Child Benefits

The Dutch government assists families with the cost of raising children under 18 years of age (as long as they legally reside in the Netherlands and are insured under the AKW child benefit scheme*). The responsible department for child benefit is the Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB). The Tax Administration might support you with the costs of daycare of your child or with a supplementary benefit.

Child benefit

This child benefit (kinderbijslag) is paid on a quarterly basis. After registering the child as a resident at the municipality you should receive a letter from the SVB regarding the benefit. If you haven’t received a letter, answer the questions at this link to find out how you can apply for child benefit. If your family situation changes (marriage, divorce, another child etc), your entitlement to child benefit can also change. Remember to report any changes to the SVB within 4 weeks.

The amounts per child for 2024 are:

• € € 281,69 age 0 to 5 years
• € 342,05 age 6 to 11 years
• € € 402,41 age 12 to 17 years

If you have a lot of extra costs for your child, you may qualify for child benefit at twice the basic rate. For example, if your child is living away from home for education reasons or because of illness. Or if your child lives at home but needs extensive care. Please check the links for more information.

*If you are studying in the Netherlands temporarily with a Study residence permit and are not employed, you are not insured under the AKW child benefit insurance and thus are not eligible for child benefit. For a complete list of exceptions, please view this page on the SVB website.

The benefit will stop automatically once the child reaches the age of 18. After that they can apply for student finance through the DUO.

Supplementary child benefit

When you have low income you might also be entitled to a supplementary child benefit (kindgebonden budget). The Tax Administration will automatically check if you fulfil the conditions when applying for other  benefits such as rent benefit or health care benefit, but you can also apply for it yourself. Read more about the conditions in the link above.

Childcare benefit

The Dutch government may support families by allowing them to deduct an amount of their daycare costs. The Dutch Tax Administrator’s website gives information in English about the conditions and process of applying for the childcare benefit (kinderopvangtoeslag). From 2023, you can get the childcare benefit for a maximum of 230 hours per month per child. This applies to everyone who is entitled to the childcare benefit. It doesn’t matter how many hours you work. And whether you work or study, for example.