Queue for Auxílio Brasil reaches 1.3 million; see how to apply for the benefit

The number of families waiting to be included in the Auxílio Brasil income distribution program, the program that replaced Bolsa Família, reached 1,307,930 in March, says the CNM (National Confederation of Municipalities). The volume is 24.5% higher than that recorded in February, when 1,050,295 were waiting for the benefit. The Ministry of Citizenship did not provide official data with the total number of Brazilians in the aid queue.

According to Paulo Roberto Ziulkoski, president of the CNM, this growth may be related to different factors, such as the increase in the budget, the change in coverage of the age group of members of the family composition (from 17 to 21 years old) and the readjustment of the values considered as extreme poverty. “When you make these changes and expand coverage, as a result, more people become a profile,” he says.

Ziulkoski explains that the number of families registered in CadÚnico (Cadastro Único) is not similar to the volume of beneficiaries of Auxílio Brasil, as not all those registered in the government’s database meet the criteria of the federal program.

In May, Auxílio Brasil was paid to 18.1 million families across the country. The program that replaced Bolsa Família has a minimum value of R$ 400. According to the Ministry of Citizenship, 56,141 families were included in the list during the month.

Auxílio Brasil is intended for people in situations of economic and social vulnerability. To be part of the program, the family needs to register with CadÚnico, a tool that works as a gateway to federal, state and municipal benefits and programs.

PAYMENT CALENDAR OF BRAZIL AID IN MAY

HOW TO APPLY FOR BRAZIL AID

The first step for the family to apply for membership of Auxílio Brasil is to register with CadÚnico, which works as a kind of database for registering and identifying low-income families.

It records information such as: characteristics of the household, identification of each person, education, work status and income. Registration is also mandatory for families to have access to benefits such as BPC (Continued Provision Benefit), Social Electricity Tariff and gas allowance.

Families with a monthly income of up to half a minimum wage (R$ 606, in 2022) or a total monthly income of up to three minimum wages (R$ 3,636, this year) can register for the Single Registry. If you are homeless, whether you are alone or with a family, you can also register.

Registration can be done at a Cras (Reference Center for Social Assistance) or at the offices of the municipal social assistance secretariat. The units can be found on the CadÚnico portal. On the home screen, simply click on service stations and search by city.

Enrollment in the Single Registry does not guarantee automatic access to assistance programs, says Luiz Fernando Francisquini, benefit management coordinator at the São Paulo Secretariat for Assistance and Social Development. “Each program, service and benefit that uses the Single Registry as a gateway will have its rules and requirements. Depending on the case, the person will need to go through a type of selection”, he says.

In the case of Auxílio Brasil, Francisquini explains that the interviewer himself assesses whether the family meets the program’s criteria – such as income – and that the request is made at the time of registration with CadÚnico. “Then, the government cross-checks the data to assess whether the family can really receive the benefit.”

In the case of Auxílio Gás, to receive the benefit, the family needs to be registered and receiving the installments of Auxílio Brasil. The benefit guarantees the equivalent value of a 13 kg cylinder of gas every two months.

Families with a monthly per capita income less than or equal to half a minimum wage or who have a member who receives the BPC are entitled to the benefit. According to Citizenship, Auxílio Gás currently covers 5.9 million Brazilians.

Currently, the Cadastro Único is used, for example, in 28 federal programs. Between them:

• Gas Allowance
• Continuing Payment Benefit (BPC)
• Elderly Card
• Distribution of Digital TV Converters
• Exemption from registration fees in public tenders
• Exemptions from the registration fee for the Enem (National High School Exam)
• Brazil aid
• Yellow Green House Program
• Unified Selection System – Sisu / Quota Law
• Electricity Social Tariff
• Internet Brazil

WHO IS RIGHT:

• Families in extreme poverty
• Families in poverty
• Families under emancipation rule

Families in extreme poverty are those with a monthly per capita family income of up to R$105, and those in poverty have a monthly per capita family income between R$105.01 and R$210.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR REGISTRATION:

For the person responsible for the family:

• CPF or voter registration card

For other family members:

• Any of the documents of each person in the family: birth certificate, marriage certificate, CPF, RG, work card or voter registration card

REGISTRATION UPDATE

It is the responsibility of the head of the family to keep the registration updated, providing information every two years or when any important aspect related to the family changes, such as someone’s birth or death, a member’s departure to another house and a change of address.

REGISTRATION IN THE APP

Since March, families can pre-register through the CadÚnico app. The app also offers options for updating registration data, a georeferenced map with service points closest to citizens and consulting the benefits received by the family.

According to Citizenship, until April there were more than 1 million downloads, more than 135 thousand pre-registrations and more than 67 thousand registration updates by confirmation by the application.

The pre-registration aims to reduce the wait at the service units. After this first stage, citizens who are not yet part of the Single Registry have 120 days to go to a service center to supplement information such as education, work and remuneration.