O food aid is a federal government initiative to integrate the income of millions of workers in Brazil. At first, the purpose of the benefit is to help with the purchase of food products without having to change the salary. However, the program now has new rules.
In short, the new measures approved for the benefit include punishing companies that allow the use of food vouchers to purchase other products or services. That is, expenses that are not related to food, such as utensils, TV plans, clothes and others.
So, the purpose is to take Food Allowance to the maximum number of Brazilians who need the supplement. Therefore, the National Congress approved the new rules, but the MP is still analyzing home office issues. Anyway, keep reading to find out what has changed and how to register and withdraw the benefit.
What is Food Aid?
Food Allowance is paid to workers and features one of the most important benefits for the class. By the way, it has a big impact on the selection processes, as candidates look for salary offers with complements that will better meet their monthly expenses, this includes food.
However, the law governing the benefit has several nuances. Above all, Brazilian legislation only encourages companies to pay their employees assistance, but not that they are obliged to do so. It is a fact that offering good conditions to the team influences the productivity of any organization.
Anyway, the last changes imposed for the payment of the bonus have raised some doubts. Among them, on the new rules for the way of working in “home office“. In this case, the MP was edited by the Federal Government and was approved by the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate.
Meal Voucher X Meal Allowance
First of all, understand the difference between Food Voucher and Food Allowance. Although some people are still confused, these are different benefits that are also imposed under different conditions. In short, one serves to cover meals and the other to cover monthly expenses.
First, let's talk about Food Vouchers or also known as Meal Vouchers. So, as the name suggests, it is used to pay for meals during break times at work. In establishments that sell ready-to-eat foods, such as restaurants.
On the other hand, the Food Allowance is intended to serve to pay monthly expenses, basically an income supplement. In this case, unlike the voucher, it can benefit the individual's entire family, as it can be purchased in supermarkets and the like. That is, food and drink.
New rules approved in MP No. 1,108
According to the sanction of Provisional Measure nº 1.108, now the Food Allowance will have stricter conditions. Incidentally, this means that there will be punishment for companies that allow workers to use the benefit in products or services that do not fit the food genre.
In addition, another modification approved in this MP is the extinction of subsidies that, until then, allowed the contracting of specific card brands. The reason is that workers received discounts on the amount spent, the brands accepted the loss at the time of purchase, but later discounted the loss at the establishments.
However, the practice mentioned above was considered harmful to the worker, since, in the end, markets ended up passing on the price to consumers. As a result, the beneficiaries of the aid bore the costs of the initial subsidy. So, the new rules aim to end this practice.
home office rules
O "home office" has existed since the "Internet” and personal computers began to become popular. From there, organizations and workers began experimenting with remote work. However, the model became even more evident after the Covid-19 pandemic. So, in this case, the Food Allowance regulates:
- Permanence of legal homes provided for in the CLT;
- Possibility of exchanging weekly shifts for production quantity or task performance;
- If the person is hired in Brazil and moves to another country, it will continue under Brazilian law;
- People who have children and people with disabilities will have priority in the home office;
- Trips to the firm's headquarters to carry out specific tasks do not disfigure the home office;
- The operator's professiontelemarketing” does not fit the home office regime;
- Employers will not need to track hours worked, in cases of contracting by production or task.
Therefore, the MP regulates teleworking and these are the main rules of the regime, better known as home office. Therefore, Food Allowance also serves those workers who do not travel to the company's headquarters to carry out their day-to-day work.
How to register and withdraw the benefit
The Food Allowance is directed to civil servants who hold an effective position, a commissioned position, public servant or who have a temporary contract. So, if you are within the conditions to receive the allowance, check out how to register and start receiving it as soon as possible.
- First, go to your smartphone's app store and download the app "SouGov.br“;
- Then open the application and log in with your login details. gov.br, if you haven't already, just create a new record;
- Then, go to the tab “Requests” and choose the option “Food and Meal Assistance“;
- Finally, select the date for which you want to request the benefit and click on “Request Assistance“;
- But first, don't forget to agree to the terms to proceed with the request.
In addition, it is possible to withdraw the amount of the benefit that has been stopped for more than 60 days. Beneficiaries will also be able to carry out the portability of the service, changing the card brand for free, but only from May 2023. Anyway, if you liked the tips, follow our blog and see other interesting subjects, tips and hot news.