AsiaNews Iran's Business Desk — Iranian households entered Bahman 1404 with several welfare dates to track: the monthly payment for families supported by relief organisations, two cash-subsidy instalments and the second round of electronic grocery credit. Bahman 1404 ran from January 21 to February 19, 2026, so the dates below are also given in the Gregorian calendar.
Iran's February 2026 subsidy timetable
| Support |
Eligible group |
Persian-calendar date |
Gregorian date |
Amount |
| Welfare pension |
Relief Committee and Welfare Organisation households |
20 Bahman |
February 9, 2026 |
Monthly entitlement |
| Cash subsidy |
Income deciles 1-3 |
25 Bahman |
February 14, 2026 |
400,000 tomans per person |
| Cash subsidy |
Income deciles 4-9 |
30 Bahman |
February 19, 2026 |
300,000 tomans per person |
| Electronic grocery credit |
Deciles 1-3 |
From 15 Bahman |
From February 4, 2026 |
1 million tomans in purchase credit |
| Electronic grocery credit |
Deciles 4-7 |
From 20 Bahman |
From February 9, 2026 |
1 million tomans in purchase credit |
| Electronic grocery credit |
Deciles 8-10 |
From 25 Bahman |
From February 14, 2026 |
1 million tomans in purchase credit |
Iran combined monthly cash support with a staged electronic grocery-credit programme in Bahman 1404.
Cash support and grocery credit are not the same
The cash subsidy is deposited in the bank account registered to the household head and can be withdrawn. The electronic coupon, by contrast, is non-cash credit intended for approved essential goods at participating shops. The distinction matters: a household may see no new money in its account even though grocery credit has become available.
The programme reflects two different policy goals. Cash gives families flexibility to meet rent, transport or other immediate costs. Restricted grocery credit tries to protect part of the food basket from inflation and to direct public support toward basic consumption. In practice, its value depends on accurate eligibility data, reliable payment systems and enough participating retailers.
The budget question behind the payments
Contemporary Iranian estimates put the monthly cost of cash subsidies at more than 32 trillion tomans and the cost of one electronic-coupon round above 70 trillion tomans. Combined commitments could therefore exceed 100 trillion tomans. The figures illustrate why welfare reform remains one of Iran's most difficult fiscal debates.
A subsidy protects purchasing power only when its real value does not fall faster than household prices rise.
For lower-income families, even a modest transfer can matter immediately. Yet if support is financed through a widening deficit or monetary expansion, part of the benefit may return as inflation. The long-term challenge is therefore not simply how much to pay, but how to target assistance without weakening the same purchasing power it is designed to protect.
Why the Iranian context is unusual
Many countries combine cash transfers with food assistance, but Iran's system operates under high inflation, sanctions, volatile oil revenue and a national income-decile database that is regularly disputed by households. That makes eligibility reviews politically sensitive. A family can lose access after a change in recorded assets or income even when its day-to-day finances remain strained.
Iran also has a long history of universal price subsidies, especially for energy and basic goods. The shift toward targeted cash and electronic credit is an attempt to make support more transparent, but it transfers much of the administrative burden to household databases, banks and retail payment networks.
What households should check
- The bank account registered to the household head for cash payments.
- The household's current income-decile classification.
- Electronic-coupon credit separately from the cash-account balance.
- Official welfare channels before responding to links circulated on social media.
Fraudulent messages often exploit welfare-payment dates. Households should not pay intermediaries or enter banking details on an unknown page promising immediate registration. An eligibility objection should be filed only through the official welfare process.
Frequently asked questions
When was the February 2026 cash subsidy paid to deciles 1-3?
The scheduled date was 25 Bahman 1404, equivalent to February 14, 2026.
When was the payment for deciles 4-9?
The announced date was 30 Bahman 1404, or February 19, 2026.
Could the electronic coupon be withdrawn as cash?
No. It was purchase credit for eligible basic goods at participating retailers.
Did decile 10 receive the monthly cash subsidy?
No. Decile 10 was outside the ordinary cash-subsidy programme, although the announced second grocery-credit timetable included access for deciles 8-10.
How effective are cash subsidies and electronic grocery credit in protecting Iranian households? Share your view in the comments below this report with readers of AsiaNews Iran.