BISP Kafaalat 2026: who is eligible, how to check on 8171 and how to avoid scams

By Bilal Naeem · Updated: 15 October 2026 · 4 min read

In short

BISP Kafaalat pays Rs 14,500 a quarter to eligible women in households with a PMT score of 32 or less. Check by SMS 8171, register in NSER and avoid fakes.

Work it out with the Household budget planner →

The core programme of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) is Benazir Kafaalat, which pays unconditional cash to women in the poorest households. On 18 February 2026 BISP announced that the quarterly installment had been raised from Rs 13,500 to Rs 14,500 ahead of Ramadan. BISP says more than 10 million families are supported. Everything here is taken from BISP’s own pages and press releases: who qualifies, how to check on 8171, how to get surveyed, how payments work in 2026, and how to avoid fraud.

Who is eligible: the PMT score

Eligibility is decided by household, not by person. The National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER) survey asks about the people in your home, their education, health, assets and income. Those answers produce a Proxy Means Test (PMT) score on a scale of 0 to 100. A lower score means a poorer household.

Household	Eligibility threshold
Most households	PMT score of 32 or less
Household with a differently abled member	PMT score of 37 or less
Transgender persons (as recorded on the CNIC)	Cut-off relaxed after a successful survey

The BISP Board approved this cut-off at its 52nd meeting on 23 September 2021, and BISP says the Board sets it according to the money available. In an eligible household, the payment goes to an ever-married woman with a valid CNIC who has cleared profiling. BISP reassesses households every three years: families whose circumstances improve can be replaced by newly eligible ones.

How to check eligibility on 8171

SMS: send your CNIC number to 8171.
Web portal: open 8171.bisp.gov.pk, enter your CNIC number and the code shown in the picture, and see your household’s eligibility.
In person: you can also apply to the Assistant Director at your BISP tehsil office or registration centre to learn your status.

If a woman is found eligible, she receives a message from 8171. If the portal finds no record for your CNIC, your household has not been surveyed, and the next step is the survey.

How to get the NSER survey done

Go to the Benazir Registration Desk at your tehsil’s BISP office or an NSER registration centre. Any adult member of the household can go. Mobile registration vans also visit remote areas.
Give your CNIC at the information desk. Differently abled people, pregnant women and older people get priority. If you have not been surveyed you get a token for a new survey; if you have, a token to update your details.
At the data entry desk, give your CNIC, the CNICs of everyone in the household and the B-forms of the children. Update your marital status, widowhood or disability with NADRA first.
Answer the questions about your household, education, health, assets and income truthfully, and give a mobile number that works.
Keep the token receipt. When the survey is complete you get a confirmation SMS from 8171, and if eligible you may also get a Kafaalat letter.

How you get paid in 2026

BISP says that from July 2026 all payments go through digital wallets. The Kafaalat payment is sent only to the wallet linked to the free Benazir SIM that BISP issues.
Collect the SIM from a BISP office: take your original CNIC and your own phone, have the staff put the SIM in your phone, and write the number down safely. A SIM from anywhere else will not receive payments.
You get an SMS when money arrives, and another after you withdraw it showing the amount credited and withdrawn.
You can withdraw from an authorised retailer of any partner bank, at any time, including weekends. There is no need to withdraw at once; the money stays safe in the wallet. Women whose fingerprints cannot be verified can be paid through a bank account.

To plan how a Rs 14,500 installment covers household costs, try our household budget planner.

How to avoid scams

Only 8171: BISP messages come only from 8171. A message from any other number saying “your money has arrived” or “call to register” is fraud.
No fees: there is no fee for the survey, for registration or for releasing a payment.
The full amount: if a retailer deducts anything, show the SMS, demand the full amount and complain. Collect only from authorised retailers, never from someone’s house or an unauthorised place.
Keep your phone: never hand your phone to the retailer. Only your original CNIC and fingerprint verification are needed. Keep the phone with you so nobody can delete your messages.
Reliable information: ignore social media rumours. BISP says its official Facebook page carries Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s photograph and a blue verification badge. Nobody has the power to stop an eligible woman’s payment.

To complain, use the free helpline 0800-26477, your tehsil office or the Pakistan Citizen Portal.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the BISP installment now?

Rs 14,500 a quarter under Benazir Kafaalat, or Rs 58,000 over four quarters. BISP announced the rise from Rs 13,500 on 18 February 2026. Figures for a further increase have appeared in the media, but as of 15 October 2026 BISP had not published one, so treat them as unconfirmed.

Do I have to pay anyone for the survey or to get on the list?

No. BISP says there is no fee for the NSER survey, and the stipend is the woman’s full right with nothing to be deducted. Anyone asking for money to register you, “approve” you or release a payment is committing fraud. Report it on the helpline 0800-26477.

Can a man receive the Kafaalat payment?

The beneficiary is an ever-married woman with a valid CNIC in an eligible household. BISP’s policy also includes transgender persons whose CNIC records them as transgender: they must be surveyed at a registration centre, and the PMT cut-off is relaxed for them.

The 8171 result says I am not eligible. What now?

If your household’s situation has changed, or your survey data is out of date (new members, a widow, a disability), visit your BISP tehsil office or registration centre to update it. BISP also reassesses beneficiary households every three years, so the result can change in both directions.

The beneficiary in our family has died. Does the payment stop?

BISP has a next-of-kin policy. Take the deceased’s CNIC, the CNIC cancellation certificate from NADRA, the death certificate from the union council and family members’ CNICs to the nearest BISP tehsil office. After processing, an eligible family member can start receiving the payment.

Calculators for this guide

Sources

This guide explains the rules for general information. It is not official, legal or tax advice. Rules change, so check the official source or a qualified professional before acting. See how we check our information.