As the government prepares to begin the disbursement of the one-off $300 Solidarity Allowance to residents on May 14, citizens are being urged to remain vigilant and guard against scams designed to exploit the initiative.
Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Ryan Straughn, issued the warning during a media briefing on Saturday, cautioning that bad actors may attempt to take advantage of the payment process by targeting vulnerable individuals for personal information.
“Nobody is going to be coming to anybody’s house in Barbados asking for information in relation to the Solidarity Allowance. Nobody is going to be sending any social media posts asking for information in relation to the Solidarity Allowance. The national insurance and the Barbados Revenue Authority, along with GIS (Government Information Service), will be posting information and frequently asked questions about how to access the Solidarity Allowance,” he said.
The Solidarity Allowance, first announced earlier this year, is intended to provide financial support to a broad cross-section of the population.
The National Insurance and Social Security Service (NISSS), which received $55 million from the government on March 31, is playing a central role in facilitating the disbursement process.
“If everybody in Barbados came forward, it would probably cost us in the region of $63 million. We transferred $55 million at the end of the financial year, so as NIS goes through the process with the other agencies, they’re going to map [it] and if there’s a need for us to top up, we’ll top up in June,” the minister explained.
According to Minister Straughn, systems are being finalised to ensure the smooth and secure distribution of the tax-free payment to all eligible recipients.
He said the allowance will be paid to employees in both the public and private sectors, workers at state-owned enterprises, and recipients of contributory and non-contributory pensions.
He explained that government employees will receive their payments directly through the Treasury, while employees of state-owned enterprises will be paid by their respective agencies under the direction of the NISSS. Pensioners and individuals receiving other NISSS benefits – including those under contributory and non-contributory schemes – will be paid via the agency.
“There’s no need for a pensioner to come to the NIS or to any of the post offices. Pensions are paid by the national insurance every month, and we’ll simply use that information to pay the Solidarity Allowance,” he added.
Other qualifying categories include individuals who turned 18 before April 1, 2025, but are not registered with any of the agencies; caregivers who are not contributing to NIS; persons over the age of 65 who do not receive any pension; and unemployed persons who may not have made NIS contributions.
For those whose banking information is not held by either the NIS or the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA), banking information can be provided or payments can be made by cheque once the necessary details have been communicated.
Minister Straughn also noted that measures are being implemented to avoid double payments, particularly for individuals receiving welfare.
“There are some people who work and receive welfare benefits and some who don’t. We’ve been working with the administrative teams to ensure those people are… not paid more than once. The Treasury, along with the Social Empowerment Agency and the NIS, [are working] to ensure the information is clean [to avoid] overlap,” he added. (BT)
