Government to Disburse Q3 Social Assistance Starting 20 July, Data Cleansing Underway
The distribution of social assistance for the Family Hope Programme and Non-Cash Food Assistance for the third quarter of 2026 will commence on 20 July 2026. The Ministry of Social Affairs is currently finalising the updating and cleansing of beneficiary data based on the latest figures from the Central Statistics Agency. “The third-quarter social assistance is being processed. We received the latest data from BPS yesterday and are now cleansing it. God willing, it will be completed within the next two to three days, and distribution can begin by the 20th at the latest,” said Minister of Social Affairs Gus Ipul during a press conference accompanied by Deputy Minister of Social Affairs Agus Jabo Priyono at the Ministry’s office in Jakarta on Monday.
Gus Ipul explained that the updated data includes existing Beneficiary Families who will continue to receive assistance, those who will no longer receive it, and new recipients, all depending on the data updating process. He appreciated the proactive efforts of regional governments in updating data to ensure accuracy and proper targeting. The three most active provinces in updating data are West Java, Central Java, and East Java, with Bekasi City being the most active city. “This shows that the regions are very concerned about the updating process, because we must acknowledge that this data comes from the regions, and they know the objective conditions of their citizens best,” he said.
The data updating process begins at the neighbourhood and community unit levels, then proceeds to village or sub-district data operators through a deliberation process, and is forwarded to the local Social Service before being finalised by the Regent or Mayor and submitted to the Ministry of Social Affairs. The data is then sent to the Central Statistics Agency for verification and validation, and every three months the verified updated data is returned to the Ministry for the distribution of social assistance. “The essence is that with this updating, social assistance is expected to be received by those who are entitled,” he added.
In addition to data updating, Gus Ipul noted that the distribution of social assistance will be followed up with empowerment programmes, in line with the paradigm shift of ‘Temporary Social Assistance, Empowerment Forever’. “After being received by those entitled, it will be followed up with empowerment programmes. This is new from President Prabowo, so they are not just given social assistance, but we strengthen them with empowerment, so that these families can measurably move up in class,” he said. The Ministry of Social Affairs continues to strengthen empowerment programmes, targeting more than 150,000 beneficiary families to participate this year. “We hope that by next year they will no longer receive social assistance, but will be developing businesses that yield more than what they received from social assistance,” he explained. Gus Ipul revealed there are three forms of empowerment to be provided based on the assessment results of each beneficiary family: skills improvement, strengthening access, and strengthening assets.