Bangkok: The Treasury has disbursed funds for upskilling programs to 95,059 merchants involved in the “Half-Price Plus” co-payment scheme. However, only 34,970 merchants successfully received the 2,000 baht payment, summing up to over 100 million baht.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Pongnakorn Pochakorn, Director of the People’s Financial System Development Policy Division and Assistant Spokesperson of the Ministry of Finance, stated that the Ministry has transferred funds to merchants who completed upskilling or reskilling programs under the Khon Kaen Plus project. These transactions were made through Krung Thai Bank accounts linked to the “Thung Ngern” (Money Bag) application.
A total of 95,059 shops received subsidies; however, only 34,970, which accounts for approximately 36% of all eligible merchants, received the maximum payout of 2,000 baht, amounting to 117.47 million baht. There were 2,027 shops that did not receive the subsidy because they lacked sales records from the government-co-payment portion of the “Half-Price Plus” project within the specified timeframe.
The subsidy is calculated based on 20% of sales generated from the “Half-Price Plus” project, specifically from the government-subsidized portion, starting from the date a merchant completes skills development up until December 19, 2025. For instance, a merchant with accumulated sales of 9,000 baht from the government-subsidized portion will receive a 20% subsidy, totaling 1,800 baht. Merchants can verify their sales history through the “Sales Summary” menu in the “Thung Ngern” application.
The Assistant Spokesperson of the Ministry of Finance further noted that on December 23, 2025, eligibility notifications for financial support under the project were sent via SMS to registered mobile numbers and through notifications in the “Thung Ngern” application. Shops deemed ineligible for reasons such as mismatched identification numbers or suspended rights in related projects received appropriate notifications.
Additionally, some entrepreneurs did not receive SMS notifications due to factors like not meeting online training criteria or having insufficient orders through the Food Delivery Platform by December 19, 2025. These criteria align with the Ministry of Finance’s announcements, which entrepreneurs acknowledged and agreed to before the project commenced.
For those eligible for support whose payments were initially unsuccessful, the Ministry of Finance, via the Department of Treasury, will attempt to re-transfer funds twice more: on January 30, 2026, and February 27, 2026. Post these attempts, business owners will be considered to have declined the funds under the shop upgrading initiative.