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Having as departing point the continuous decrease of poverty indicators in Brazil since 2004, this article examines some aspects related to the expansion of targeted income transfers. It analyses the Family Stipend Program, which unifies the set of different federal transfer programs created since late nineties. It also compares its parameters and way of operation to those of pre-existing constitutional programs targeted at the elderly and handicapped poor. Considering the programs present size and value transferred, they are unlikely to be discontinued. The conclusions regard the need for integrating the two systems of income transfers to the poor – the Family Stipend and the constitutional program – so as to guarantee their coherence in the scope of the Brazilian social policy.