Luciana is 38 years old, works as a general services assistant and raises two children alone. 

So, after a tiring day, she sits on the couch and picks up her cell phone. “How can I help my son not drop out of school?” she types into Google, worried. 

Since her oldest entered high school, Luciana has lived in fear that he will give up his studies to work and help at home. 

Until she discovered something that changed everything: the Sock-Pet, a government benefit that pays up to R$9,200 for those who stay strong until the end of high school.

Pé-de-Meia is a program created by the Ministry of Education in 2024 to encourage low-income students to complete high school.

Therefore, the main objective is to combat school dropouts by offering real and continuous financial assistance to students who continue to attend classes.

Over three years, the total value can reach R$ 9.200, distributed as follows:

Students of Youth and Adult Education (EJA) also have the right, with an adapted structure: R$ 200 for registration and 4 installments of R$ 225 per semester.

In practice, the Pé-de-Meia works as a relief in family income and a direct incentive to stay in school. 

Unfortunately, many teenagers drop out of school to look for informal work. 

Thus, with the benefit, school ceases to be a burden and begins to represent a real path of opportunities — including financial ones.

Luciana soon realized this: “It’s more than just money. It’s a chance for my son to finish his studies with dignity.”

After understanding how the program works, Luciana wanted to know if her son really fit within the rules. 

After all, many benefits have difficult requirements to meet — but Pé-de-Meia surprised us with its simplicity.

Pé-de-Meia is aimed at public high school students, aged between 14 and 24.

Therefore, these students must be regularly enrolled and attend classes with at least 80% attendance. 

Furthermore, another important criterion: the family must be registered in the Single Registry (CadÚnico) and have a monthly income of up to half the minimum wage per person.

In other words: if you are a mother, father or guardian of a young person in these conditions, he or she is probably entitled to the benefit.

Yes! Those who attend Youth and Adult Education (EJA) in high school can also be considered, but here the age range changes: they must be between 19 and 24 years old.

Furthermore, the EJA student must meet the same income and CadÚnico registration requirements. 

In this case, the values are a little different, but they still represent a great help: R$ 200 for registration and R$ 225 per month, paid in 4 installments per semester.

In addition to maintaining minimum school attendance, the student must pass at the end of each school year to receive the R$ 1,000 completion bonus.

However, those who repeat the year do not lose the benefit, but do not receive the portion corresponding to completion in that year.

Another detail: it is not possible to accumulate amounts from previous years. Therefore, it is essential to follow the calendar and ensure regularity from the beginning.

Luciana was excited about the idea of her son receiving financial support — but another question soon arose: “Do you need to open a bank account? How will he receive this money?” 

However, the answer brought relief: the account is created automatically by Caixa Econômica Federal, without the family having to worry about it.

Once the student is approved in the Pé-de-Meia program, Caixa opens a digital account in his/her name. 

Everything is done automatically — the data is cross-referenced between the MEC, the school and CadÚnico. If everything is correct, the benefit is released and the account becomes operational.

In the case of minors, like Luciana's son, a legal guardian must authorize the use of the account to transfer money. 

Therefore, this process can be done in person, at a Caixa branch, or via the app.

Luciana already used Caixa Tem to monitor Bolsa Família, so it wasn't difficult to access her son's new account. 

To do this, simply download the app on your phone and log in with your student's CPF and password. There, you can:

If the student does not yet have a registered password, the app itself provides step-by-step guidance.

If the account has not yet appeared in Caixa Tem or the amount has not been deposited, the ideal is to check if:

If you still have doubts, you can seek guidance on the Jornada do Estudante app (developed by the MEC) or directly with the school management.

Luciana discovered all of this in a group of mothers on WhatsApp — and, since then, she has become a reference among neighbors who want to know if their child is entitled to the benefit.

Understand why keeping your CPF regularized is essential to receive benefits, obtain credit and avoid headaches. Find out more in the article below!