The Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) is one of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) major social protection programs aimed at providing targeted social assistance to individuals whose incomes are insufficient to meet their basic needs, specifically during periods of high inflation. The program serves as a safety net for working individuals, usually not covered by traditional poverty protection programs of the government, but vulnerable to economic shocks. AKAP provides temporary relief to vulnerable working sectors, allowing them to cope with the increasing cost of living and prevent them from slipping into poverty. 

In 2024, AKAP was authorized under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2024, Special Provision No. 3, and implemented through Memorandum Circular No. 30, series of 2024, or the “Consolidated Implementation Guidelines of the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program.” Clients during this period included minimum wage earners in the formal sector and low-income earners in both formal and informal sectors, whose income was barely sufficient to cover basic living expenses.

In 2025, the program’s coverage was refined to focus exclusively on individuals earning below the statutory minimum wage as set by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB). Under this new guideline, minimum wage earners were no longer eligible for the program. This update, authorized under the GAA of 2025, Special Provision No. 3, and implemented through Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2025-01 or the “2025 Guidelines of the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program,” aims to direct assistance to those in greatest financial need.

AKAP provides various types of assistance to address urgent needs, including medical assistance for hospitalization and treatment, funeral assistance to help with burial expenses, food assistance for immediate sustenance, cash relief assistance for other pressing necessities, and rice subsidies to ease the economic burden of food costs. 

Through the AKAP, the DSWD reaffirms its commitment to protecting the most economically vulnerable sectors of society, ensuring that those severely affected by inflation and earning below the minimum wage have access to essential aid that can help them stabilize their situation and recover from financial hardship.