The Ministry of Finance has updated the criteria for existing State Welfare Cardholders to continue receiving benefits until 30 September 2026, extended the eligibility review period until 31 August 2026, and set 1 October 2026 as the date when all groups will start receiving benefits simultaneously.
On 23 July 2026, Mr. Winit Wisesuwanphoom, Director of the Fiscal Policy Office and spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance, summarized the results of the 10th meeting of the State Welfare Committee for the grassroots economy and society, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mr. Akniti Nitithanprapas.
The meeting acknowledged complaints regarding eligibility reviews and data correction requests under the 2026 State Welfare Registration Project from verification agencies including the Department of Land Transport, Department of Business Development, Department of Non-Formal and Informal Education, Office of the Vocational Education Commission, Bank of Thailand, Thailand Securities Depository Company Limited, Office of Insurance Commission, and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives. The meeting reached preliminary conclusions as follows.
1. It was agreed to extend the benefit period for current cardholders until 30 September 2026 (previously 31 July 2026). Current cardholders do not need to take any further action. All beneficiaries under the 2026 program will start receiving benefits simultaneously from 1 October 2026 during the eligibility review period.
2. The eligibility review period is extended until 31 August 2026 (previously 31 July 2026) via the four main channels of the program, including the website.https://บัตรสวัสดิการแห่งรัฐ.mof.go.th. (Note: The Thai domain name is part of the official website address.)https://welfare.mof.go.th) the Pao Tang app, government apps, and five registration units at Krung Thai Bank, Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, Government Savings Bank, Government Housing Bank, and Islamic Bank of Thailand. Additionally, the deadline to contact data-owning agencies for data corrections is extended to 20 September 2026 (previously 16 August 2026).
3. To ensure the government welfare system is accurate, comprehensive, and aligned with citizens' conditions without imposing burdens on them during eligibility reviews, guidelines have been set for data verification in various criteria, such as:
3.1 Vehicle ownership criteria will be updated for those owning cars over 20 years old or motorcycles over 15 years old with low value; those still paying off motorcycles with financial liabilities; cases where vehicles were sold but not officially transferred (ghost transfer); and cases of fraudulent vehicle registration using another person's name.
3.2 Student status criteria will be adjusted to account for non-formal and out-of-compulsory education systems.
3.3 Shareholder and director criteria in companies or partnerships will be updated to consider community enterprises and social enterprises.
3.4 Securities and bond account criteria will be adjusted to reflect active account status and activity.
The Ministry will consult relevant agencies to compile these issues comprehensively for submission to the Cabinet in due course.
Furthermore, to facilitate the public, the Ministry of Interior supports operations at provincial, district, local administrative organization levels, Bangkok, and Pattaya City by establishing One Stop Service centers locally. These centers provide guidance, coordinate data verification, facilitate electronic identity confirmation (e-KYC), and assist in updating data accurately per program procedures to ensure convenient and comprehensive access to benefits.
The Ministry of Finance is closely coordinating with the Ministry of Interior and related agencies to connect data and deliver assistance according to each agency’s responsibilities to citizens in need.