kurmanov.

The government expects changes to means-test 14 of the 36 budget-funded benefits, saving 700 billion tenge in 2027 and 2.5 trillion tenge over three years. As of October 2026, 3.2 million Kazakhstanis receive state benefits, including 552,000 from high-income families.