Eligibility is categorical and independent of household income. Until 2009, the system had 38 different categories of beneficiaries and 14 types of different benefits and subsidies, most of which were paid in-kind, for example, as a direct transfer to utility companies. In 2009, 285 thousand beneficiaries received a categorical state benefit (CSB), costing more than KGS 800 million50 (Gassmann, 2010b).