Ministry provides Clarification regarding the Revised Standard Means Test
The Ministry of the People, Social Development and Family Services (MPSDFS) takes this opportunity to clarify information shared by the Honourable Vandana Mohit, Minister of the People, Social Development and Family Services, during a presentation in the Parliament on the implementation of the Ministry’s revised Standard Means Test (SMT).
This is considered necessary to eliminate any confusion among members of the public, regarding this important social protection reform, designed to expand access to assistance for poor and vulnerable individuals and families, across Trinidad and Tobago.
As would have been mentioned by the Honourable Minister, the national poverty line has not been updated since the 2005 Survey of Living Conditions. Moreover, the MPSDFS’ SMT was introduced in 2018, using a 2016 estimated poverty line (threshold) of $1,439.02 (per month per adult equivalent) to determine the eligibility of persons/households for benefits.
Recognising the need to ensure that the social protection system is grounded in current realities, Cabinet approved the establishment of an Inter-Ministerial Committee in July 2025, to undertake a comprehensive review of the MPSDFS’ SMT. Following an extensive evidence-based assessment, Cabinet approved the Committee’s recommendations in February 2026. Among the key reforms approved were updated poverty thresholds to more accurately and realistically assess household vulnerability, thereby ensuring that access to social services is afforded to those genuinely in need.
The MPSDFS wishes to underscore the fact that the revised SMT thresholds do not constitute a revision of Trinidad and Tobago's official national poverty line. The responsibility for determining the national indigence line, poverty line and vulnerability line lies with the Central Statistical Office (CSO). The CSO remains the authority responsible for conducting the Survey of Living Conditions and related national assessments.
The revised SMT thresholds are administrative tools, approved specifically for use within the MPSDFS's eligibility assessment framework, to improve the targeting and delivery of social assistance programmes.
Implementation of the revised SMT takes effect on June 1, 2026, as part of the Government's broader commitment to protecting the people of Trinidad and Tobago, through evidence-based social investment and responsive public policy.
The Ministry of the People, Social Development and Family Services remains committed to ensuring that social assistance programmes are administered fairly, efficiently and compassionately, and that support reaches those who need it most.