Allowances for when you have children

All parents in the Netherlands receive money from the government if they care for children under 18. This is called child benefit. You get the child benefit every 3 months. Child benefit is paid in the first week of January, April, July and October.

After you receive a residence permit, you are entitled to child benefit from the next quarter. So if you receive a residence permit on 15 August, you are entitled to child benefit from 1 October. This is paid out in the 1st week of January.

The amount of child benefit depends on the age of your child. In 2024, you will receive between €279.49 and €399.27 per child every 3 months.

Sometimes you can get double child benefit

If you have high expenses for your child, you may be able to get double child benefit. For example, if your child does not live at home due to education. Or if your child lives at home and needs intensive care.

Applying for child support

You need to apply for child benefit from the

Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB)

VluchtelingenWerk Nederland (VWN)

If you live in a reception centre of the

Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA)

With a low income, you may be entitled to child budget from the

Dutch tax authorities

• You have one or more children under the age of 18.

• You receive child benefit.

• Your income (and that of your partner) must not be too high. How much you may earn depends on the number of children you have.

• You (and your partner) must not have too many savings.

You usually get child budget automatically if you are entitled to it

If you already qualify for other allowances and child benefit, you will automatically receive the child budget if you are entitled to it.

If you think you are entitled to child budget, but are not receiving it, you can apply for it yourself from the Dutch tax authorities. Your contact person from

VluchtelingenWerk Nederland (VWN)

Once you have a residence permit, you will no longer receive a financial allowance from COA for your children.

If your child attends a daycare centre, you may be entitled to childcare subsidies. This is an allowance from the government to help pay for child care.

If you have a partner, you may only be entitled to childcare allowance if your partner lives in the Netherlands or another country within the European Union. Furthermore, you must meet the following conditions:

You (and your partner) work, take a civic integration course, training, or a pathway to work It does not matter whether you work for an employer or as a self-employed individual. If you are taking a training course, it must be recognised by the Dutch government. You can check this with

Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (DUO

The daycare centre must be registered in the

Dutch National Childcare Register (LRK)

If your partner lives outside the European Union, you may be able to get money from the municipality

If you have a partner who lives outside the European Union (EU), you will not get childcare allowance. But the municipality may be able to help you. They can make sure you still get money so your child can go to childcare. Then you can work or learn Dutch. Contact your municipality for more information.

You must pay some of the childcare costs yourself

This is your own contribution. You can pay the remaining amount with the childcare allowance. In some cases, the municipality may also contribute a little to childcare.

You can apply for allowances on the Dutch tax authorities' 'Mijn toeslagen' website. To do so, you need

DigiD

VluchtelingenWerk Nederland (VWN)

Report changes in your income immediately

If you start earning more or less, you must tell the Dutch tax authorities right away. Otherwise you may have to pay back money later. Or you may receive too little allowance while you are entitled to it.

Again, your VWN contact person or social worker can assist with this.