Saudi Citizens Account Programme: Kingdom makes SR1.9b payment

Abu Dhabi: Saudi Arabia has made its 38th installment of 1.9 billion riyals into the kingdom’s household allowance programme, with 10.7 million beneficiaries, local media reported.

Known as the Citizens Account, the scheme is a cash handout for low- and middle-income citizens to offset the impact of energy price increases.

Since the start of the subsidy scheme, the total disbursed payments amounted to more than 88 billion riyals.

Sultan Al Qahtani, spokesperson for the Citizen Account Programme, said 78% of the beneficiaries received the subsidy in this batch, and the average support for a household was 1,047 riyals, while the number of heads of households reached more than 2.1 million, forming 92%, while the number of dependents reached more than 8.4 million beneficiaries, and the number of independents who meet the eligibility criteria reached more than 185,000, constituting 8% of the total beneficiaries.

Al Qahtani added the percentage of heads of households reached 93%, while female heads of households amounted to 7%.

“The percentage of independent females was 43% and independent males were 57%,” he said, explaining that 86% of the total independents got the full benefit, while 14% got the partial and minimum entitlement.

How Saudi Arabia distributes its financial support to its citizens?

Depending on what income category Saudi citizens lie in, a monthly payment of 1,200 to 600 Saudi riyals is given by the government.

Saudis whose income levels fall in the first and second categories receive 1,200 riyals every month.

Citizens whose income level falls in the third category receive 1,000 riyals every month.

Saudis whose income level falls in the fourth category receive 600 riyals every month.

No subsidy is given to Saudis in the fifth category of income and to those with monthly income exceeding SR 21,000.