Contents of this guide
When PASE-U is paid
The Universal Social Educational Assistance Program (PASE-U) is run by the Institute for the Training and Development of Human Resources (IFARHU) with the Ministry of Education. There are three payments a year and the law leaves each date to the calendar IFARHU sets.
Checked on October 5, 2026, IFARHU’s scholarship calendar showed a single PASE-U row for this school year: the first payment, from July 7 to October 2. For the second there are only statements: La Prensa reported on September 15, quoting IFARHU director general Carlos Godoy, that it will be made in October through the card, with no new queues for guardians who already hold it. No official announcement was found for the third payment of 2026.
Payments this year
| Date | What was paid | Method | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 26 to March 4 | Third PASE-U payment of 2025 | Clave Social, ACH and check | Calendar and payment page |
| July 7 to October 2 | First PASE-U payment of 2026 | Wallet (PUNCH by Caja de Ahorros) | IFARHU calendar |
| October 5 to 10 | First 2026 payment in Bocas del Toro and Kankintú, under way | PUNCH card | IFARHU note |
| No official date | Second and third PASE-U payments of 2026 | Not announced | IFARHU calendar |
Dates in 2026. The payment collected early in the year belonged to the 2025 school year.
First payment schedule by province
IFARHU publishes one PDF per provincial office or regional agency on the PASE-U 2026 first payment page, with the day, the payment center and the schools called. The table shows the first and last date in each document.
| Province or regional office | Dates in the official PDF |
|---|---|
| Los Santos | July 7 to 11 |
| Herrera | July 14 to 18 |
| Coclé | July 21 to 25 |
| Veraguas | July 28 to August 8 |
| Colón | August 11 to 22 |
| Darién | August 25 to 27 |
| Panamá Oeste | Arraiján, August 24 to 29; the rest, August 31 to September 5 |
| Chiriquí | September 7 to 12 |
| San Miguelito and Panamá Norte | September 14 to 16 and 17 to 19 |
| Panamá Centro | September 22 to 25 |
| Panamá Este | Tortí, August 28 and 29; the rest, September 26 to October 2 |
| Bocas del Toro | October 5 to 10 |
| Kankintú (Ngäbe-Buglé comarca) | October 9 |
Source: PDFs on the official first payment page, checked on October 5, 2026. The page did not list Guna Yala or the Emberá-Wounaan comarca.
The official schedules by regional office are on IFARHU’s page.
How to check with the ID and how the money is collected
As of October 5, 2026, IFARHU’s website had no public PASE-U lookup by cédula number. Since July 2026 the benefit has been collected through the PUNCH by Caja de Ahorros app and a physical card, according to IFARHU’s notes on Los Santos, Coclé and Panamá Oeste. The process runs as follows:
- Find the school. The regional PDF, on the first payment page, lists each school with its day and payment center.
- Download PUNCH by Caja de Ahorros. IFARHU asks guardians to have the app installed and validated before going.
- Go on the assigned date. The institution recommends attending without students or companions.
- Show the cédula. The guardian collects the card with a valid, physical identity card.
- Spend the money on permitted items. The October 1 note lists school supplies, clothing, footwear, food, medicines and medical services.
The third payment of 2025 was collected by ACH and check, with the report card and both cédulas, according to the page for that payment. No cash payment for hard-to-reach areas in 2026 was found in official sources.
Amounts, requirements and legal basis
PASE-U was created by Law 148 of April 21, 2020 (Gaceta Oficial 29007), which repealed Law 40 of 2010 on the universal scholarship. Article 4 sets the annual allowance in three payments:
| Level | Per payment | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | B/.90 | B/.270 |
| Premedia | B/.120 | B/.360 |
| Media | B/.150 | B/.450 |
Article 6 requires the student to be regularly enrolled and to keep good attendance and conduct. The guardian must make the school visits, present the vaccination card and provide proof of attending the Escuela para Padres (parents’ school) talks. IFARHU adds a minimum average of 3.0 in primary school and 3.0 per subject in premedia and media, citing Executive Decree 1537 of August 19, 2021. In private schools, enrollment plus monthly fees cannot exceed B/.2,300 a year (article 14).
Article 9 lists the grounds for cancellation, among them failing to meet attendance, repeating the same grade twice in primary school, misuse of the money, expulsion and forged documents.
What to do if a student is not listed or the payment does not arrive
IFARHU pays from the enrollment list supplied by the Ministry of Education (article 8). It therefore warns that, after a change of school, both the previous school and the new one must register the transfer; without those two validations the student does not appear in the database.
According to IFARHU’s frequently asked questions, claims for payments not received, partial or incorrect are filed at its offices. The published channels are the phone number 500 4700 and the email contacto@ifarhu.gob.pa. In a statement of March 27, 2026, the institution asked the public to rely only on its official channels.
Frequently asked questions
When is PASE-U paid?
PASE-U is paid three times per school year, on the dates IFARHU sets. In 2026 the first payment ran from July 7 to October 2. The second has no official day.
How can PASE-U be checked with the cédula?
IFARHU has no public lookup by ID number on its website, based on a review on October 5, 2026. Checking is done by finding the school in the regional PDF and showing the guardian’s valid cédula at the payment center.
How much does PASE-U pay?
It pays B/.90 per payment in primary school, B/.120 in premedia and B/.150 in media. That adds up to B/.270, B/.360 and B/.450 a year.
When is the third PASE-U payment?
As of October 5, 2026, there is no official date for the third PASE-U payment of 2026. The third payment of the 2025 school year was made from January 26 to March 4, 2026.
What happens if the student is not on the list?
The first step is to confirm with the school that the enrollment or transfer was registered with the Ministry of Education. If it is correct, the claim is filed at IFARHU’s offices.
Related articles
Sources
- IFARHU, 2026 scholarship payment calendars.
- IFARHU, PASE-U 2026 first payment.
- IFARHU, PASE-U 2025 third payment.
- IFARHU notes on Bocas del Toro and Kankintú, Los Santos, Coclé and Panamá Oeste.
- IFARHU, about PASE-U, frequently asked questions and the March 27 statement.
- Law 148 of 2020, Gaceta Oficial 29007.
- La Prensa, September 15, 2026.
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