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The Federal Government plans to allocate R$ 168 billion to Bolsa Família in 2024. According to the planning for the 2024 Budget, the government intends to allocate this amount to the country's main social program.
The Benefit represents a milestone for the Workers' Party (PT), the party to which President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva belongs. For this reason, the government constantly prioritizes this benefit every year.
If the proposed amount for the benefit is confirmed, it will be similar to the R$ 168.7 billion made available this year. This indicates that Bolsa Família beneficiaries will probably maintain payments equivalent to those in 2023.
Will Bolsa Família be adjusted in 2024?
Read also: Check whether you were approved for Bolsa Família 2023. Learn how to check.
In short, there is no official confirmation of an adjustment to Bolsa Família. Additionally, the government has not yet indicated any changes to the current income limit of R$ 218, which determines eligibility for the benefit.
It is worth noting that families with a monthly income of up to 218 reais per person meet the financial criterion for participating in the program. This amount is expected to be adjusted, since the population's wages generally increase annually, influenced by minimum wage adjustments. However, there are no official updates regarding a possible adjustment.
What are the criteria for adjusting the benefit?
The adjustment of the Bolsa Família is based on several factors. One of these factors involves analyzing beneficiaries' information in the Cadastro Único (CadÚnico). In short, the government verifies all the information to ensure that only families who are truly in need and meet the criteria receive the assistance.
The government also evaluates the number of families that need the benefit to live with dignity. Therefore, the more families depend on Bolsa Família, the more challenging it becomes to increase its amount, since the program's budget must grow proportionally.
Forecast of an increase by 2025
Even without concrete information about adjustments to the Bolsa Família, experts predict an update by 2025. It is worth remembering that the program was reintroduced in March of this year, after being discontinued during the term of former president Jair Bolsonaro. One of the updates establishes that the benefit must be reviewed every 24 months.
Given that the current amounts will complete two years in March 2025, this is the final deadline for the government to consider changes to the amounts offered.
Proposed amount for Bolsa Família is lower than promised
The amount the government intends to allocate to Bolsa Família in 2024 is similar to this year's. However, in both situations, the amounts are lower than what Lula promised when announcing the program's reintroduction.
In summary, Lula obtained approval for a constitutional amendment in Congress that stipulated a budget of R$ 175.7 billion for Bolsa Família in 2023. It is worth mentioning that the approval took place in December 2022, before Lula took office.
However, the government's financial team withheld R$ 7 billion allocated to Bolsa Família, seeking to reduce expenses, as fiscal projections were not optimistic.
Given this scenario, the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger (MDS) has been using the available resources to make Bolsa Família payments.
Status of the Benefit waiting list
With a more robust budget, the government could eliminate the waiting list. In summary, this occurred in March, during the reintroduction of the Bolsa Família. However, demand increased and, in June, nearly 1 million people were waiting.
In July, the number fell to 494,000, but it is still considerable. Notably, the government aims to end the year without a waiting list, that is, without beneficiaries awaiting approval.
In a statement to the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, Eliane Aquino, National Secretary of Citizenship Income, clarified that the MDS is assessing the need to unlock funds for the Benefit. She mentioned that, so far, this request has not been made, but it may occur if necessary.
