Child supplement and other family benefits

The film below explains in Dutch what the rules are if you live in the Netherlands, work in Germany and have a child.

Child supplement

If you have children and work in Germany, you are entitled to German child supplement from the Family Benefits Office. If your partner works in the Netherlands, he or she is first entitled to Dutch child benefit Kinderbijslag and, if applicable, Dutch child-related budget Kindgebonden Budget. This is then topped up by the German child supplement up to the amount of the German child supplement.

If your partner does not work, you are entitled to full German child benefit. It does not matter whether your partner works or not. The total amount of supplements from the Netherlands and Germany is not affected. It only matters that the money is paid by the right institution. Please report any changes, especially regarding earned income and benefits for all family members! If one of the authorities pays you too much by mistake, you will be fined.

If you are a single parent, you are not entitled to Dutch Kinderbijslag [child benefit] and, if applicable, the Kindgebonden Budget [child-related budget]. You are only entitled to the full German child supplement.

The German child supplement is paid until the child is 18 years old. If necessary, the child supplement can continue to be paid until the child reaches the age of 25, but for that to happen, your child must study. Since the Dutch child benefit ends at age 18, the full German child supplement is paid from the child’s 18th to 25th birthday.

A student loan does not count towards the German child supplement.

Amount of the German child benefit (as of 1 Jan. 2023)

€ 250,- per child

Amount of the Dutch Kinderbijslag (July 2023):

The Dutch (Kinderbijslag) [child benefit] is paid per quarter.

You can get more information in the brochure from the Family Benefits Office.

Application for German child supplement

You can download the application forms from the Bundesagentur für Arbeit [Federal Employment Agency] website. These forms are also available in Dutch.

Please note: In addition to the application form, an annex must be completed for each child. You can also download this annex in Dutch here (under: “Annex Abroad to the application for the German child supplement (KG 51) in other languagesâ€).

A copy of the child’s identity card or passport must be enclosed with the application.

For cross-border workers living in the Netherlands, the Familienkasse Rheinland-Pfalz-Saarland [Family Benefits Office] is responsible:

• Familienkasse
  Hafenstraße 18
  66111 Saarbrücken
  Germany

Postal address:

• Agentur für Arbeit Saarland
  66088 Saarbrücken
  Telephone: +0049 911 1203 1011

Child allowance

The child allowance is an additional benefit to the child supplement. You are entitled to it if …

• your child lives in your household, is under 25 and unmarried or is not in a registered legal partnership,
• you receive child supplement (or a comparable benefit) for your child,
• your income together with the child supplement is so high that you are not entitled to unemployment benefit II or a social security benefit,
• your gross income is at least EUR 900 (parent couples) or EUR 600 (single parents) and does not exceed the maximum income limit. The maximum income limit is calculated individually for each family. It depends, among other things, on the cost of living.

Kindgebonden Budget [child-related budget]

An application for the Kindgebonden Budget is made automatically when you apply for the Dutch Kinderbijslag [child benefit]. The Kindgebonden Budget depends on your income. The Kindgebonden Budget is also reduced to the German supplement.

Single parents often receive more in Dutch Kinderbijslag and Kindgebonden Budget than the German child supplement. If you become a single parent in Germany, you are no longer entitled to the Dutch child benefit and Kindgebonden Budget, only the German child supplement.

You can make a calculation for the Kindgebonden Budget on the www.toeslagen.nl website (only in Dutch).