BISP (Benazir Income Support): who qualifies, 8171 check and payments

The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) pays Rs 14,500 a quarter to a woman in each eligible poor household, as of October 2026. That amount started on 10 Mar 2026, up from Rs 13,500, and the government plans Rs 18,000 from January 2027. Your household qualifies if its survey score, the PMT, is within BISP’s cut-off of 32. To check, send your CNIC number by SMS to 8171 or use the 8171 web portal.

Who qualifies for Benazir Income Support?

BISP’s main cash programme is Benazir Kafaalat. Your household qualifies through a survey, not an application form:

• A household survey. BISP surveys your household for the National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER), asking about family members, education, health, assets and income.
• A PMT score within the cut-off. The survey gives your household a Proxy Means Test (PMT) score from 0 to 100. The BISP Board set the cut-off at 32 on 23 Sep 2021, or 37 for a family with a disabled member, and its website still shows those figures in October 2026.
• A woman to receive the money. Only an ever-married woman in the household with a valid CNIC can be the beneficiary.

BISP also uses exclusion filters, such as owning a vehicle or travelling by air often, to screen out better-off households. Transgender persons with a NADRA CNIC that says transgender can join without the PMT cut-off, after a survey at a BISP tehsil office.

Households are reassessed every three years, BISP said in June 2026. Families whose situation has improved can be replaced by newly eligible ones.

How do I check BISP 8171 by CNIC?

There are two official ways, and both are free.

You can also ask about your status at your BISP tehsil office. BISP’s helpline is 0800-26477 (toll free).

How much does BISP pay in 2026?

BISP pays three kinds of stipend to Kafaalat families. Amounts are per quarter, as of October 2026:

Taleemi Wazaif covers children aged 4 to 12 for primary school, 8 to 18 for secondary and 13 to 22 for higher secondary. Each child must attend at least 70% of school days in a quarter. The mother enrols the child at a BISP enrolment camp or field office with her CNIC, the child’s NADRA B-form and a school admission slip verified by the teacher.

Nashonuma is for women aged 18 to 59 already in Kafaalat who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and their children under 2. Payments depend on health check-ups, immunisation, growth monitoring and taking the special food it provides.

When is the next BISP payment?

BISP pays quarterly. Its press release of 10 Mar 2026 announced the start of the Rs 14,500 instalment. From July 2026, BISP said, all payments go only through digital wallets.

As of 17 Oct 2026, bisp.gov.pk had not announced a date for the October to December 2026 instalment. Its latest press release was dated 14 Sep 2026. The dates we found were on unofficial websites, and they disagree. Your wallet sends you an SMS when the money arrives.

How is the BISP payment received now?

Payments used to be collected after a fingerprint check at HBL (Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan) or Bank Alfalah (KP, Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK) points of sale. From July 2026, BISP says, they go into a digital wallet linked to a free Benazir SIM.

What BISP says you should know, from its July and August 2026 announcements:

• Payments go only to the wallet on the officially issued Benazir SIM. If you got a SIM anywhere else, take your original CNIC and your phone to a BISP office and get the official one put into your phone.
• You can withdraw from the authorised retailer of any partner bank, not just the one that paid you. HBL, Bank Alfalah, Bank of Punjab, HBL Microfinance Bank, easypaisa and JazzCash attended the signing of this system in June 2026.
• The money stays in the wallet, so you don’t have to withdraw it at once. Saturdays and Sundays work too.
• Withdraw only at an authorised bank retailer, never at someone’s home. You need only your original CNIC and fingerprint. Never hand over your phone.
• If an agent cuts any money, show the SMS, ask for the full amount and complain to your nearest BISP office.

Women whose fingerprints can’t be verified can get their money through a bank account, BISP said in June 2026.

How do I register for BISP?

You register through the NSER survey, which is free and needs no form. Surveys are done only at registration centres in BISP tehsil offices and by BISP’s mobile registration vans.

At the centre:

• Queue at the information desk. Disabled persons, pregnant women and older people get priority.
• At the data entry desk, give your CNIC, the CNICs of household members and the B-forms of all children. Update your CNIC with NADRA first if your marital status, widowhood or disability has changed.
• Answer the questions about your household honestly, give a mobile number that works, and keep your token receipt.

After the survey you get a confirmation SMS from 8171. A household can’t be surveyed again within two years, BISP said in January 2025.

How do I spot a fake BISP 8171 message?

BISP sends messages only from 8171. Any message about BISP from another number is fraud, BISP said again on 10 Mar 2026.

BISP’s official Facebook page carries Benazir Bhutto’s photo and a blue verification badge, BISP says. Use that page, bisp.gov.pk or your tehsil office for news about payments.

What if the beneficiary dies or I have a complaint?

If the beneficiary dies, her legal heirs can apply to continue the payments under BISP’s next-of-kin policy. Take the deceased’s CNIC, NADRA’s CNIC cancellation certificate, the union council death certificate and family members’ CNICs to the nearest BISP tehsil office.

For any other complaint, go to your tehsil office or call 0800-26477.

How big is BISP?

The 2026-27 federal budget gives BISP Rs 838 billion, up 17% from Rs 716 billion, the finance minister announced in June 2026. A presidency briefing on 22 Jun 2026 gave Rs 844 billion as the proposed figure.

The finance minister said 10.2 million families get Kafaalat now, with a target of 12 million in 2026-27. The same presidency briefing said 12 million households already get it; we follow the budget speech. The NSER holds data on 38.7 million households, according to the presidency briefing.

BISP is a cash transfer, not a pension or loan. For workers retiring from private jobs, see the EOBI pension. For a basic bank account, see the Asaan account.

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