The government has updated the rules of housing assistance:How to get housing assistance in 2026:Housing assistance is provided to low-income citizens and families with low total income, and housing, utilities, and rental costs (if they come from the public housing stock) exceed the threshold set in the region.Citizens who live in their only home or rent from the public housing stock can receive housing assistance.Who is considered low-income?A low-income family is considered to live in the same housing, which has a share of the maximum allowable expenses set by maslikhats.  Key conditions for receiving assistance:Registration and accommodation: Assistance is provided only at the place of permanent registration and actual residence.Single housing: assistance is provided for only one living space. Citizens must live in their only home or rent it from the state housing stock.Income accounting: Family income is calculated for the quarter preceding the quarter of circulation. All types of income are taken into account: salary, allowances, alimony, income from business, rent, securities, donations, etc., with the exception of those specified in the Rules for Housing Assistance (Order No. 117 of the Minister of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated December 8, 2023).Appointment period: Housing assistance is assigned for a quarter (3 months). After this period, you must submit the application again and confirm your income and expenses.Who is compensated for utilities? New rules and procedures for appointmentHousing assistance compensates low-income citizens for part of the costs in the following categories:Utilities: water, light, heating, gas supply;housing maintenance and major repairs;communication services (for example, telephone subscription fees);rent for housing received from the state housing fund.It is important to know that: assistance is provided for only one living space;The assistance does not cover the cost of renting a home from a private individual;The assistance does not cover excessive consumption of utilities;The assistance does not cover consumption exceeding the established housing area standards;In case of income concealment, assistance may be canceled and demanded to be refunded.How do they consider housing assistance now:uniform limits and 18 square meters per person, for a single person living no more than 30 square meters.The calculation of housing assistance is based on a comparison of the actual family expenses with the limit of the allowable share of expenses established in the region.Calculation formula:Housing assistance = Actual expenses (for utilities, maintenance of housing and adjacent territory, major repairs, rent, etc.) – The maximum allowable level of expenses.The application can be submitted in two ways:Through the portal eGov.kz (the service is called "Housing Assistance Assignment").Personally at the Public Service Center (PSC) at the place of residence.The application review period is 6 working days.For registration of a housing permit, you must:identification card;documents confirming the family's income for the previous quarter before applying;utility bills for the previous quarter (heating, water, light, gas, and others), as well as for housing maintenance and major repairs;receipts or a contract for communication services (telephone, etc.);if the housing is rented from the state fund, a document confirming the lease, with the specified amount of payment.;bank account number (IBAN).Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/social-abay/press/news/details/1141886?lang=kk

The online service for obtaining a state registration license plate was launched in pilot mode on January 8, 2026, through the eGov.kz portal and the eGov Mobile application, without prior announcement. Over 113 000 applications were submitted during the first two days, and as of January 15, the total number exceeded 226 000.The popularity of the service confirms the convenience of the online application process. In certain instances, users may find that the selected number plate appears as available for reservation even after payment. In most cases, this is due to the application not being finalized at the last stage. In this case, users should re-submit the application, select the “Previously Paid” option at step three, and indicate the bank and payment date. Upon completion of the procedure, the number plate is reserved for the user and is no longer available to others.If a user decides to cancel the purchase of a state registration license plate, they can request a refund. Further details on how to request a refund will be provided on the eGov.kz page and social media platforms.The National Information Technologies JSC team continues to work on improving the service, considering both user experience and the high workload. Every submitted application will be handled.Thank you for using digital public services and for your understanding.Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/aqmola-selinograd/press/news/details/1141850?lang=kk

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mod/press/news/details/1141692?lang=kk

Seminars and meetings on compliance with the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ethics Code of Civil Servants of the Republic of Kazakhstan were held in the regional departments of entrepreneurship, energy and public utilities, and passenger transport and highways, with the participation of the Ethics Commissioner.The discussion focused on the organization of work in government agencies to prevent offenses and disciplinary infractions, the implementation of the Roadmap for Promoting the Professional and Personal Qualities of Civil Servants in Accordance with the Ideals of "Adal Azamat" for 2025-2027, the Comprehensive Plan to Combat Illegal Gambling and Ludomania in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2024-2026, the Concept for Promoting the Ideology of Law and Order in Society for 2025-2030 (responsible person), and adherence to the principles of a secular state.K. Syundikov raised issues of organizing oversight over the use of state property, including: Official vehicles of subordinate organizations (installation of GPS systems, regulations for the use of official vehicles, etc.)The agenda includes issues such as developing an anti-corruption culture (VAKR), compliance with memos and recommendations in the civil service, organizing legal training, interaction with civil society institutions, and developing volunteer initiatives.Teams were informed of the results of the anonymous survey in 2025. K. Syundikov, Ethics CommissionerState Institution "Office of the Akim of Kostanay Region."Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/kostanay/press/news/details/1141733?lang=kk

 How have pension benefit payments from the UAPF changed in 2026? The amount of pension benefits from the UAPF to pensioners who retired early, before 2026, increased by 5% effective January 1.As a reminder, benefits from the UAPF are paid in accordance with the Methodology for Calculating Pension Benefits, approved by the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated June 30, 2023. According to this method, payments to citizens retiring are calculated as follows: in the first year of receiving benefits, the amount of pension savings is multiplied by the pension savings payment rate of 6.5% and divided by 12. In subsequent years, the monthly pension benefit is increased by the pension payment indexation rate of 5%. Moreover, the monthly pension benefit from the UAPF is made in an amount of at least 70% of the subsistence minimum (hereinafter referred to as the SM), established for the corresponding financial year by the law on the republican budget (in 2025, the SM is 50,851 tenge).For beneficiaries of certain categories: individuals with permanent disability groups 1 or 2, as well as those who worked in hazardous and dangerous industries, whose savings were formed through compulsory occupational pension contributions for at least sixty months, the Methodology provides for adjustment factors that increase the monthly pension benefit amount. For individuals who meet more than one of the above conditions, the adjustment factor with the highest value is applied.Pension benefits from the UAPF are paid until the pension savings in the individual pension savings account are depleted. What is the employer’s compulsory pension contribution rate in 2026?Effective January 1, 2026, the employer's compulsory pension contribution rate (ECPC) increased to 3.5% of employee income (the ECPC rate increases annually in stages: 1.5% in 2024, 2.5% in 2025, 3.5% in 2026, 4.5% in 2027, and 5% in 2028).As a reminder, effective January 1, 2024, Kazakhstan's funded pension system was supplemented with a new component: employer's compulsory pension contributions (ECPC). According to the adopted amendments, each employer is required to transfer to the UAPF, in addition to the compulsory 10% contribution of employee income, additional contributions from their own funds for the benefit of their employees born after January 1, 1975.The amount from which the ECPC is calculated cannot be less than the minimum wage (MW) or exceed 50 times the MW established for the relevant year. Persons of retirement age, those with permanent disabilities of groups 1 and 2, military personnel, and persons born before January 1, 1975, are exempt from paying the ECPC.           What is a “special tax regime” (STR)? Effective January 1, 2026, in connection with the entry into force of the new Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan and amendments to the Social Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, updated special tax regimes (STRs) were introduced in Kazakhstan: STRs for the self-employed, STRs based on a simplified tax return, and STRs for peasant or farm households (PFHs). These regimes regulate not only the payment of taxes by self-employed citizens but also compulsory pension contributions.What is the purpose of the updated "special tax regimes" (STR)?The implementation of the STR for the self-employed, the STR based on a simplified tax return, and the STR for peasant farms aims to:expand coverage of the pension and social system through the active involvement of the self-employed and micro-businesses;simplify business operations for millions of Kazakhstani citizens;further digitalize tax administration through mobile apps and online platforms.These innovations will enable the accumulation of pension savings, ensure social security for working citizens, and create incentives for them to come out of the shadow economy. 5) What types of “special tax regimes” have been introduced? STR for self-employed individuals, including those operating using internet platformsThe STR for the self-employed, which will be implemented starting in 2026, is intended for individuals (Kazakhstan citizens, qandas) who are not individual entrepreneurs (IEs) and do not employ employees. The STR for the self-employed applies to a limited list of activities approved by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan.The income limit for self-employed individuals applying the STR for a calendar month must not exceed 300 times the monthly calculation index (MCI) in effect as of January 1 of the relevant financial year (3,600 MCI per year).Self-employed individuals applying this STR independently pay mandatory pension contributions (CPC) and employer mandatory pension contributions (ECPC) on their income.The STR pension contribution rates for the self-employed are:CPC – 1% of income,ECPC – 1% of income.Self-employed individuals will apply this STR using a dedicated mobile app, based on their receipts and other information on income received from other sources. Income recording in areas without a public telecommunications network under the STR for self-employed individuals is maintained using a simple form developed independently by the individual, indicating the date, transaction type, amounts received for each transaction, and the total amount for each day and month.For self-employed individuals applying STR and operating through internet platforms and/or mobile apps for platform employment, the internet platform operator will withhold and transfer CPC and ECPC.  STR based on simplified declaration Individual entrepreneurs and legal entities resident in the Republic of Kazakhstan may use the STR based on a simplified tax return, with the exception of taxpayers specified in paragraph 2 of Article 723 of the Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (legal entities in which the shareholding of other legal entities exceeds 25 percent, non-profit organizations, participants in special economic and industrial zones, etc.).The following entities may use the STR based on a simplified tax return under certain conditions:- whose maximum income for the calendar year does not exceed 600,000 times the minimum calculation index (MCI) in effect as of January 1 of the relevant financial year;- those engaged in activities not included in the list established by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan for which the use of the STR based on a simplified tax return is prohibited.The standard contribution rates for STRs based on the simplified declaration are:CPC - 10% of income,ECPC - 3.5% of income in 2026, increasing annually to 5% in 2028.  STR for peasant or farm households Peasant farm enterprises (PFEs) may apply the STR for peasant farm enterprises (PFEs) if they own and/or use land plots in Kazakhstan (including secondary land use rights).The selected STR for a PFE is not subject to change during the calendar year, except in cases where the PFE's activities no longer meet the conditions for its application. The STR pension contribution rates for PFEs are:CPC - 10% of income,ECPC - 3.5% of income in 2026, with an annual increase to 5% in 2028. Payment of CPC, ECPC under the STR for the self-employed, STR based on a simplified declaration, and STR for PFEs is due no later than the 25th day of the month following the month in which income is received.             Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/vko-ulken-naryn/press/news/details/1141826?lang=kk