BISP Kafalat Program Guide — 8171 Ehsaas

What is the Kafalat Program?

Benazir Kafaalat (also widely searched as "Kafalat") is the Benazir Income Support Programme's flagship unconditional cash transfer program. It is the core benefit that defines BISP's social protection mission — a regular, predictable quarterly payment made directly to the registered woman in each eligible low-income household across Pakistan.

The word kafaalatmeans "support" or "guarantee" in Arabic and Urdu — reflecting the program's purpose of providing a guaranteed minimum income floor to households that would otherwise have no financial safety net. Unlike loan programs or conditional grants, Kafaalat is unconditional: there are no requirements on how the money must be spent, and payments are not withheld based on behavior (apart from the initial eligibility determination).

Kafaalat operates alongside BISP's conditional programs (Taleemi Wazaif for education, Nashonuma for nutrition) as the base layer of support. A household that qualifies for Kafaalat automatically becomes eligible to apply for those additional programs.

Payment Amount (2026)

As of March 2026, Benazir Kafaalat pays Rs. 14,500 per quarter to each enrolled beneficiary household, following an increase from Rs. 13,500 announced by BISP Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid. This translates to:

The payment is made to one woman per household — the registered primary beneficiary. No cash-in-hand delivery exists for new beneficiaries; funds are transferred to the beneficiary's designated BISP payment account, which can be accessed via biometric ATM, HBL bank branches, or BISP-designated payment agents.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility for Benazir Kafaalat is determined through a two-step process: household survey and PMT scoring. The following conditions must all be met:

1. NSER Survey participation:The household must have been visited and surveyed under the National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER). This is the foundational data collection step — a household that has never been surveyed will not appear in BISP's system at all.
2. PMT score below the eligibility threshold:Based on NSER survey data, BISP calculates a Poverty Means Test (PMT) score. The PMT combines data on household income, assets, housing quality, land ownership, number of dependents, and education levels. Households with a PMT score below BISP's defined cutoff qualify.
3. No government employee in the household: If any household member is currently employed by the federal or any provincial government — or is a retired government employee receiving a pension — the household is disqualified regardless of income or PMT score.
4. Primary beneficiary must hold a valid CNIC: The woman designated as the primary beneficiary must have a valid CNIC issued by NADRA. An expired CNIC or a woman without a CNIC cannot receive payment. BISP runs CNIC registration drives to help unregistered women obtain CNICs before disqualification.

How to Register for Kafalat

There is no standalone registration form for Kafaalat. Enrollment happens through the NSER household survey process. If your household has not yet been surveyed, or if your survey data is outdated, follow these steps:

1. Locate your nearest BISP Tehsil office. Every tehsil in Pakistan has a BISP field office. You can find the address via bisp.gov.pk or by calling the helpline at 0800-26477.
2. Bring required documents:Registered woman's original CNIC, household B-Forms for children, and any tenancy or property documents that may be relevant to the survey.
3. Request a Dynamic Survey Registration (DSR).If you were missed in the original NSER survey, you can request a new household survey through this mechanism. BISP staff will record your household's data and process a PMT score.
4. Wait for processing. After the survey is submitted, BISP processes the PMT score centrally. If your score qualifies, you will be enrolled. Check your status periodically at 8171.bisp.gov.pk.

How to Check Your Kafalat Status via 8171

BISP provides two official real-time methods to check your Kafaalat registration and payment status:

1. 8171 Web Portal: Go to 8171.bisp.gov.pk. Enter the 13-digit CNIC of the registered woman (no dashes or spaces). Complete the security CAPTCHA and click Submit. The result page shows your enrollment status, whether a payment is pending or has been released, and the quarter to which the payment applies.
2. SMS to 8171: Type the 13-digit CNIC number and send it as an SMS to 8171. An automated response will be returned within minutes. This method is useful in areas with limited internet access.
3. BISP helpline (0800-26477): Call the toll-free number from any landline to speak to a customer service representative. They can look up your registration status, explain payment details, and guide you through complaint processes.

How and Where to Collect Payment

Once a quarterly payment is released for your district, you can collect it through these official channels:

• HBL (Habib Bank Limited) biometric ATMs: Verify with your fingerprint at a designated HBL biometric ATM — no card or PIN is needed. Funds are drawn directly from your BISP Digital Wallet.
• BISP payment campsites: In areas with limited ATM access, BISP and HBL set up temporary cash collection campsites during each quarterly disbursement window. The same fingerprint biometric verification applies.

Kafalat vs. Other BISP Programmes — How They Relate

Kafaalat is the foundational, unconditional cash transfer that determines a household's baseline enrollment in BISP. Once a household is enrolled in Kafaalat, it becomes eligible to layer on additional conditional benefits: Taleemi Wazaif for school-going children, and Benazir Nashonuma for pregnant women and young children. None of these additional programmes can be accessed independently of Kafaalat enrollment — Kafaalat is always the entry point.

Can You Change How You Receive Payment?

The BISP Digital Wallet and biometric collection system is standardized for all Kafaalat beneficiaries — there is currently no option to redirect payments to a personal traditional bank account instead. This design choice keeps the system consistent and ensures biometric fraud protection applies uniformly across all beneficiaries, including those without any prior banking history.

What Happens to Kafalat If Your Household Changes?

If the registered female beneficiary passes away, the household's Kafaalat enrollment does not automatically transfer to another family member. The household would need to undergo a fresh registration process with a new eligible adult female beneficiary, following the standard NSER survey and eligibility determination — there is no automatic inheritance of BISP enrollment within a household.