Azerbaijan to raise social assistance threshold to ?300 as of next year

The minimum need criterion in Azerbaijan will be increased to ?300 in 2026, which is expected to lead to a rise in social assistance payments next year, Azernews reports.

Member of Parliament Vugar Bayramov announced the change during a joint meeting of the Milli Majlis Committees on Economic Policy, Industry and Entrepreneurship, and on Labor and Social Policy, where the draft law “On the Budget of the State Social Protection Fund for 2026” was discussed.

According to the MP, setting a higher need threshold is essential for both increasing the average amount of targeted social assistance and expanding the number of eligible applicants.

“Raising the need criterion will increase the monthly payments provided to citizens under the targeted social assistance program from next year,” Bayramov said.

“It will also allow more low-income families to apply for this support. Currently, about 80,300 low-income families, including 353,300 individuals, receive targeted state social assistance. This means a significant number of families will benefit from the upcoming increase.”