New Bolsa Família will be calculated per person, plus extra per child, teenager and pregnant woman – 02/28/2023 – Market

The design of the new Bolsa Família, to be announced by the government this Thursday (2nd), provides that the benefit will be calculated based on the number of family members.

This per capita amount will be the main component of the income to be received by the family and cannot be less than R$ 600 – as promised by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

The government still does the math so that this value per family member is fixed. The tendency is for this level to be close to R$ 220 or R$ 250 per person, since, on average, families in the program are made up of less than three members.

But the basic benefit number will still be decided until Thursday. There will be a supplement for families of one or two people to continue receiving R$600.

In the case of larger families, the forecast is that they will exceed this minimum benefit, and there will be no limit on the transfer of income.

In addition to this calculation per person, the program must have an additional one for children up to six years old, for pregnant women and for young people between seven and 18 years old.

The extra amount of R$150 per child up to six years old is another Lula campaign promise.

In order not to have a sharp drop in family income, the government provides an additional allowance for children and adolescents aged between six and 18 years. As shown to Sheetthis amount should be close to R$ 50 per month and per member of this age group.

Families with pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding should also have an extra benefit – in the same amount, close to R$ 50.

According to government technicians, the benefit calculation model based on the number of family members aims to eradicate extreme poverty, as there will be no way for the value to fall below R$ 105 per capita – the extreme poverty line.

Currently, the Cadastro Único considers people with a monthly income of up to R$ 105 per family member to be in extreme poverty. Income between R$105.01 and R$210 is classified as a situation of poverty – and is also entitled to enter the income transfer program.

In the former Bolsa Família, the amount transferred depended on the number of children and income bracket of each person.

One of the main criticisms of specialists to the Auxílio Brasil, a program created by the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), is the way in which the benefit to poor families is calculated.

The argument is that, among the 21.8 million families that are in the program, some need more money than others.

Therefore, the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance wants to increase the value of the benefit for families with more members.

Another aspect of the new Bolsa Família is the return of so-called conditionalities, demands that the government makes to families so that they continue to receive income.

According to technicians who participate in the program’s discussions, families will be charged for school attendance and up-to-date vaccination cards – as a way of continuing to receive income transfers.

The changes in the calculation of benefits should increase the expenses of the new Bolsa Família.

Government members say that this will be compensated with the withdrawal of irregular registrations from the program.

According to Minister Wellington Dias (Development and Social Assistance), the forecast is that 2.5 million benefits may be cut.

In March, the forecast is that 1.55 million irregular beneficiaries will be excluded from Bolsa Família. This also makes room for the inclusion of 700,000 families that were in the waiting list.

“The program will contain the president’s commitment to pay a minimum of R$600, plus an addition of R$150 per child, and it will also have a rule that takes into account a per capita, the proportion, the size of each family so that the people have more justice in this income transfer. In addition, also, the return of conditionalities, the integration of Bolsa Família with other 32 programs aimed at quality of life”, said Minister Wellington Dias this Tuesday.

Technicians who work in the studies and heard by the Sheet they say that the new version should provide for stricter criteria for single-person families –composed of a single member.

Still in the transition of government, one of the problems encountered by Lula’s team was the explosion of registrations of solo families after former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) instituted a minimum amount to be paid regardless of the size of the family.

Many of these families were motivated to split in order to receive a higher amount.

Therefore, the number of single-person families jumped from 2.2 million in October 2021, before the launch of Auxílio Brasil, to 5.8 million at the end of Bolsonaro’s term.

According to government data, there are currently 5.9 million families with two members. There are 5.2 million beneficiaries with three members in the household.

Families with four members add up to 2.9 million, while the share of those with five members drops to 1.2 million. Families with six members are less than 500 thousand.

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Main points of the new Bolsa Família:

• Main benefit will be calculated by the number of family members
• This basic amount cannot be less than BRL 600
• Basic benefit may be close to BRL 250 per member
• On average, beneficiary families have fewer than three members
• Program will have extra values, which will be added to the basic benefit
• Additional per child from zero to six years old will be BRL 150
• Additional per person from seven to 18 years old should be close to R$ 50
• Additional for pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding should also be around BRL 50
• Program resumes requirements, such as up-to-date vaccine card and school attendance