You receive advance maintenance payments for your child if you are raising the child in your household without another parent against whom the child has a claim to maintenance. However, this maintenance is not paid, is incomplete or is paid irregularly by the other parent/by the person obliged to pay maintenance. The child's center of life must be clearly in your household. You must not have married a new partner.

If you meet the eligibility requirements, the advance maintenance payment will be paid until your child reaches the age of majority. The limit on the period of entitlement (previously max. 72 months) has been lifted.

The amount of the advance maintenance payment is based on the amount of the minimum maintenance. The advance maintenance payment is paid monthly in the amount of the minimum maintenance relevant for the age bracket in question. The amount of child benefit is deducted from this if the single parent is entitled to full child benefit.

Since 01.01.2021, the following amounts apply:

• for children up to 5 years EUR 174 per month
• for children from 6 to 11 years EUR 232 per month
• for children from 12 to 18 years EUR 309 per month

A child receives advance maintenance payments until the day before the child reaches the age of 12, if he or she

a) lives in Germany with (only) one of his or her parents who is

• is single, widowed or divorced or
• lives permanently separated from his/her spouse/life partner or
• whose spouse/life partner is institutionalized for an expected period of six months, and

b) does not receive or does not regularly receive

• maintenance from the other parent or
• if the other parent has died, orphan's benefits.

After reaching the age of 12 your child is entitled to maintenance only if one of the following conditions is met:

• You or your child do not receive unemployment benefit II.
• The advance payment of maintenance can prevent your child from being in need of assistance.
• You have a gross monthly income of at least EUR 600 and receive supplementary unemployment benefit II.

This ensures that in case of need all children receive maintenance advance without gaps. At the same time, an important incentive is created for households that are not in need of assistance or could become independent of basic security benefits through their own earned income to secure their own livelihood.

Foreign children: In the case of foreign nationals, additional requirements under aliens law must be met. These will be examined on a case-by-case basis (the respective residence title must be presented).