Emergency income: how to find out if you are registered in the Unified Registry

Brasil de Fato | São Paulo (SP) - After 24 hours with the text in hand, President Jair Bolsonaro officially enacted Provisional Measure 937/2020 (MP), which guarantees emergency aid of R$ 600 for many Brazilian workers. Given this step, many questions arise: can I receive it? How many people in my family can receive it? Do I have to sign anything? How can I get the money? And when? Let's answer these questions one at a time.

The first condition to receive the money is that the worker must fit into one of these three categories: be registered as a Microentrepreneur Individual (MEI), be an individual or optional contributor to the General Social Security Regime (RGPS), or be an informal worker registered in the Single Registry. 

How do I know if you're registered?

There are two accessible options: you can download an app on your phone called My CadUniqueBy entering your information, you will be able to see if you are registered. If you are unable to access it, another option is to contact them by phone at 0800 707 2003. The service is free, but the call must be made from a landline. Customer service hours are Monday to Friday, from 7 am to 19 pm, and on weekends and national holidays, from 10 am to 16 pm.

It is not necessary to be registered in the Unified Registry to receive the benefit. The government will provide an online platform where workers can self-declare their situation. The launch date for this portal has not yet been announced.

Other requirements to receive emergency aid are: being over 18 years old; the family having a monthly income per person of up to half the minimum wage (R$ 522,50) or a total monthly family income of up to three minimum wages (R$ 3.135); and not having had taxable income in 2018 exceeding R$ 28.559,70.

The benefit will be paid to a maximum of two people per family. Women who are heads of single-parent families are entitled to receive double the benefit, i.e., R$ 1.200.

Those who receive Bolsa Família will also be entitled to receive the new benefit if the emergency aid amount is more advantageous. In this case, no registration is necessary because those who receive Bolsa Família are already registered in the Cadastro Único (Single Registry).

The government has not yet clarified when the aid payments will begin or how they will be distributed. However, it has announced that it will be available through public banks.