Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) – Benazir Kafaalat
BISP is the Government of Pakistan's national unconditional cash transfer programme, launched in 2008 to reduce poverty and cushion poor households from economic shocks. Its core component, Benazir Kafaalat, pays a quarterly stipend directly to the female head of eligible low-income households nationwide, with eligibility determined by a poverty (proxy means test) score from the National Socio-Economic Registry. As of 2026 it reaches roughly 9.3 million families and is funded primarily through the federal budget of Pakistan, historically supplemented by international donors including the UK (DFID/FCDO) and World Bank.
Pakistan, Women-led households, Proxy means test, National cash transfer, Biometric payments, South Asia, Largest safety net in Pakistan
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP)
- City
- Islamabad
- State / Province
- Islamabad Capital Territory
- Country
- Pakistan
Contact
- Website
- https://www.bisp.gov.pk/
- Phone
- +92 51 9246326
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Rolling
- Number of recipients
- 9,300,000
- Funding type
- Government
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Total Amount
- 58,000
- Payment frequency
- Variable
- Ongoing / unconditional
- Yes
- Distribution Type
- Biometric ATM/POS withdrawal (HBL, Bank Alfalah), BISP debit card, mobile digital wallet (e.g. EasyPaisa, JazzCash, U Microfinance Bank), cash at temporary payment campsites in low-access areas
- Benefit details
Kafaalat pays PKR 14,500 per quarter as of March 2026 (raised from PKR 13,500 in January 2025; the FY2027 budget proposes raising it further to PKR 18,000), disbursed directly to the female head of household. Withdrawal is via biometric (fingerprint) verification at HBL/partner-bank ATMs (no card or PIN required), a BISP debit card and PIN, a mobile-linked digital wallet, or a temporary HBL payment campsite in areas with limited banking infrastructure. Payments are registered exclusively in a woman's name to promote financial inclusion and women's economic empowerment. Complementary but separate BISP initiatives — Benazir Taleemi Wazaif (education stipends) and Benazir Nashonuma (maternal/child nutrition support) — are conditional cash transfers layered on top of the unconditional Kafaalat transfer for eligible households.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligibility is determined by a Proxy Means Test (PMT) poverty score of 32 or below, calculated from a National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER) household survey covering assets, income, housing conditions and family composition. Priority is given to highly vulnerable households, including those headed by widowed or divorced women without male earners, and families with disabled members. Families are disqualified if any member is employed by the government/military or receives a government pension, owns more than 3 acres of farmland or 80 square yards of residential land, holds a machine-readable passport or NICOP (overseas Pakistani ID), or holds a mainstream bank account (microfinance/low-income bank accounts excepted).
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
- Sex
- Female
- Gender
- Female
Health
- Disability status
- Yes
Financial
- Currently receiving government benefits
- Disqualifying
- Employment status
- Unemployed, Gig / Informal
- Banked status
- Unbanked, Underbanked
Citizenship
- Citizenship / immigration status
- Citizen
Geography
- Countries covered
- Pakistan
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Complementary program enrollment required
- but many Kafaalat households are also eligible for linked BISP initiatives such as Benazir Taleemi Wazaif (education stipends), Benazir Nashonuma (maternal and child nutrition support), and skills/livelihood programmes.
Application Process
- How to apply
Households register through BISP's ongoing ("dynamic") NSER survey at their nearest BISP Tehsil registration desk, or request an update via the 8171 helpline/web portal. The household head or a designated female member is interviewed with a valid CNIC, children's B-forms, utility bills and an active mobile number; fingerprint biometric verification is captured and answers to a socioeconomic questionnaire generate a Poverty Score Card (PMT score). Applicants can check registration and payment status anytime via the 8171 web portal or by texting their CNIC number to the shortcode 8171.
- Selection process
Eligibility is determined automatically once a household's PMT score, calculated from NSER survey data on assets, income and living conditions, falls at or below the qualifying cutoff (currently 32 or below). This replaced the original 2008–2009 process in which Parliamentarians recommended beneficiaries; since 2011 reforms, selection has been score-based rather than discretionary.
