Caixa Tem releases Bolsa Família payments of R$600, R$750, R$850, and R$950 starting May 18th.

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The Bolsa Família payment calendar for May begins next Monday, the 18th, and continues until the 29th, distributed according to the last digit of the NIS. The minimum amount is R$ 600 per family and can reach over R$ 950 when additional benefits for children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, or adolescents are included.

The Caixa Tem, the official Caixa Econômica Federal application for managing social benefits, will start releasing Bolsa Família payments for May 2026 next Monday, the 18th, with transfers continuing in a staggered manner until Friday, the 29th. According to official data from the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger (MDS), 18.73 million Brazilian families will be served, equivalent to approximately 48.92 million people, across all 5,570 municipalities in the country. The projected monthly disbursement is approximately R$ 12.7 billion. The minimum amount paid is R$ 600 per family, but, depending on the family composition and additional benefits provided by law, the transfer can reach R$ 750, R$ 850, or exceed R$ 950 in some situations. In April, the average amount effectively paid per household was R$ 683.75, according to official data. As is customary, payments are released in an order defined by the last digit of the Social Identification Number (NIS).

And it is precisely this logic that explains why some families receive more than others.

What you will understand in this text

How Caixa Tem releases Bolsa Família payments and in what order.
The complete payment calendar for May, day by day, for each NIS ending digit.
Why some families receive R$ 600 and others receive R$ 750, R$ 850, or more.
What are the additional benefits provided by the program and how much each is worth.
Who is entitled to Bolsa Família and what to do if the payment is not received.

The complete May calendar in Caixa Tem

The release of funds in Caixa Tem follows the same logic every month. Bolsa Família is paid on the last ten business days of the month, in an order defined by the last digit of the family head’s Social Identification Number (NIS). Those with NIS ending in 1 always receive first. Those with NIS ending in 0 always receive last.

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Why some families receive R$ 950 and others R$ 600

Here’s the part that generates the most questions.

The minimum amount guaranteed by Bolsa Família, since the program’s re-establishment in March 2023, is R$ 600 per family. This is the floor. However, for specific cases, the legislation provides for three cumulative additional benefits, calculated according to the family composition registered in CadÚnico. These additional benefits explain why two families with the same number of people can receive different amounts.

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See, point by point, what each additional benefit adds to the base benefit:

Early Childhood Benefit (BPI): an additional R$ 150 per child from 0 to 6 years old (incomplete). If the family has two children in this age group, it adds R$ 300. If it has three, it adds R$ 450.
Family Variable Benefit (BVF): an additional R$ 50 per pregnant woman, nursing mother (mother of a baby up to six months old) or child and adolescent from 7 to 18 years old (incomplete). Cumulative per member.
Nursing Mother Family Variable Benefit (BVN): an additional R$ 50 per baby up to six months old, paid in up to six monthly installments. The stated goal of the MDS is to ensure adequate nutrition in the child’s first six months of life.

Applying the values in practice, it is possible to understand how the benefit reaches different levels:

R$ 600 = minimum value, without additions (family without small children, pregnant women, or school-aged adolescents).
R$ 750 = R$ 600 + R$ 150 (one child up to 6 years old in the household).
R$ 850 = R$ 600 + R$ 150 + R$ 50 + R$ 50 (one small child, plus two adolescents or one pregnant woman and one adolescent).
R$ 950 = R$ 600 + R$ 150 + R$ 150 + R$ 50 (two small children plus one adolescent or pregnant woman). In larger families, with three or more small children and adolescents, the total value can exceed R$ 1,100.

The effective average paid in April, considering all 18.7 million households served, was R$ 683.75. This means that most families served by the program today receive at least one of the foreseen additional benefits.

Who is eligible and how to apply

To receive Bolsa Família, the family must meet three criteria.

The first is per capita income. The monthly income per person in the household must be, at most, R$ 218. The calculation sums the income of all residents in the house and divides it by the number of people. If the result is above R$ 218, the family is not eligible for the program.

The second is the Cadastro Único (CadÚnico). Registration is done at the social assistance service centers in municipalities (generally, at the Social Assistance Reference Centers, CRAS). To register, it is necessary to present the identity document of the family head and CPF, proof of address, and, if possible, documents of the other family members. It is worth remembering that being in CadÚnico does not mean automatic entry into Bolsa Família. Selection is made by the MDS according to income criteria and budgetary availability.

The third criterion is compliance with conditionalities. The program requires health monitoring for pregnant women, children, and nursing mothers, and a minimum school attendance of 60% for children aged 4 to 5 years and 75% for children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years. Non-compliance can lead to a warning, temporary blocking, or, in repeated cases, cancellation of the benefit.

What to do if the amount does not appear in Caixa Tem

In some cases, the payment does not appear on the scheduled date. There are basically two possible explanations.

The first is a technical issue with the banking system itself. In these cases, Caixa usually regularizes the situation within 48 hours, and the amount is credited automatically, without any action required from the beneficiary.

The second is the blocking or cancellation of the benefit. The most common causes are outdated CadÚnico for more than 24 months, a change in family income above the limit, lack of proven school attendance for the children and adolescents in the family, or absence from periodic health evaluations.

To verify the reason for non-payment, the beneficiary can consult directly in the Caixa Tem app, the Bolsa Família app (available for Android and iOS), or through official service channels: telephones 111 (Caixa) and 121 (MDS), both with free calls.

The full year calendar

For those who want to plan ahead, the Bolsa Família calendar for 2026 has already been fully released by the MDS. The dates for the coming months are:

June: from June 17 to 30
July: from July 20 to 31
August: from August 18 to 31
September: from September 17 to 30
October: from October 19 to 30
November: from November 16 to 30
December: from December 10 to 23 (with anticipation at the end of the year, due to Christmas holidays)

In all months, the rule is the same. Those with NIS ending in 1 receive on the first day of the calendar. Those with NIS ending in 0 receive on the last.

How to access Caixa Tem for the first time

For those who don’t use the app yet, the step-by-step is simple. Caixa Tem is available for free in official stores for Android phones (Google Play) and iPhone (App Store). After downloading, the beneficiary needs to open the app, provide CPF, phone number, and basic data to create the digital social savings account. From then on, the entire Bolsa Família balance, plus any other social benefits and Pix registration, is available in real time.

Caixa recommends that beneficiaries take three basic precautions. Do not share your password with third parties, under any circumstances. Be suspicious of messages offering anticipation, re-registration, or unexpected blocking of benefits, which are usually virtual scams. And keep the app updated to the latest version, to avoid access errors or exposure to security flaws.