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Did You Know? Child Benefits in the Netherlands
The Dutch government believes in the rights of every child to develop into a balanced and healthy adult. That’s why the government offers benefits intending to help parents cover some of the costs of child-rearing, schooling, and childcare.
If you moved to the Netherlands with your child(ren) or you’ll become a parent while living here, you may have rights to one or more of the below benefits.
Firstly, there are two different types of child benefits in the Netherlands, child benefit and tax allowance. Let’s break down what these entail.
Child benefit (kinderbijslag)
This is a part of the Dutch social insurance package from the SVB (Sociale Verzekeringsbank) to help cover the costs of bringing up a child. If you are living or working in the Netherlands and are the parent/guardian of children under the age of 18, you may be eligible to receive child benefit. The current Dutch child benefit rates per child per quarter are:
€279.49 for children aged 0-5
€339,38 for children aged 6-11
€399,27 for children aged 12-17 (you only receive the benefit for children aged 16/17 if they are in full-time education)
You should automatically receive an invitation to apply for child benefit in the Netherlands if you register the birth of a newborn with your municipality (gemeente) and also register for social insurance. If this is
the case, you can file your claim online if you have a DigiD (in Dutch). Alternatively, you can ask for a paper application form. If you don’t receive an invitation or your child/children came with you to the Netherlands from abroad, you can apply via the SVB website. You will usually need to provide:
Your Burgerservicenummer (BSN),
Details of your child’s health insurance and
Child’s birth certificate or proof of date of birth
Tax allowances (toeslag)
‘Toeslagen’ are tax allowances in the Netherlands. There are two Dutch child-related allowances:
Childcare allowance (kinderopvangtoeslag) – Childcare allowance is a tax credit that you can claim if you work or study and have pre-school or school-age children to partly cover your childcare costs. You can claim childcare allowance in the Netherlands if:
Both parents are working or studying.
You have a contract with a registered childcare centre (kindercentrum) or childminder (gastouder).
You pay (part) of the childcare costs yourself.
You have a valid residence permit (Non-EU) with your child/children registered at your address.
The amount you get depends on your income, the number of children you claim for and the type of childcare.
You can receive the allowance for a maximum of 230 hours of childcare per child per month. However, it is important to know that the amount of hours you qualify for depends on the number of hours you work or study.
There is also a maximum hourly rate (in Dutch) which depends on the type of childcare. In 2024, the maximum hourly rate for daycare is € 10,25.
The Dutch government will only pay a percentage of the costs and you will have to cover the remainder. The amount depends on income and is on a sliding scale.
Child budget (kindgebonden budget) – this is an allowance you can get if your income is below a certain limit. The child budget is a means-tested tax credit which you may qualify for if you receive child benefit and your income is beneath a certain threshold. You can apply for child budget in the Netherlands if:
You have one or more kids under the age of 18.
You receive the child benefit (kinderbijslag) from the Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB).
You have a valid residence permit. (Non-EU)
You earn below a certain level (the income restrictions are dependent upon the number of children you have).
You do not have too much money (capital): The budget is calculated on a sliding scale so the higher your income, the lower the amount. For more information visit the tax office website (in Dutch).
If your childcare costs more than the maximum reimbursement, you are expected to cover the difference yourself. If your childcare is cheaper, the government will cover only the hourly rate you are charged. The increased rates will likely apply as soon as the Senate passes the proposal.
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