Cabinet approves additional Thai Help Thai Plus, giving out 1,000 baht usable October-November 2026
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The Cabinet meeting approved the additional Thai Help Thai Plus project to ease the impact of the prolonged energy crisis. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Eknit Nitithanprapas disclosed that the measures consist of two sub-projects: the project to increase welfare limits for state welfare cardholders for 2026, which will raise the limit for purchasing goods from Thong Fah shops from 300 baht per person per month to 1,000 baht per person per month in October 2026, an increase of 700 baht per person per month, and the additional Thai Help Thai Plus 60/40 project, which extends the period by another two months, from October 1 to November 30, 2026, with the state co-paying 60%, capped at no more than 200 baht per person per day and no more than 1,000 baht per person over the entire project period. The funds come from the remaining 44 billion baht of the first tranche of the 400 billion baht emergency loan decree. Both measures will cover 47 million people and are expected to help push GDP up by 0.1-0.2%, from the government portion alone, with confirmation that for the full year it remains confident the Thai economy will expand by 2.5%. Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary Lavaron Sangsnit said no funds have yet been shifted from the second tranche, and noted that Fitch Ratings' upgrade of Thailand's credit outlook from negative to stable reflects the government's commitment to strictly maintaining fiscal discipline. Meanwhile, Fiscal Policy Office Director Winich Wisetsuwannaphum said the Cabinet also approved improvements to the eligibility criteria for the state welfare card project, exempting students, community business groups, and holders of securities with combined stock and bond values of no more than 5,000 baht, and adjusting the vehicle criteria to exempt motorcycles no more than 15 years old, as well as cars, trailers, and agricultural vehicles more than 20 years old. The 60/40 subsidy measure still covers the original target group of 25 million people, of whom about 1 million will have their eligibility shifted to the state welfare card group. Based on monitoring of consumer behavior over the past three months, it was found that an average of 51% of users had leftover unused funds, prompting the decision to extend the project. The eligibility verification and review process will be completed and results officially announced on September 30, and those granted state welfare card eligibility will begin receiving transfers of 1,000 baht in October.