Clear Comparison: Thai Help Thai Plus Phase 1 vs Phase 2 - What’s New?

Prepare to receive new benefits with "Thai Help Thai Plus Phase 2," the economic relief program with a set start date from 1 October 2026 to 30 November 2026 (a total of 2 months), immediately following the end of Phase 1 on 30 September 2026.

Before starting to use the program, check the key changes between Phase 1 and Phase 2, including the amount of funds received, the benefits offered, and the registration conditions and procedures.

Comparison table: Thai Help Thai Plus Phase 1 vs Phase 2

Summary: 3 key changes in Phase 2 you should know

1. Adjustment of budget and duration

• Phase 2 extends support for another 2 months (October – November 2026). The government provides a one-time total budget of 1,000 baht (compared to Phase 1’s 4,000 baht over 4 months).

2. Co-payment ratio remains 60:40

• Although there were rumors about changing the ratio to 50:50, the final decision keeps the original split: government pays 60%, citizens pay 40%, with a daily spending cap of 200 baht.

3. Automatic renewal without re-registration

• Those who received benefits in Phase 1 simply need toconfirmtheir rights through the banner in the "Paotang" app to start using benefits immediately from 1 October 2026.

Which shops are participating?

Most participating shops in Phase 2 remain the same operators using the "Tung Ngern" app, including

• small shops, grocery stores, community shops,
• small food and beverage outlets,
• fresh markets and community markets.
• Note The Thai SME Federation has proposed expanding the annual revenue criteria for participating shops from the previous cap of 1.8 million baht to 5 million baht to attract more Small & Micro entrepreneurs, pending government approval.

Do state welfare cardholders and previous beneficiaries need to re-register?

• State welfare cardholders The government plans for qualifying new state welfare cardholders to begin using benefits under the new criteria from 1 October 2026. Those who do not qualify will be allocated Thai Help Thai Plus rights instead.
• Previous beneficiaries It is expected that they can confirm their rights via the Paotang app without re-registering. Official announcements and confirmations from the Ministry of Finance are awaited.

The "Thai Help Thai Plus Phase 2" program is a short-term measure to ease citizens' living costs at the end of 2026. Although the budget is reduced to 1,000 baht over 2 months, the 60% government co-payment still significantly helps with daily essentials. Users are advised to update their apps to avoid missing confirmation of the new round of benefits.