Procedure for paying child benefits to families included in the Social Register defined

For families classified as “low-income families,” child benefits or financial assistance will be granted for six months from the date of assignment, on the condition that able-bodied family members secure formal employment. This is stipulated in the presidential decree adopted on December 26 titled “On Measures to Fundamentally Improve the System of Providing State Social Support to Socially Vulnerable Population Groups.”

According to the decree, the procedure for paying child benefits and financial assistance to families included in the Social Register has been established.

In particular, families classified as “families under state support” will receive social services and assistance, including child benefits and financial aid, for the entire period they remain in this category, regardless of the employment status of family members and without the need for additional applications.

In this case, the socio-economic status of the family will be reassessed 12 months after it is included in the Social Register, except in cases where the family’s situation is reviewed through the information systems of relevant ministries and agencies.

For families classified as “low-income families”:

• Child benefits or financial assistance will be provided for six months from the date of assignment, on the condition that able-bodied family members obtain formal employment;
• If formal employment of able-bodied family members is ensured, child benefits or financial assistance will continue to be paid uninterruptedly without the need for additional applications;
• If the condition of formal employment is not met, the payment of child benefits and financial assistance will be suspended.

In such cases, when a family reapplies for child benefits or financial assistance, the requirement regarding the employment of able-bodied family members will not apply for six months due to the family’s classification as a “low-income family.”

For families classified as “families at the poverty threshold”:

• Child benefits or financial assistance will be paid for six months from the date the family is included in this category;
• If the total average monthly income per family member ranges from one to 1.25 times the minimum consumer expenditure level, the amount of child benefits or financial assistance paid will equal 75 percent of the standard benefit or assistance;
• If the total average monthly income per family member ranges from 1.25 to 1.5 times the minimum consumer expenditure level, the amount paid will equal 50 percent of the respective benefit or financial assistance.

It is worth noting that earlier it was reported that families in Uzbekistan would be categorized as “families under state support,” “low-income families,” and “families at the poverty threshold” based on their socio-economic status.