Kazakhstan to roll out school, pension, tax changes from September 1

August 31, 2026 at 09:28 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Kazakhstan will introduce new school assessment rules, pension fund transfer options, and tax declaration deadlines starting September 1, 2026. The changes affect over 4.1 million students, allow up to 100% of pension savings to be transferred to private managers from September 7, and require certain citizens to file tax declarations by September 15.

Key Facts

Over 4.1 million students will attend more than 8,000 schools in Kazakhstan in the 2026-2027 academic year, including 380,000 first-graders and 227,000 eleventh-graders.
From September 7, Kazakhstanis will be able to transfer up to 100% of their pension savings to private investment portfolio managers, up from the previous 50% limit.
Certain citizens, including civil servants, company founders, and digital asset owners, must file the 270.00 income and property declaration for 2025 by September 15.
The National Bank of Kazakhstan will announce its next base rate decision on September 4 at 12:00 Astana time, after cutting it to 16.75% in June.
Primary school students will no longer take summative assessments for sections and quarters; instead, teachers will use dictations, practical work, and creative assignments.

School Assessment Overhaul

From September 1, primary school students in Kazakhstan will stop taking summative assessments for sections and quarters. The Ministry of Education explained that the change shifts focus from frequent testing to understanding material and applying knowledge. For grades 2-4, daily formative assessment will now account for 50% of the quarter grade, up from 25%. Teachers must assess each student in at least 30% of lessons per subject during the quarter. New mandatory courses include 'Fundamentals of the Constitution' for grades 5-7, 'Law and Order' for grades 8-11, and 'Personal Safety' for grades 5-11.

Pension Management Expansion

Starting September 7, Kazakhstanis can transfer up to 100% of their pension savings to private investment portfolio managers. Previously, the limit was 50% of savings; the new rule allows full transfer to companies with their own investment strategies. If no application is submitted, savings remain under the management of the National Bank of Kazakhstan through the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund. The state guarantee of compensation in certain cases will not apply after transferring savings to a private manager. The ENPF website will provide information on private managers' conditions for comparison and selection.

Tax Declaration Deadline

By September 15, certain Kazakhstanis must submit the 270.00 income and property declaration for 2025. The obligation applies to civil servants and their spouses, company heads and founders, private practitioners, digital asset owners, and those with self-assessed tax income. Citizens who purchased property or other assets worth over 20,000 MCI (86.5 million tenge) in 2025, in Kazakhstan or abroad, must also file. The declaration may include income, tax deductions, foreign assets, securities, shares in foreign companies, and property purchase and sale information.