New to the Netherlands? Words with a have a short explanation. Tap or click them.
Raising children costs money. In the Netherlands, the government helps parents with two kinds of payments. The first is child benefit (kinderbijslag). Every parent who is insured here gets it for each child under 18, whatever they earn. The second is the child-related budget (kindgebonden budget). This is extra money for families with lower and middle incomes. This guide explains both from the start: how much they pay in 2026, who can get them as an expat, when the first money arrives, and what happens if your children live in another country.
The idea in simple words
Child benefit is money the government gives you every three months for each child. Rich or poor, everyone gets the same amount. Only the age of the child matters: older children get a bit more.
The child-related budget is extra money every month, but only if your family doesn't earn too much and doesn't have too much in savings.
You have to ask for both. And the first child benefit payment comes late, sometimes six months after you arrive, so plan for that.
The most important facts
- Child benefit (kinderbijslag) is paid every A quarter is three months. The year has four: January to March, April to June, July to September and October to December. for each child under 18, no matter how much you earn. From 1 July 2026 it is €298.40 a quarter for children up to 5, €362.35 for ages 6 to 11, and €426.29 for ages 12 to 17.
- You can get it if you are insured in the Netherlands. Usually that means you live here, or you work here and pay Dutch Tax your employer takes from your salary every month and pays to the tax office for you. In Dutch: loonheffing..
- It is paid afterwards, just after each quarter ends, and only from the first full quarter. So your first payment can take up to six months.
- The child-related budget (kindgebonden budget) is up to €2,580 a year per child in 2026. Single parents get more, and so do families with children aged 12 or older. How much you get depends on your income and savings.
- Apply within a year: the government pays child benefit back for at most one year.
Who pays what
Two different government offices handle the two payments:
- Child benefit comes from the Sociale Verzekeringsbank: the Dutch government office that pays child benefit and the state pension (AOW). (Social Insurance Bank).
- The child-related budget comes from the The part of the Dutch tax office (Belastingdienst) that pays allowances, such as rent allowance, healthcare allowance and the child-related budget., the allowances office of the Dutch tax office (Belastingdienst).
Child benefit amounts in 2026
Child benefit is the same for every family. Only the age of the child matters. The amounts go up a little on 1 January and 1 July every year, to keep up with prices.
| Age of the child | Per quarter, January to June 2026 | Per quarter, from 1 July 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 years | €295.07 | €298.40 |
| 6 to 11 years | €358.30 | €362.35 |
| 12 to 17 years | €421.53 | €426.29 |
For a toddler, that's about €1,190 a year. For a teenager, it's about €1,700. The child's age on the first day of the quarter decides the amount. So a child who turns 6 in May gets the higher amount from the July quarter. You don't pay tax on child benefit, and it doesn't count as income for your tax return or your other allowances.
Parents who care at home for a child with a serious illness or disability can get double child benefit (dubbele kinderbijslag). The child's needs are checked first, and you apply for it separately at the SVB.
Who can get child benefit?
Child benefit is part of the Dutch Insurance schemes that cover almost everyone who lives or works in the Netherlands, such as child benefit and the state pension. You pay for them through your taxes.. So the main question is: are you insured here? You usually are if:
- You live in the Netherlands and you are registered at your address with the The local government of your town or city. In Dutch: gemeente. You must register your address there when you move in., or
- You work in the Netherlands and pay Dutch wage tax, even if you live in a country next door. Our guide to resident and non-resident taxpayers explains how this works.
Also:
- The child is under 18 and is your own child, your stepchild or your foster child.
- The child lives with you, or you pay a big part of their costs if they live somewhere else.
- You live here legally. Citizens of the The EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway (the EEA), and Switzerland. Their citizens can live and work in the Netherlands without a permit. can get it without a permit. Others need a valid The document that allows you to live in the Netherlands if you are not from the EU, EEA or Switzerland..
- Children aged 16 and 17 must go to school or follow a training course. If they leave school and start earning more than a set amount, child benefit stops. Tell the SVB if this happens.
Only one parent gets child benefit for each child. If the parents live apart, it normally goes to the parent the child lives with.
Sent here by your employer? Check where you are insured
Sometimes an employer sends a worker to the Netherlands for a limited time. This is called being seconded. Often you then stay insured in your home country. Inside the EU, you get an A form that proves you stay insured in your home country while you work in another EU country for a while. for this. Outside the EU, it is arranged by an agreement between the two countries. In that case, you usually can't get Dutch child benefit. You keep getting child benefit from your home country instead. Ask your employer or the SVB before you apply.
When the money arrives
This part surprises most expats. The SVB looks at your situation on the first day of each quarter (1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October). It pays at the end of that quarter. In practice:
- Moving to the Netherlands: if you register on 15 November, the first quarter that counts is January to March. Your first payment arrives in early April, almost five months after you arrived.
- A new baby: a baby born in February first counts on 1 April. The first payment arrives in early July.
- Leaving the Netherlands: because you are paid afterwards, you still get the payment for the last quarter in which you were insured on its first day.
Payments arrive in the first days of January, April, July and October. You can see the exact dates in Your personal online page on the SVB website. You log in with DigiD..
How to apply
- Register with your municipality and get a Burgerservicenummer: your personal Dutch ID number. You need it for work, tax, healthcare and benefits. for yourself and your children. Our moving checklist explains how.
- Wait for a letter, or apply yourself. After you register a birth, or when you register as a new resident with children, the SVB often sends you a form. If you hear nothing within a few weeks, apply yourself.
- Apply online in Mijn SVB. You log in with your DigiD, your login for Dutch government websites. If you don't have DigiD yet, you can ask for a paper form.
- Upload what the SVB asks for, such as your work contract or residence permit, and the children's birth certificates if they were born abroad.
- Tell the SVB about changes: a move abroad, a separation, or a child of 16 or 17 who leaves school.
Don't wait too long. The SVB pays child benefit back for at most one year before the quarter in which you apply.
Children who live outside the Netherlands
Many expats have a child who stays in the home country with the other parent, or who studies abroad. Whether you still get Dutch child benefit depends on where the child lives:
- In the EU, EEA or Switzerland: you can get child benefit, but European rules decide which country pays first. If the other country also pays child benefit, the Netherlands only pays the difference, and only if the Dutch amount is higher.
- Outside the EU: you only get child benefit if the Netherlands has a social security agreement with that country. The amount is then changed to match the cost of living there.
The SVB looks at each family separately. Tell them about any children living abroad when you apply, and tell them if a child moves.
The child-related budget (kindgebonden budget)
The kindgebonden budget is a separate payment from the Dienst Toeslagen. Unlike child benefit, it depends on your income and your savings. It is paid every month as an In Dutch: voorschot. Money paid now, based on what you expect to earn this year. After the year ends, it is checked against your real income, and you may get more or have to pay some back.. If you already get child benefit and your income is low enough, you usually get it automatically. If not, apply in Your personal online page for allowances on the tax office website. You log in with DigiD..
Maximum amounts in 2026
| Number of children | Single parent, per year | Parents with a partner, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 child | €5,996 | €2,580 |
| 2 children | €8,576 | €5,160 |
| Each extra child | + €2,580 | + €2,580 |
For every child aged 12 to 15, you get an extra €724 a year. For every child aged 16 or 17, you get an extra €964.
How your income lowers the amount
The tax office uses a special income figure for allowances, called Toetsingsinkomen: the income the tax office uses to decide if you can get an allowance. For most employees it is close to their yearly gross salary, minus some deductions.. You get the full amount if this income is up to €29,736 as a single parent, or €39,141 together with a partner. If you earn more, the amount goes down by 7.6% of the income above that limit. This means a couple with one child under 12 gets nothing if they earn more than about €73,000 together. With two children, the limit is about €107,000. With three, about €141,000.
| Example family | Child-related budget per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Couple, €60,000 together, children aged 4 and 13 | about €4,299 | about €358 |
| Couple, €90,000 together, children aged 4 and 13 | about €2,019 | about €168 |
| Couple, €90,000 together, one child aged 4 | €0 | €0 |
| Single parent, €50,000, one child aged 8 | about €4,456 | about €371 |
You also get nothing for the whole year if your savings and investments on 1 January 2026 were more than €146,011 as a single parent, or €184,633 together with a partner. Money and investments abroad count too.
Tip for expats with the 30% ruling
The 30% ruling is a tax benefit for some expats: part of their salary is paid tax-free. That tax-free part doesn't count in your toetsingsinkomen. So a family whose salary looks too high on paper may still get the child-related budget. Use the tax office's test calculation to check.
Like all Dutch allowances, keep your income estimate up to date in Mijn toeslagen. If you earn more than you guessed, for example because of a bonus or because your partner started working, you'll have to pay back part of the money after the year ends.
What changes in 2027
- Higher child benefit: on Prince's Day, the third Tuesday of September. The King reads out the government's plans and the budget for the next year. 2026, the government said that child benefit will go up by about €90 per child per year in 2027, on top of the normal yearly increase.
- Less for higher incomes: from 2027, the plan is that the child-related budget goes down faster for couples who earn more than about €62,000 together, with another step in 2028. Families with middle incomes will get a bit more. Families with higher incomes will get less or nothing.
Parliament still has to approve these plans, and the final 2027 amounts are published in December. Check the SVB and Belastingdienst websites before you plan your budget.
Your child benefit checklist
- Register with your municipality and get a BSN for every family member.
- Check that you are insured in the Netherlands, especially if your employer sent you here from abroad.
- Apply for child benefit in Mijn SVB if no form arrives within a few weeks.
- Plan for the wait: the first payment can take up to six months.
- Check whether you can get the child-related budget, and keep your income estimate up to date.
- Tell the SVB about any child living abroad, a separation, a move, or a teenager who leaves school.
Official sources and useful links
- SVB: child benefit (English)
- SVB: child benefit amounts and payment dates (Dutch)
- Dienst Toeslagen: how the child-related budget is worked out in 2026 (PDF, Dutch)
- Belastingdienst: savings limits for the child-related budget (Dutch)
This is general information based on the 2026 rules and the plans announced for 2027. Whether you can get these payments, and how much, depends on your insurance, income and situation. The SVB and the Belastingdienst make the final decision.
