Kazakhstan to end birth allowance for affluent families from 2027

From 1 January 2027, part of Kazakhstan's budget-funded payments will be allocated according to family income and living conditions. Under the change, families in categories A and B, the two most affluent groups, will lose the right to the one-time birth allowance and to the monthly childcare payment for children up to 1.5 years old. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov signed the decree on 5 October. Maternity leave payments for working mothers will be preserved.

Labour Minister Askarbek Yertayev said on 16 October that the changes concern 14 of 36 benefits, while the decree lists 10 types. The state assesses families through the Family Digital Card, which places them in five categories based on 59 indicators across six areas, including income, property, loans and employment.

Pregnancy and childbirth payments from the State Social Insurance Fund, along with the insurance-based childcare payment, will remain for all families regardless of category. A preliminary assessment calculator on the eGov Mobile app was launched on 18 October, but access was restricted the following day. The ministry said the result is informational only and does not itself assign or stop any payment.