Program Keluarga Harapan—PKH (the conditional cash transfer program) is scheduled to run for six years or as long as each household still meets the specified requirements. The first recertification survey was conducted in 2013 for all PKH beneficiary households registered in 2007. The survey found that 42.63% of the households can be categorized as 'graduated' from PKH, as they were no longer meet the requirements as program beneficiary. Some have experienced significant economic progress and longer in the very poor bracket. On the other hand, many remain in very poor condition and were still eligible to receive assistance for the next three years. They were categorized as in the ‘transitional' phase of the program. This study investigated factors that are important for fostering movement out of poverty, and the factors that limit the ability of PKH households to move out of poverty. The research findings demonstrate that the impact of PKH on the lives of target households varies greatly, and is strongly connected to the capacity of the households in utilizing the funds that they receive. These differences in capacity are caused by a number of internal and external factors which affects their financial management capacity. Thus, empowerment activities must be attuned to the progression and readiness of each PKH transition beneficiary. The effectiveness of empowerment programs is heavily reliant on, among other things, coaching and mentoring designed for PKH beneficiaries; the strength of coordination between institutions involved in the implementation of PKH, including monitoring and evaluation; attempts to involve men (husbands) in the empowerment programs; and the strength of implementing actors, primarily facilitators.