WBB Gov LK _ Welfare Benefits Board - https://wbb.gov.lk - Discussions

The Welfare Benefits Board (WBB) is the Sri Lankan government board that runs Aswesuma, the country's main welfare benefit programme. If your family applied for Aswesuma and updated its information this year, there is news you need to see: the first updated beneficiary list is out now. A total of 2,383,630 families completed the information update by October 27, 2026. Of those, 991,800 families qualified for payments — 363,142 in the extremely poor tier and 628,658 in the poor tier. Another 1,391,830 families did not qualify this round. The full name list sits on the official board website and is also posted at Divisional Secretariat offices and Grama Niladhari offices across the country. If your name is missing and you believe that is a mistake, the appeals and objections window is open from October 29 to November 11, 2026.

Quick facts

• Programme: Aswesuma, run by the Welfare Benefits Board under the Welfare Benefits Act No. 24 of 2002
• Extremely poor tier: Rs 17,500 per month, paid for 36 months
• Poor tier: Rs 10,000 per month, paid for 24 months
• New list: 991,800 qualified families out of 2,383,630 who updated their information
• Appeals and objections: October 29 to November 11, 2026
• Bank-account opening letters: issued from November 12, 2026
• First payments to newly eligible families: credited November 27, 2026
• WBB helpline: 1924
• Official website: www.wbb.gov.lk

Who qualifies, and how the tiers work

Aswesuma is not first come, first served. Every applicant household gets scored with a Proxy Means Test, a formula the Department of Census and Statistics uses to estimate how well off a family actually is. The score looks at your housing, assets, income sources, family size and similar facts collected during the survey. Families are then sorted into payment tiers based on that score.

Two tiers are paying right now. Extremely poor households receive Rs 17,500 a month for 36 months. Poor households receive Rs 10,000 a month for 24 months. One rule catches many people out: if your household has two members or fewer, you get half the tier amount — Rs 8,750 or Rs 5,000 a month. The payment assumes a typical family size, so very small households are paid at the reduced rate.

Two older tiers have ended. The transitional tier, which paid Rs 5,000 for six months, finished in April 2025. The vulnerable tier, Rs 5,000 a month for 12 months, was discontinued in June 2026. If you were on one of those tiers and your payments stopped, that is why. Families from those groups were part of the information update this year, and some have moved into the two paying tiers on the new list.

How to check your name on the new list

The fastest check is online. Go to the official board site, www.wbb.gov.lk, or the name-list portal at iwms.wbb.gov.lk, and search with the National Identity Card (NIC) number of the applicant. Our step-by-step walkthrough on checking your name on the Aswesuma beneficiary list covers each screen, including what to do if the search shows nothing.

No internet at home? The same list is displayed at your Divisional Secretariat office and at Grama Niladhari offices. Take your NIC with you. Staff there can confirm whether your household is on the list and which tier you fall into. If you run into problems at any point, the WBB helpline 1924 is the number to call before you travel a long way.

Your name is missing? The appeals window is open

If 1,391,830 families did not qualify, plenty of households will disagree with the result. That is exactly what the appeals window is for. From October 29 to November 11, 2026, you can file an appeal if your family was left out, or an objection if you believe a listed family should not be there. Objections can even be filed anonymously.

You have two ways to file. Online, use the e-services portal at eservices.wbb.gov.lk. On paper, pick up a form from your Divisional Secretariat office or download one from the board's website, fill it in, and hand it back before the deadline. Read our full guide on how to appeal if your name is missing from the list before you file — it explains what details to double-check first, because one appeal filed with correct facts beats a rushed one.

When the money arrives

For families who qualified on this first updated list, the timeline is already fixed. Bank-account opening letters start going out from November 12, 2026. If you do not already have a suitable bank account, that letter is what you take to the bank to open one. Payments to newly eligible families are then credited on November 27, 2026.

There is also a second updated list coming. It is expected in December 2026 and will cover another 740,127 families whose information is still being processed. If your household updated its details but does not appear this time, wait for the December list before assuming the worst — and use the appeals window anyway if you believe your score was wrong. Our breakdown of Aswesuma payment amounts in 2026 works through the numbers for different family types.

Extra amounts for elderly and disabled members

The tier payment is not always the whole story. Under a Cabinet decision from March 2025, two supplements top up the monthly amount. Every member of the household aged 70 or above adds an extra Rs 5,000 a month. Every certified disabled member adds an extra Rs 10,000 a month. A household with one grandparent over 70 in the poor tier, for example, receives Rs 15,000 a month instead of Rs 10,000. These extras follow the same half rule for very small households only where the board's rules apply them to the base payment, so check your exact entitlement with the DS office or on 1924 if your family situation is unusual.

Forms and the official portal

There is no Aswesuma app and no file you need to install — anyone selling you one is not connected to the board. Everything official happens on the board's own websites. Our download page explains where the official forms and e-services live and how to reach them safely, including the appeal forms you can print at home.

Questions people ask

Where can I see the full beneficiary list?
On www.wbb.gov.lk and iwms.wbb.gov.lk online, and in printed form at Divisional Secretariat and Grama Niladhari offices.

How much does an extremely poor family get?
Rs 17,500 a month for 36 months. Households of two or fewer members receive half that amount.

When does the appeals window close?
November 11, 2026. File online at eservices.wbb.gov.lk or on paper at your DS office.

When will new beneficiaries be paid?
Bank-account letters start November 12, 2026, and the first payments are credited November 27, 2026.

Is this the official WBB website?
No. This is an independent guide. The only official source is the Welfare Benefits Board at www.wbb.gov.lk — see our disclaimer for the full details.

Aswesuma decisions affect real money for real families, and the next few weeks matter. Check your name this week while the appeals window is open. If something looks wrong, you have until November 11 to say so — that chance does not come back once the window closes.