For families facing genuine hardship and unable to raise their income, this installment covers the "final line of defense." The 12 policies are led primarily by civil affairs departments, ranging from minimum living allowance, support for people in extreme poverty, and temporary relief, to protection for orphans, de facto unattended children, and children infected with HIV, as well as relief for disaster-affected and drought-affected residents.
1. Urban and Rural Minimum Living Allowance (County Civil Affairs Bureau)
Families whose per capita income of co-living household members falls below the local minimum living allowance standard and who meet local property status requirements for minimum living allowance households; severely disabled persons, seriously ill patients, and other persons with special difficulties in marginal minimum living allowance households; adult unemployed persons with first- or second-level severe disabilities and third-level mental or intellectual disabilities who meet minimum living allowance conditions after moderate exemption of support fees paid by parents or siblings. Urban minimum living allowance: starting July 1, 2026, the county's urban minimum living allowance standard will rise to 768 yuan per person per month. The subsidy standard is calculated based on the actual difference between the verified per capita income of the applying household and the guarantee standard. Rural minimum living allowance: starting July 1, 2026, the county's rural minimum living allowance standard will rise to 7,008 yuan per person per year. The subsidy standard is determined by tier according to the degree of family difficulty: Category A at 584 yuan per person per month, Category B at 385 yuan per person per month, and Category C at 290 yuan per person per month. Co-living household members submit a written application to the township government where their household registration is located (or to the place of residence), submit materials, and authorize verification of family economic status. The township accepts the application, conducts household surveys, preliminary review, and public notice. The county civil affairs bureau reviews and confirms. Starting from the month following confirmation, payments are made monthly through the "one-card" system.
2. Basic Living Expenses for People in Extreme Poverty (County Civil Affairs Bureau)
Elderly persons, disabled persons, and minors who simultaneously meet the following conditions shall be included in the scope of support for people in extreme poverty in accordance with the law: no ability to work; no source of livelihood; and no legally obligated supporters, dependents, or caregivers, or whose legally obligated persons are unable to fulfill their obligations. Starting July 1, 2026, the county's basic living guarantee standard for people in extreme poverty receiving decentralized support will rise to 999 yuan per person per month, and for those receiving centralized support it will rise to 1,100 yuan per person per month. The person or guardian submits a written application to the township government where their household registration is located (or to the place of residence), submits materials, and authorizes verification of family economic status. The township accepts, investigates, verifies, conducts preliminary review, and issues public notice. The county civil affairs bureau reviews and confirms. Starting from the month following confirmation, extreme poverty support benefits are provided.
3. Care and Nursing Fees for People in Extreme Poverty (County Civil Affairs Bureau)
The township government assesses and determines eligibility during household surveys based on six indicators of self-care ability: eating independently, dressing independently, getting in and out of bed independently, using the toilet independently, walking indoors independently, and bathing independently. If all six indicators are met, the person is deemed to have self-care ability. If three or fewer indicators (including three) cannot be met, the person is deemed to have partially lost self-care ability. If four or more indicators (including four) cannot be met, the person is deemed to have completely lost self-care ability. How much can be subsidized (starting July 1, 2026): Centralized support: Tier 1 (complete loss of self-care ability) at 1,085 yuan per person per month, Tier 2 (partial loss) at 543 yuan per person per month, Tier 3 (has self-care ability) at 326 yuan per person per month. Decentralized support: Tier 1 at 196 yuan per person per month, Tier 2 at 114 yuan per person per month, Tier 3 at 65 yuan per person per month. For centralized support, funds are used uniformly for care and nursing expenses of the support service institution. For decentralized support, funds are used to pay service fees according to the entrusted care service agreement. If the self-care ability of a person already receiving extreme poverty support changes, the person, care service provider, village (resident) committee, or support service institution should promptly inform the township government, which will organize a re-assessment and report to the county civil affairs bureau. How to receive: Care and nursing fees are determined and disbursed together with extreme poverty support benefits, with no separate application required. For centralized support, funds are allocated to the support service institution for unified use. For decentralized support, payments are made according to the entrusted care service agreement.
4. Funeral Subsidy for People in Extreme Poverty (County Civil Affairs Bureau)
Funeral arrangements after the death of a person in extreme poverty: for centralized support, the support service institution handles arrangements; for decentralized support, the township government entrusts the village (resident) committee or relatives to handle arrangements. Funeral expenses are subsidized from extreme poverty support funds at a standard of 2,000 yuan per person. How to handle: No separate application is required. For centralized support, the support service institution handles arrangements uniformly. For decentralized support, the township government entrusts the village (resident) committee or relatives to handle arrangements, with funeral expenses disbursed from extreme poverty support funds.
5. Temporary Relief (County Civil Affairs Bureau)
Emergency situations with "small quick relief": families or individuals facing sudden changes, accidental injury, major illness, or other emergencies that cause severe temporary hardship in basic living, cannot resolve the situation through their own or family resources, and need immediate relief measures. Relief is fully implemented at the place where the emergency occurs. Families with rigid expenditure difficulties and marginal minimum living allowance families: those whose necessary expenses for medical care, education, and other needs suddenly increase beyond the family's capacity, causing severe hardship in basic living for a certain period, may receive temporary relief after public notice. If an applicant has not yet been recognized as belonging to the above household categories but the situation is urgent and requires immediate measures, "small quick relief" may be provided first, followed by recognition as needed, with subsequent temporary relief or referral provided promptly for those who qualify. Those still facing severe hardship after other relief: those who still face severe hardship in basic living after receiving minimum living allowance, extreme poverty support, or disaster relief, medical relief, education relief, housing relief, or employment relief shall promptly receive temporary relief. For those currently applying for minimum living allowance or extreme poverty support (including those already reviewed and confirmed but whose relief funds have not yet been disbursed) and whose basic living is currently unsustainable, temporary relief may be provided first as appropriate. How much can be subsidized: Determined based on difficulty type, degree of difficulty, duration, and other factors, with reference to the local minimum living allowance standard. For "small quick relief," the maximum relief amount per person per instance shall not exceed the local one-month urban minimum living allowance standard. For temporary relief other than "small quick relief," the maximum relief amount per person per instance shall not exceed six times the local monthly urban minimum living allowance standard. The principle of "one matter, one relief" is upheld. Repeated applications for the same reason without justified cause shall not be granted. The number of times the same family or individual receives temporary relief per year generally shall not exceed two. How to disburse: "Small quick relief" may be provided in cash or in kind, with direct registration of the relief recipient, reason, amount, and other information, without family economic status verification and public notice. For temporary relief other than "small quick relief," funds are generally disbursed regularly and quantitatively through the "one-card" management platform using a "one-time approval, phased disbursement" approach.
6. Basic Living Expenses for Orphans (County Civil Affairs Bureau)
Who qualifies: minors under 18 years of age who have lost both parents or whose biological parents cannot be found. Specifically: first, minors who have lost both parents and have death certificates for the orphan's parents issued by public security organs or medical and health institutions; second, minors whose parents have been declared dead or missing and who have certificates from a people's court declaring the orphan's parents dead or missing. How much can be subsidized: In 2026, the county's centralized care standard for children will rise to 2,010 yuan per person per month, and the scattered orphan support standard will rise to 1,400 yuan per person per month. How to apply: The orphan's guardian submits an application to the township government (subdistrict office) where the orphan's household registration is located, submitting the original certificate of the orphan's parents' death or disappearance, the orphan's household registration booklet and original ID card, and two recent 1-inch bareheaded photos of the orphan. After review, the application is reported to the county-level civil affairs department for approval. Starting from the following month, payments are made through the "one-card" system.
7. Basic Living Subsidy for De Facto Unattended Children (County Civil Affairs Bureau)
Who qualifies: children whose both parents meet any of the following conditions: severe disability, serious illness, serving a prison sentence, compulsory isolated drug rehabilitation, subject to other measures restricting personal freedom, missing, guardianship revoked, or repatriated (deported). Or children whose one parent is dead or missing and the other parent meets any of the above conditions. How much can be subsidized: In 2026, the county's support standard for de facto unattended children will rise to 1,400 yuan per person per month. How to apply: The guardian or temporary guardian submits an application to the township government (subdistrict office) where the household registration is located (in special circumstances, the village or resident committee may submit the application), submitting the child's household registration booklet, original ID card, and two recent 1-inch bareheaded photos. After acceptance, the township verifies the parents' circumstances and reports to the county-level civil affairs department for approval. Payments are made through the "one-card" system.
8. Basic Living Expenses for Children Infected with HIV (County Civil Affairs Bureau)
Who qualifies: children infected with HIV (minors under 18 years of age). How much can be subsidized: In 2026, the county's support standard for children infected with HIV will rise to 1,400 yuan per person per month. How to apply: The guardian submits an application to the county-level civil affairs department where the infected child's household registration is located, presenting a medical certificate issued by a national medical and health institution (HIV antibody confirmatory test report, HIV antibody test positive). The civil affairs department reviews the application, and those who qualify are included in the support scope. Starting from the following month, payments are made through the "one-card" system.
9. Service Subsidy for Elderly Persons with Financial Difficulties (County Civil Affairs Bureau)
Who qualifies: elderly persons aged 80 and above with Shidian household registration who receive minimum living allowance or decentralized extreme poverty support. How much can be subsidized: 50 yuan per person per month (2025 implementation standard). How to apply: Eligible elderly persons or family members submit an application to the township. After verifying minimum living allowance or extreme poverty status, the township reports to the county civil affairs bureau. The county civil affairs bureau approves and disburses monthly through the "one-card" system.
10. Temporary Price Subsidy for Low-Income Groups (County Civil Affairs Bureau)
Who qualifies: urban and rural minimum living allowance recipients, people in extreme poverty, orphans and de facto unattended children, children infected with HIV, and other disadvantaged groups. How much can be subsidized: This is a price-linked subsidy, not a fixed amount. The trigger conditions are when the single-month year-on-year increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) reaches 3.5%, or when the single-month year-on-year increase in food prices within the CPI reaches 6%. The amount is determined by higher-level departments based on the monthly year-on-year increase in the basic living cost price index for urban low-income residents multiplied by the provincial monthly average urban/rural minimum living allowance standard, rounded to the nearest whole number. How to receive: No application required. Once trigger conditions are met, the county civil affairs bureau directly disburses the subsidy amount determined by higher-level authorities to minimum living allowance, extreme poverty, and other recipients through the "one-card" system.
11. Emergency Living Relief Subsidy (County Emergency Management Bureau)
Who qualifies: rural residents whose crops were damaged and family property was affected by natural disasters during the year, resulting in difficulties in basic living. How much can be subsidized: Primarily cash relief through the "one-card" platform, categorized into three tiers based on disaster severity and family difficulty: 150 yuan per person, 300 yuan per person, and 500 yuan per person. How to apply: Affected farming households report disaster conditions to the village (community), which verifies and reports to the township. The township reviews and reports to the county emergency management bureau. The bureau determines the tier based on disaster severity and disburses relief funds through the "one-card" system.
12. Temporary Drinking Water Difficulty Relief for Drought Disasters (County Emergency Management Bureau)
Who qualifies: people experiencing drinking water difficulties for themselves (daily drinking water below 35 liters per day, lasting more than 20 days) or for large livestock due to drought. Populations with chronic drinking water difficulties are not included in the relief scope. How relief is provided: Through small water supply projects, provision of water extraction equipment, fuel subsidies, direct water delivery to households, and cash subsidies to meet the basic living needs and large livestock drinking water requirements of populations with drinking water difficulties. How to apply: Drought-affected residents or village (community) authorities report drinking water difficulties to the township. The township verifies and reports to the county emergency management bureau. The bureau, together with water affairs departments, implements water delivery, water supply projects, or cash subsidies and other relief measures.
This installment introduced 12 policies. The next installment is the final part of this series and will introduce 17 policies under Comprehensive Guarantees (2)—subsidies for disabled persons, reductions and exemptions for water, electricity, and property management fees for relocated residents, subsidies for entitled groups, and subsidies for village doctors, among others. Stay tuned. For detailed policy information or to apply, please consult the responsible department indicated for each policy or your local township.
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