Citizen Account: The impact of adding an independent dependent on support payments

The question raised by many beneficiaries regarding the impact of adding an individual previously registered as "independent" to become a "dependent" of the head of household in the Citizen's Account Program has sparked considerable debate about the mechanism for calculating support. The program has clarified this debate, explaining that the support amount provided to the head of household may indeed be affected in this case, based on the precise calculation criteria employed by the program.

Support calculation mechanism and eligibility criteria

The Citizen Account program clarified through its online portal and FAQ guide that the support is not a fixed amount, but rather a dynamic process based on three main criteria that determine the value of the entitlement, which are:

• Total household income: This is the sum of what the head of the household and all dependents receive (including the newly added individual).
• Number of family members: The threshold increases with the number of individuals.
• The ages of family members: The support allocated to a dependent who is over 18 years old differs from that allocated to a younger dependent.

Therefore, when a previously independent individual (who may have their own income) is added to the family, the total family income will increase, which may affect the value of the support due, despite the increase in the number of family members.

Background on the Citizen Account Program and its objectives

This clarification comes within the framework of transparency adopted by the Citizen Account Program, launched by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in December 2017 as part of Vision 2030. The program primarily aims to protect Saudi families from the direct and indirect impact of various economic reforms, such as energy price adjustments and the implementation of value-added tax (VAT). The program is a cornerstone of the Kingdom's social safety net, providing direct cash support to the most deserving segments of society to ensure a decent standard of living for citizens.

Steps to modify data in the Citizen Account

To ensure continued support and accurate updating of social status, the program explained, via its official account on the "X" platform, the steps necessary to easily modify data through the application:

• Log in to the "Citizen Account" application.
• Go to "Beneficiary File".
• Click on the "Public Data" option.
• Access the applicant's data and select "Edit".
• Updating required data such as (marital status, health status, educational level, etc.).
• Click the "Save" icon after you have finished making the changes.

Factors that may lead to a decrease or cessation of support

The program stressed the need for accurate data disclosure, noting that there are specific factors that negatively affect the amount of support or lead to its suspension, most notably:

• The total household income has increased and exceeded the limit.
• Disqualification of a dependent (such as discrepancies in official data).
• The primary beneficiary or one of the dependents has been outside the Kingdom for more than 90 days.

It is worth noting that the program conducts periodic reviews of beneficiary data to ensure that support reaches those who actually deserve it, making it a duty for every beneficiary to update their data to avoid payment suspensions.