According to Donya-e Eqtesad, Iran's government has implemented a new classification rule that divides households into three groups by asset status to determine Kalabarg (electronic food e-coupon) eligibility. The report says support to lower income brackets has been increased, while removing high-income households from the system is being "seriously considered." This continues an expansion trend that began October 18, when cash aid was deposited for income tiers 1-3.
According to the report, Yakub Andayesh, Deputy for Welfare at the Ministry of Labor, Cooperatives and Social Welfare, said in a statement dated October 27 that some Kalabarg beneficiaries could be excluded in the future, but did not specify which group or the timeline. Andayesh cited his own case as an example: "I receive Kalabarg now but I may well be excluded later." Donya-e Eqtesad notes that in earlier reports, it was claimed that the 8th, 9th, and 10th income deciles could be removed entirely, but emphasizes this cannot be presented as a firm decision. In earlier statements, Andayesh opposed wholesale removal of deciles 7-9 and only mentioned reviewing a limited group with very high-value assets. The report notes these two statements do not fully align, and which income brackets will be affected remains unverified until the final list is officially released.
Under the new rule, households are divided into high, medium, and low "economic power" groups based on assets and consumption. Among the criteria for placement in the "high power" group are high-value real estate and land, combined value of passenger vehicles and crew-cab trucks, very high energy consumption, high shareholdings or bank balances, and active "trade card" ownership. The report cites examples of 7.5 billion tumans for vehicles and crew-cab trucks, and 50-75 billion tumans for some properties as thresholds. However, Donya-e Eqtesad notes these figures should not be read as standalone or definitive exclusion criteria; membership in the high power group and actual cuts to Kalabarg support are two different phases.
Before this, during late September and early October, households under the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee and Welfare Organization saw their per-person Kalabarg credit increased by 500,000 tumans to 1.5 million tumans, benefiting roughly 11 million people. During the same period, about 40 million people began a "declaration-based" form process including real estate, vehicles, monthly income, employment, and expensive medical expenses. Due to system problems, the submission deadline was extended. As of October 27, more than 35 million people had completed the form. The 1405 (2026-27) budget law allocated 960 trillion tumans for Kalabarg.
Context
Kalabarg is Iran's electronic credit system for food purchases, with state-determined household eligibility. Five days earlier, Farsçadan reported that the government's delay in paying its Kalabarg debt to retailers led many merchants to refuse the card; see that report. Today's report shows the problem extends beyond payment infrastructure to a rewriting of rules on who gets support. The new classification aims to shrink Kalabarg's fiscal burden by removing high-income households while raising support to low-income ones. However, which households will actually be affected, the official list, and the implementation timeline remain unclear. This reflects how unstable social welfare policies have become under war and sanctions pressure.
