• 15/09/2022
• By wizewebsite
• 414 Views

Child benefits are about to change, they will be higher and more families will receive them<

Child allowances are awaiting changes, they will be higher and more families will receive them

Currently, around 240,000 dependent children receive child allowance. Its amount depends on two factors - the child's age and whether his parent works or receives a regular income.

However, the amount of allowances has been the same for many years, which should change in the near future. At the end of December, the government, on the proposal of Labor Minister Jana Maláčová (ČSSD), approved their increase and valorization by 26 percent. For the change to take effect, it must be approved by the Parliament and signed by the President. The increase is likely to be expected from April.

"The number of families that will newly fall under the extended allowances will increase by 250,000," said Maláčová. In total, roughly 490,000 children will receive an allowance.

Increase by 130 to 180 crowns per month

Each dependent child (up to 26 years of age) is entitled to child allowance in the basic amount, if the determined (net) income of the family is lower than 2.7 times subsistence minimum for the family.

If at least one of the parents works - has a regular income from employment or business, or receives sickness or pension insurance benefits, unemployment benefits or parental allowance, the dependent child is entitled to an increased amount of allowance.

If the proposed change passes the Parliament and the amendment is signed by the president, the allowances will increase by 130 crowns, or 160 crowns or 180 crowns per month.

More families will be eligible

The amendment on social support also includes expanding the number of children who will be entitled to allowances. Newly, it should be received by families whose discretionary income is lower than 3.4 times the subsistence minimum for the family (now it is 2.7 times).

To qualify for an allowance, the family's total income for the previous calendar quarter is assessed, so it must be documented every three months. It includes income from employment or business, sickness or pension insurance benefits, unemployment support, parental allowance.

If the parents of a minor dependent child are divorced, the income of the parent with whom the child lives in the same household is assessed for entitlement to the allowance. If the parents have a child in joint or alternate care, it depends on the agreement of the parents, which income will be assessed.

An adult dependent child is assessed together with the parents if the parents and the child are reported to reside permanently in the same apartment. If this condition is not met, the adult dependent child is assessed separately, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs states on its website.

The application for child allowance must be submitted to employment office according to your place of residence. You fill in the relevant form and attach the required documents - for example, the amount of quarterly income for all assessed persons, the birth certificate of a child under 15 years of age, a certificate of studies for a child older than 15 years, etc.

If you are entitled to an allowance, it will be paid to you every month. However, after the end of the quarter, income for the past three months must be documented again.