The Deputy Government Spokesperson announced that the Ministry of Finance has issued new guidelines for advance government funds to assist disaster victims, applicable to disasters from 6 March 2026, to ensure aid is delivered quickly and aligns with current living costs.
On 2 March 2026, Ms. Lalida Pertwiwatthana, Deputy Spokesperson of the Prime Minister's Office, revealed that the Ministry of Finance has released new regulations titled “Criteria, Methods, and Conditions for the Use of Advance Government Funds to Assist Emergency Disaster Victims, B.E. 2569 (2026),” to ensure assistance complies with the Ministry of Finance’s 2025 regulations and is standardized nationwide.
The Deputy Spokesperson of the Prime Minister's Office stated that these new criteria apply to the “date the disaster occurred.” Effective from 6 March 2026 onward, the previous 2020 guidelines are revoked to ensure aid is suitable for the situation, promptly accessible, transparent, auditable, and consistent with current living costs.
The key points are as follows:
1) Livelihood support (Assistance may be provided in goods or cash as appropriate)
- Meal expenses up to 3 meals per day, no more than 80 baht per meal per person
- Survival kits up to 1,000 baht per family; for children under7 years old,persons with disabilities, or elderly registered with the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, additional aid up to 1,000 baht per person may be considered
- Water consumption costs for household use paid as actually necessary until the situation normalizes
- For completely damaged houses, initial livelihood expenses paid as actual costs, up to 4,900 baht per family
- Repairs for damaged houses paid as actual costs, up to 88,600 baht per house
- Repairs for rice granaries, crop storage buildings, or animal pens paid as actual costs, up to 6,800 baht per family
- For rented or occupied houses rendered uninhabitable, rental costs up to 2,500 baht per month for no longer than 2 months
- Bedding damaged or required paid as actual costs, up to 1,200 baht per person
- For temporary toilet facilities, rental of portable toilets or floating toilets up to 5,000 baht (1 unit per 10 people), or provision of paper toilets or other materials not exceeding 1,000 baht per person
2) Social welfare support (Short-term vocational rehabilitation in disaster-affected areas)
- Vocational training equipment up to 2,400 baht per person
- Instructor fees up to 600 baht per day, not exceeding 10 days
- Training operation expenses up to 12,000 baht
- Seed capital for post-training occupations up to 4,800 baht per family
3) Medical and public health support
- Cleaning of shallow wells, up to 750 baht per well
- Drinking water for needy families, up to 250 baht per family
- Household sanitation materials/chemicals up to 500 baht per household; and formold removal/disinfection after floods, up to 600 baht per household
- Masks in urgent cases (e.g., forest fires, smog, PM2.5) limited to one per person per day, prioritizing vulnerable groups according to criteria
4) Agricultural support Assistance is provided to disaster victimswho are registeredand have updated their registration with the supervising authorities before the disaster, covering crops, fisheries, livestock, silkworms, and economic insects under specified conditions and ceilings.
5) Payment methods Payments can be made in cash, by cheque, or electronically (e-Payment) according to government regulations.
The Deputy Spokesperson of the Prime Minister's Office added that these guidelines emphasize integrated assistance to avoid duplication and require provinces to report assistance outcomes periodically to relevant agencies to ensure comprehensive and efficient support for the public.