Social benefits, as a form of income redistribution, refer to all benefits paid by social protection organizations to their beneficiaries.
Social benefits can be in cash or in kind:
- Cash social benefits (replacement income such as daily allowances)
- In-kind social benefits (reimbursement of expenses incurred or direct financing of services)
There are six categories of social benefits depending on risks for society:
- Social benefit related to “old age-survival”
- Social benefit related to “health”
- Social benefit related to “maternity-family”
- Social benefit related to “employment”
- Social benefit related to “housing”
- Social benefit related to “poverty-social exclusion”
