Advance on maintenance

Are you a single parent and the other parent pays no or too little maintenance? It is possible that your child is entitled to advance maintenance payments. This helps to secure your child's financial livelihood.
Aufwärts zeigende Pfeile und Euro-Münzen.
Diese Illustration zeigt eine Frau mit Pferdeschwanz
With the quick check, you can easily check whether your child meets the requirements for advance maintenance payments.

The most important facts in brief

The maintenance advance is a state benefit for children of single parents. It helps to secure the financial basis of your child's life if the other parent does not pay maintenance or only pays partial or irregular maintenance in the amount of the maintenance advance. The other parent must later repay the advance if they do not pay maintenance, even though they could pay maintenance in full or in part.

Who is entitled?

Your child can receive maintenance advance if

  • You and your child live together in Germany
  • You are bringing up your child alone and provide the majority of the upbringing
  • the other parent does not
    • does not pay any maintenance at all or
    • only pays maintenance irregularly or
    • pays too little maintenance (less than the maintenance advance).

For children aged 12 to 17, the following additional conditions apply:

  • Your child is not dependent on citizen's allowance (SGB II benefits),
  • Your child would not be dependent on Citizen's Allowance (SGB II benefits) with the advance maintenance payment or
  • if you receive citizen's allowance, you must also have your own income of at least 600 euros gross per month.

Note: Your child can also receive maintenance advance if it is not clear who the father is. It does not matter whether there is a court judgment on paternity or an acknowledgement of paternity from the youth welfare office.

Even if you are widowed, you can receive advance maintenance payments for your child.

Your child will not receive an advance on maintenance payments if

  • if you are living with a new partner,
  • if the child or you, whether married or not, live together with the other parent,
  • if the other parent regularly fulfills his or her maintenance obligations and his or her maintenance payments reach the amount of the maintenance advance,
  • if you do not provide any information about the other parent,
  • if you do not cooperate in establishing paternity or the whereabouts of the other parent.

More information on advance maintenance payments

Illustration des Wegweisers. Sie sitzt auf dem Rand eines großen Monitors. Ihre rechte Hand ruht auf einem Dokument, das den Antrag darstellt. Darüber schwebt ein weißer Haken auf rotem Grund

Apply for benefit online

You can apply for advance maintenance payments directly online here.