Brazilians who received unduly o Emergency Aidpaid during the Covid-19 pandemic, must return it to the government. The MDS (Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger) has already been notifying people, since March, to return the amounts.
Currently, the amount to be refunded to the Union totals R$478.8 million. In total, 177.4 thousand families have amounts to be reimbursed and are being notified via SMS, WhatsApp, email and the Notifica app.
The deadline for returning Emergency Aid to the government is 60 days after notification.
If payment is not made within the deadline, people may be registered in the Union’s Active Debt and Cadin (Informative Register of Unpaid Credits), in addition to being subject to denial by credit protection bodies.
Families that fall into cases of inconsistencies must return to the government, for example: they have a formal employment relationship, receive social security benefits, family income higher than the legal limit, among other situations that make the payment undue.
People in vulnerable situations are not required to return the aid. See who below no need to make a refund:
- Beneficiaries of Bolsa Família and registered in the Single Registry,
- Those who received amounts less than R$1,800 or have a per capita family income of up to two minimum wages,
- Anyone with a monthly family income of up to three minimum wages.
Who should return Emergency Aid? How to pay?
Those who received Emergency Aid in 2020 or 2021, during the pandemic, without meeting the legal eligibility criteria, must return the amounts. Refunds only occur for people notified by the system.
The government identified inconsistencies, such as formal employment, receipt of social security benefits, family income exceeding the legal limit or other situations that indicate improper receipt.
To check whether there is any amount to be returned, it is necessary to access the Vejae system, available on the MDS website, through the Gov.br portal, and check if there is any notification linked to the CPF.
In the Vejae system, in addition to checking the Emergency Aid status, it is possible to present a defense, file an appeal and pay the refund, in cash or in installments.
The system has been available since March 6 of this year, when the reimbursement process began, with the sending of the first notifications.
The return of Emergency Aid is carried out exclusively through the Vejae system, on the PagTesouro platform. Payment can be made via Pix, credit card or bank slip, and there is no interest or fine charged.
People without the financial means to make the return at the moment can pay in up to 60 installments, with a minimum installment of R$50.
Is there a deadline to return the amount received unduly?
The deadline to reimburse the government for the amount received unduly is up to 60 days, counting from the notification or beginning of the installment payment.
To present a defense, if the family does not agree with the charge, the deadline is up to 30 days. If the defense is rejected, the deadline is 45 days for payment or filing of an appeal.
Beware of scams
MDS does not send links or billing slips via email, SMS or WhatsApp. According to the ministry, it is necessary to directly access the official MDS website to check the situation.
In case of doubt, Brazilians should also only use official government channels.
