The FSE+ changes its cards: 100% initial load and quarterly…

The General Directorate of Social Protection and Priority Action Neighborhoods has modified the regulatory framework of the ESF+ Basic Material Assistance program in Andalusia so that food cards are loaded in a single installment with 100% of the annual amount recognized for each family unit. The decision is published in the Official Gazette of the Junta de Andalucía no. 205, of October 22, 2026, through the Resolution of October 16, 2026 (reference 00345063), and takes effect from the day following its publication, that is, October 23.

The framework being modified

The corrected regulation is the Resolution of June 24, 2026, from the same General Directorate, published in the Official Gazette of the Junta de Andalucía no. 124, of June 30, 2026, which configured the access conditions, the territorial distribution of resources, the duration and amount of the resource, and the usage regime of the cards. That text set a general access deadline until October 31, 2028, while its Annex 1 established the territorial distribution of economic resources and the deadlines for referral and use of the cards linked to the initial economic forecasts.

The competent department is the Ministry of Social Services, Families and Equality, and the resolution is issued by virtue of the powers attributed by article 8.2, letters a), c) and i), of Decree 196/2026, of July 30, which establishes the organic structure of the Ministry. The text is signed in Seville, on October 16, 2026, by the director general, Antonio Ismael Huertas Mateo.

Single 100% load with resources from Annex 1

The new system differentiates loads according to the origin of the funds. When the referral is made against the resources established in Annex 1, the activation of the card will involve a single initial load equivalent to 100% of the annual amount recognized for the family unit, without subsequent periodic reloads during the validity of the resource.

Quarterly reloads for new distributions

When the referral is made against new distributions of economic resources, the first load will cover the amount for one quarter and subsequent reloads will be made automatically on the first day of the month in which each quarter is completed. In both cases, the unconsumed balance will accumulate to be used in subsequent months, until the end of the resource’s validity period.

No changes in amounts, requirements, or duration

The adaptation exclusively affects the temporal distribution of charges and refills. It does not modify the resource amounts established based on the number of people in the family unit, nor the program access requirements, nor the planned duration of participation. Nor does it alter the general access period, which remains open from the day following the publication of the resolution until October 31, 2028, as the deadline for making referrals, without prejudice to the deadlines in Annex 1 and any new deadlines that may be set with subsequent distributions.

The changes are specified in three sections of the previous text:

Section 9 of the fifth resolution, which conditions access to the availability of economic resources and referral deadlines.
Sections 2 and 4 of the eighth resolution, regarding territorial distribution and conditioning access to the availability of resources.
Sections 5 and 6 of the ninth resolution, which regulate the system of charges and refills and the general access period.

Impact for families and managing entities

The change has a direct effect on the recipient families and the entities that manage the food cards: those referred against the initially planned resources will receive the entire annual amount at once, while referrals linked to resource expansions will be collected quarterly. The accumulation of the unused balance provides family units with the flexibility to organize purchases throughout the validity of the resource, and the simplification of refills reduces the administrative burden on the entities operating the program in Andalusia.

Source: Official Gazette of the Junta de Andalucía, no. 205, of October 22, 2026, 1. General Provisions, page 13833 (official reference: 00345063).