UNHCR Cash Assistance

UNHCR started a quarterly cash assistance eligibility cycle in January 2024.  This means that families included in a specific quarterly cash assistance cycle will receive an SMS from UNHCR stating that they can expect cash assistance from UNHCR every month for that specific quarter (for a total of three months).  This SMS will be sent to the selected families at the beginning of each quarter.

UNHCR uses the calendar year for its quarterly cash assistance cycles:

• Quarter 1: January through March
• Quarter 2: April through June
• Quarter 3: July through September
• Quarter 4: October through December

A family that is included in one quarterly cash assistance cycle are not guaranteed to be included in a future quarterly cycle.

You will know if you are included in a specific quarter if you receive a SMS from UNHCR stating this.  If you do not receive an SMS stating that you are on a quarterly cash assistance cycle, then you will not receive cash assistance from UNHCR that specific quarter.

There are many reasons why UNHCR now provides its cash assistance on a quarterly basis.

• It gives cash assistance recipients more flexibility. The quarterly cycle gives recipients more time to withdraw and use their cash assistance, saving time and transport costs. For ATM card holders, and CAB iris-scan users, this means that once you receive the SMS from UNHCR informing you that your transfer was made, you decide when to withdraw it. You will have two and a half months to access your cash assistance from the ATM.  You decide when and how often you want to withdraw your assistance.

• It provides refugees with greater predictability. If your family is informed by SMS that it is included in the quarterly cycle, then you are guaranteed to receive cash assistance every month for the three months of the specific quarter.  If your family is not included in the cash list, i.e., did not receive a UNHCR SMS stating that you are included, then you know that you will not receive cash assistance for that specific three-month quarter.  This predictability allows you and your family to plan better and make more informed decisions about your finances.

• It gives cash assistance recipients and UNHCR more time to solve withdrawal issues. This 3-month assistance cycle enables UNHCR to provide better services to its refugee recipients because it gives both cash recipients and UNHCR more time to troubleshoot and solve any technical issues related to the assistance withdrawal. More time to resolve issues also reduces the number of late payments that UNHCR has to make to the recipients because of technical issues.

If you received a SMS from UNHCR, this means that you will receive cash assistance every month of the specific quarter mentioned in the SMS.  This assistance will be provided so long as your Asylum Seeker Certificate is valid.  It is your responsibility to ensure that your Asylum Seeker Certificate is valid.  UNHCR will not provide you with cash assistance or any other service if this document is not valid.

UNHCR makes its cash assistance decisions based on the information in your UNHCR case file, and from the data collected from you during home visits. It is therefore very important that you inform UNHCR of any significant changes to you and your family’s situation (for example, birth, death, marriage, separation/divorce and/or departure of family members, change in apartment/lodging, changes to medical conditions and/or disabilities of family members, change in phone/contact number, etc.).  It is your responsibility to ensure that your UNHCR case file is accurate and up to date.

As UNHCR has limited funding for its monthly cash assistance programme, UNHCR must prioritize those families that are in greatest need of financial assistance—those with members that are not able to work, for persons with disabilities, serious medical conditions, dependent children, and care givers of dependent persons. At the end of every quarter, UNHCR will decide which families will be included in the next quarter’s cash assistance cycle based on the information in our systems.

There is no guarantee that you family will be either included or excluded from the cash assistance in the next quarter, or in future quarters.

UNHCR does not have enough funding to support all those that need cash assistance to meet their most basic needs.  There are many refugee families that are in extremely difficult situations. Therefore, UNHCR must prioritize who it can support, and many families that need assistance won’t receive it just because UNHCR doesn’t have enough money to help everyone.

UNHCR considers a variety of factors when deciding which families are prioritized for its quarterly cash assistance. In general, families that are not able to meet their most basic  or survival needs on their own—i.e., family members may have debilitating medical conditions, severe disabilities, caregiver responsibilities, etc.– for such persons, etc.), and do not have anyone who is able to work, are the ones that receive the highest priority for UNHCR basic needs cash assistance.

UNHCR makes its cash assistance decisions based on the information in the UNHCR refugee case files.  UNHCR also uses the information gathered during refugee home visits and other assessments.  UNHCR cash assistance priorities are based on refugee perspectives and recommendations—gathered through a consultative process involving refugees from different nationalities, profiles, gender, geographic locations, and age groups—for who is “vulnerable” and “in need” of financial assistance.

The most important thing you can do is to make sure that your UNHCR case file is up to date and that your Asylum Seeker Certificate is valid. It is your responsibility to ensure that the information that UNHCR has for you and your family is accurate—including your phone number.

UNHCR does not have enough funding to support all those that need cash assistance and must therefore prioritize who it can support with this type of assistance.  UNHCR’s cash assistance prioritizes families that are in greatest need of financial assistance for their very survival.  UNHCR recognizes that there are many refugee families that are in extremely difficult situations.

To make sure that UNHCR is making informed decisions on your family’s situation, please make sure that your:

• Asylum Seeker Certificate is valid and unexpired. This means scheduling your Asylum Seeker Certificate appointment with UNHCR Registration in a timely manner.
• UNHCR registration case file is accurate. Contact UNHCR is there has been a:
  • Change to your phone number
  • Birth or death
  • Marriage, separation or divorce
  • Change in a family member’s health (new or worsening medical condition/s, disabilities, etc).
  • migration of a family member

To update your UNHCR case file, please call UNHCR helpline on 064008000 to arrange an appointment with UNHCR registration.

It is very important that UNHCR has your most updated phone number.  You may update your phone number with UNHCR by calling the UNHCR Helpline (064008000) or by making an appointment with UNHCR.

No. You will not receive a lump sum payment for all three months of the quarter.  If you have been notified that you are prioritized for cash assistance in a given quarter, you can expect to receive cash assistance every month, for the three months of that quarter.  You will not receive a lump sum payment worth three months of cash assistance.

Please be aware that your case may or may not be prioritized for the next quarterly cash assistance cycle.  Only those families that are included in the cash assistance cycle will be notified via SMS by UNHCR.  If you do not receive a SMS at the beginning of a specific quarter, you are not prioritized for cash assistance for that quarter.

Only families that are to be included in the next quarterly cash assistance cycle will be informed by UNHCR via SMS.  UNHCR will not be informing refugee families if they are not included in a given quarterly cash assistance cycle.  All included families will receive a SMS message from UNHCR by the first week of the quarter.

If you are included in UNHCR’s quarterly cash assistance cycle, this decision is valid for three months.  In other words, you will not be informed via SMS by UNHCR.  Only those families that are included in the quarterly cycle are informed via SMS. You family will not be considered for cash assistance until the next quarterly cash assistance cycle.

No. UNHCR will not inform families if they are not included in the next quarterly cash assistance cycle. Only families that are to be included in the next quarterly cash assistance cycle will be informed by UNHCR via SMS.  UNHCR will not be informing refugee families if they are not included in the quarterly cash assistance cycle.  All included families will receive a SMS message from UNHCR by the second week of the quarter.

UNHCR will no longer be sending out two month “cancellation” notifications. If you are included, or not included, in UNHCR’s quarterly cash cycle, this decision is valid for three months.  In other words, if you are not included in the quarterly cash cycle, you will not be informed via SMS, and you will not be considered for cash assistance until the next quarter.

Please note, just because you weren’t included in one quarter does not mean that you will not be included in another quarter. Similarly, if you received cash assistance from UNHCR during one quarter, there is no guarantee that you will be prioritized to receive this assistance in other quarters.

You can contact the UNHCR Helpline (064008000) at the end of the third month of the quarter (after you have received your final monthly payment of the quarter) to check your inclusion/exclusion status with the UNHCR basic needs cash assistance programme.

You can contact the UNHCR Helpline (064008000) to find out your inclusion/exclusion status for UNHCR cash assistance.

Families who are included in a quarterly cash assistance cycle will be informed by UNHCR via SMS by the end of the second week of each quarter.

If you do not receive a SMS from UNHCR by the end of the second week of a given quarter, this means that your family has not been prioritized for cash assistance that specific quarter.

Please note that the decision to include your family or not for cash assistance is valid and limited to one quarter. In other words, if your family is not included in a given quarterly cash assistance cycle, you will not be notified via SMS, and you will not be considered for cash assistance until the next cycle (after three months).

Likewise, if you receive cash assistance from UNHCR during one quarter, it does not necessarily mean that you will be given priority to receive this assistance in other quarters.

You can contact the UNHCR Helpline (064008000) to find out your inclusion/exclusion status for UNHCR cash assistance.  If you have not received a message from UNHCR by the end of the second week of the quarter, you have not been included in UNHCR’s quarterly cash assistance list.

UNHCR does not have enough funding to support all those that need cash assistance and must therefore prioritize who it can support with this type of assistance.  UNHCR’s cash assistance prioritizes families that are in greatest need of financial assistance for their very survival. There are many refugee families that are in extremely difficult situations.

UNHCR considers a variety of factors when deciding which families to prioritize for their monthly cash assistance. In general, families that are not able to meet their most basic survival needs on their own, have multiple vulnerabilities (e.g., debilitating medical conditions, severe disabilities, caregivers of such persons, etc.), and do not have anyone who is able to work, are the ones that receive the highest priority for UNHCR cash assistance.

To make sure that UNHCR is making informed decisions on your family’s situation, please make sure that your:

• Asylum Seeker Certificate is valid and unexpired. This means scheduling your Asylum Seeker Certificate appointment with UNHCR Registration in a timely manner.
• UNHCR registration case file is accurate. Contact UNHCR is there has been a:
  • Change to your phone number
  • Birth or death
  • Marriage, separation or divorce
  • Change in a family member’s health (new or worsening medical condition/s, disabilities, etc.).
  • migration of a family member

To update your UNHCR case file, please call UNHCR helpline 064008000 to arrange an appointment with UNHCR registration.

It is very important that UNHCR has your most updated phone number.  You may update your phone number with UNHCR by calling the UNHCR Helpline (064008000) or by making an appointment with UNHCR.

UNHCR is not planning to change its cash assistance transfer values or the frequency of the transfers it makes to prioritized families.  However, donor funding to UNHCR in Jordan is reducing because of the many other conflicts happening in the world. This means that UNHCR may have to, in the future, adjust its cash assistance transfer values, the frequency of the cash transfers, or the number of refugee families it can help during the quarterly cash assistance cycles.

UNHCR knows that you face many challenges.  We rely on donor funding, however, to sustain our cash assistance programme. With reduced donor funding, UNHCR has no choice but to reduce its cash assistance programme as a last resort.

For more information on WFP food assistance, please contact WFP directly. UNHCR can only provide you with information about UNHCR assistance.

Yes. How much cash assistance you receive from UNHCR depends on the number of persons on your family’s UNHCR case file. If you have been included in the UNHCR quarterly cash assistance list, and there has been a change to your family size or composition during the quarter, UNHCR will take this into consideration and adjust your monthly cash transfer value accordingly.

The basic needs cash assistance monthly amount detailed in the below table per number of family members:

Contact the UNHCR Helpline (064008000) if you have any difficulties accessing your cash assistance.  A ticket will be created on your behalf, and UNHCR may contact you to resolve the issue.  Please make sure that your phone number is updated—this can be done through the Helpline as well.

Due to the limited funding, UNHCR must prioritize it for those in greatest need of financial support for their survival. UNHCR understands that there are many refugee families that are in extremely difficult situations. However, we use the information available to us to make difficult decisions to prioritize those in greatest need.  While you may feel that your family is in great need but yet not included in a quarterly cash assistance cycle, you don’t know all of the personal details and situations of the families that have been included in a given cycle.

No.  Having a job or a work permit is not one of the criteria considered when UNHCR reviews your family’s eligibility for the quarterly cash assistance cycle.  However, if you have able bodied adults in your family, then this may render you ineligible, as there are many families that don’t have anyone in their family that is able to work at all.

Please note that cash assistance is not a permanent solution.  UNHCR’s ability to provide cash assistance is dependent on donor funding. Therefore, we encourage all refugees to find alternative sources of income (such as obtaining a job or training opportunities), which will help you secure a stable future for you and your families.

UNHCR highly recommends that you obtain a work permit for any work you do. Having a work permit protects you and your rights at work.

No. Inclusion in a quarterly cash assistance cycle does not affect your file’s resettlement opportunities or status determination as an asylum-seeker or refugee.

UNHCR cash assistance is only for refugees living in Jordan. Therefore, it is very important that you keep UNHCR case file up to date with changes to the composition of your family living in Jordan.

If your family’s cash collector leaves Jordan, please ask them to contact the UNHCR helpline to change the family cash collector to someone that is still in country. This should be done before they leave Jordan. The remaining family members can still continue to receive the cash assistance through a different family cash collector during this person’s absence from Jordan.

If a family member, that is not the family cash collector, leaves Jordan, please contact the UNHCR helpline to inform UNHCR of the reduction of your family size.

If your whole family leaves Jordan, then your cash assistance will be suspended and appropriate action will be taken on your UNHCR case file.

If you or your family member/s return to Jordan, please inform UNHCR as soon as possible. UNHCR will evaluate your family situation for consideration for cash assistance.

Please note that only persons with valid Asylum Seeker Certificates are eligible for UNHCR services of any kind

You can call UNHCR helpline and chose the cash assistance option to request to change the family cash collector through the IVR.

No. UNHCR does not have access to your banking information, and any transfers that refugees may receive from abroad or inside the country, whether through the bank, exchange shops, or mobile wallets, are private and confidential.  UNHCR has no access to your financial information.  The only information UNHCR has is if you withdrew your assistance from CAB ATMs, or if the transfer to your mobile wallet was successful.  We do not receive any financial reporting on your personal financial accounts beyond this. Please note that the Government of Jordan does monitor financial transactions over a certain threshold, in compliance with national laws.