Transfer payments

Transfer payments

Payments from a government to its citizens, such as welfare and other government benefits.

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Transfer payments

Money that a government gives to individuals, usually because of a social welfare program. For example, elderly people in the United States who have paid FICA taxes for a certain number of years receive a Social Security check from the government every month. This is a transfer payment. Another type of transfer payment is money given to a state or province with the proviso that it will fund the state or province's social welfare programs. For example, under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act in the United States, each state receives a certain amount of money from the federal government to fund welfare and similar programs for the poor.