Sunday 11 / January / 2026
Muscat: The Royal directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to amend the provisions of certain social protection schemes reaffirm the government’s established approach to developing the social protection system, enhancing the fairness of entitlement, and improving the efficiency of directing benefits to the most eligible.
This aligns with economic and social changes and places the individual and the family at the forefront of national priorities.
The Royal directives aim to regulate support for societal groups, particularly the most vulnerable, ensuring that support is directed equitably to those entitled to it.
They take into account the circumstances of low-income families, women, widows, and divorcees, guarantee no harm to beneficiaries, and enhance procedural control.
They ensure the continuity of disbursements according to approved regulations and the integration of verification mechanisms and data exchange. This framework safeguards rights, ensures proper implementation, and solidifies principles of transparency and justice, thereby enhancing confidence in the system and reassuring beneficiaries.
The Royal blessings included amendments to the provisions of certain social protection schemes. The monthly Senior Citizens Scheme (for those aged 60 and above) of OMR115 will continue to be disbursed to beneficiaries whose monthly income is OMR1,020 or less.
For beneficiaries whose monthly incomes exceed OMR1,020 but are less than OMR1,250, their entitlement will be progressively reduced. Furthermore, individuals whose income reaches OMR1,250 or higher will no longer be eligible for the benefit.
The Royal blessings also stipulated that child support payments and children’s shares from pensions shall not be counted as part of the family income of a widow or divorcee when calculating the Household Income Support Scheme.
Additionally, the calculation of equivalent income based on work capability for determining the Household Income Support Benefit has been abolished for a number of cases.
These cases include: unmarried women who are 40 years of age or older; divorced women with children who are 40 years of age or older; divorced women with children not in their custody; and widows without children. The maximum benefit for these cases will be set at OMR115 per month instead of OMR80.
The Royal blessings further included adding daughters and divorced women who lost their fathers, aged between 31 and 39 years, to the cases considered as independent families for the purpose of eligibility for the Household Income Support Scheme. -ONA
Additionally, the Royal blessings included adding parents as eligible beneficiaries for the death pension, provided the deceased insured person has no other eligible dependents from the categories of spouse or children. In the absence of parents, grandparents shall be considered in their stead.
These Royal directives contribute to achieving the objectives of the social protection system, which serves as a cornerstone of societal stability and comprehensive national development, fulfilling the purpose for which this national system was established.
