Take note! During the last months, the Colombian government has continued to implement various measures with the purpose of provide support to families neediest in the country. These actions seek to support households that have faced economic difficulties due to the pandemic and the crisis that has affected the nation. He Department of Social Prosperity (DPS) is the agency responsible for distributing these benefits, and the steps necessary to verify eligibility and access any of these programs are described below. We encourage you to carefully examine all the specifications detailed in the sections below.
Undoubtedly, the Solidarity Income has stood out as the most prominent subsidy, providing benefits to a total of 8 million households in Colombia. However, President Gustavo Petro has announced that this program will stop receiving financing and instead a bond of 500,000 pesos will be implemented, which will be in force until the end of 2022. In addition to this measure, there are other financial support programs available, such as Families in Action, VAT Refund, Youth in Action, Colombia Mayor, among others.
How do you know if you access any government program?
Among the incentives offered by the Department of Social Prosperity to alleviate the difficulties of the most vulnerable families, the following benefits are included:
Youth in Action
- Be between the ages of 14 and 28.
- Have completed secondary vocational education (grade 11).
- Not have a college degree.
- Being identified as part of the targeting phases of the program, which certifies the condition of vulnerability or poverty. This can be through Family Welfare census lists, indigenous census lists or being registered in the Sisbén.
- To register as a beneficiary, young people must meet these requirements, which include their age and educational level, and must complete the registration process on the official website jovenes.prosperidadsocial.gov.co/registro/.
Families in Action
- Access the website solidary income.prosperidadsocial.gov.co.
- If you already have an account, log in using your personal identification number. If you do not have an account, register using the Digital Authentication option of the ID.
- Once inside the system, a window will appear showing the user data you have registered. Verify this information carefully and close the corresponding window.
- Subsequently, select the button “CHECK TURNS AND BENEFICIARIES”. A window will be displayed that will provide relevant details about your household, such as your status and whether you are a beneficiary of the program, among others.
Bonus 500 thousand pesos
- Enter the website solidary income.prosperidadsocial.gov.co.
- Click on the “REGISTER” button located in the upper right corner of the page.
- Access the Digital Citizen Authentication service and log in using your ID number if you are already registered. If you are not registered, select “REGISTER HERE”.
- Select “REGISTRATION WITH IDENTITY DOCUMENT” in the “TYPE OF ACCESS” field and follow the registration process.
- Once registered, return to the program page and log in by following steps 1, 2 and 3.
- Upon entering the system, a window will appear with the information of the registered user. Verify the data and close the window.
- Click on the button “CHECK TURNS AND BENEFICIARIES”. Finally, a window will open with information related to your home, such as whether you are a beneficiary or the status of the home.
Greater Colombia
- Be a Colombian citizen.
- Have resided in the country for the last ten years.
- Have a minimum age of 54 years for women and 59 years for men, which is three years less than the age required for the old-age pension.
- Not having adequate income or income to cover basic subsistence needs.
VAT refund
In order to benefit from the VAT Refund program, it is a requirement to be registered with the Sisbén, since this allows the Government to identify families that are in an unfavorable economic situation and provide them with the corresponding support.
If you want to check if you are eligible for the program, you can easily do so by using the “check your eligibility here” feature on the website. You will only have to provide your identification number. Also, if you require more information or additional details, you can contact the telephone number 01-8000-95-1100, available throughout the country.
It is crucial to highlight the relevance of keeping your data up to date in Sisbén IV, since this will make it easier for you to access all the necessary information about your eligibility to receive the VAT Refund before entering the website. Keeping your details up to date will ensure that you receive the most accurate and relevant information available.