Family allowance

Families are entitled to receive child support in the form of monthly family allowance payments (allocations familiales (French), kinderbijslag (Dutch)) for all children who are domiciled in Belgium.

As the family allowance system is managed at regional level, it is the domicile of your child that determines which system they fall under, i.e. whether they live in the Brussels-Capital Region, Wallonia, Flanders or in the German-speaking community. The monthly child support payments are paid by one of Belgium’s five family allowance funds.


The village partners with family allowance funds, Infino, who support families living in Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia.

Each family is free to choose the family allowance fund it prefers. And while the amounts paid do not differ per fund, we really appreciate the comprehensive and friendly assistance of Infino. If you don’t find the answers you need below, you can contact them directly on brussels@infino.be (Brussels), vlaanderen@infino.be (Flanders), or wallonie@infino.be (Wallonia) for further help!

DISCLAIMER: thevillage.be receives a small commission if you use any of the links in this article to join Infino. If you do, thanks for helping the village keep doing what it does!

In this section you can find out about:

All amounts mentioned are subject to indexation. For the most updated amounts, please refer to www.infino.be/en


Some basic principles of family allowance payments

Am I entitled to receive family allowance?

In Flanders and Brussels, you are entitled to child support payments for each child in your household until the child reaches the age of 18 (or for those still studying, following an apprenticeship or seeking work until the age of 25). This is provided that your child retains the right to live in Belgium (or is of Belgian nationality).

In Wallonia, it is not so straight-forward. All children have an unconditional right to family allowance payments until 31 August of the year they turn 18. Children born before 2001 have an entitlement from 18 to 25 if they are studying or in work-linked training or following an apprenticeship. Children born from 2001 onwards have a semi-conditional entitlement up to the age of 21 without verification of studies, and an entitlement from 21 to 25 if they are studying or in work-linked training or following an apprenticeship.

Children with a handicap, recognised by the Federal Public Service (FPS) are entitled to higher child benefit payments until the age of 21.

The child must live in Belgium, in another EU country, or a country with which Belgium has an agreement regarding family allowance.

Are the amounts the same for all the children in my family?

The family allowance system underwent major changes in 2019 and 2020, and one of the main changes across all regions was to ensure that all children in that region receive the same monthly amount.

However, parents who receive child support for children born before the system changed may continue to receive the ‘old’ amounts, until such as time as the new system becomes more advantageous for them. This is not the case in Flanders.

You can find out more in the relevant section below (Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia, German-speaking Belgium). 

Are there supplements for particular family situations?

Yes, depending on your family situation, you may also be entitled to one or more supplements. For example, if:

  • your child has a disability or disease recognised by the Belgian authorities – for Flanders, Kind en Gezin doctors evaluate this; for Brussels, it is the FD Social Security.
  • your income is below a specific threshold
  • you are a single-parent family and your income is below a specific threshold
  • you have a ‘large family’ (famille nombreuse/groot gezin), i.e. at least three children and your income is below a specific threshold
  • you are suffering from long-term illness or incapacity – Note that this is not the case in Brussels
  • your child has lost one of their parents

If you are, or think you might be, entitled to any of the above, contact brussels@infino.be (Brussels), vlaanderen@infino.be (Flanders), or wallonie@infino.be (Wallonia) who can give you the right advice based on your specific situation. 

Who requests the family allowance?

If a birth allowance or adoption allowance has been successfully requested/received in the past, or you already receive family allowance for another child, no further action needs to be taken to receive the monthly child benefit payment(s).

If your family moves to Belgium and you are entitled to child benefit payments, either parent can initiate the request.

Who receives the family allowance?

In Flanders, the family allowance must be paid to the bank account of the child’s parents/guardians, which should be indicated when the initial request is made. If this is not the case, or if there is no agreement, the amounts should be paid to the youngest of the parents. In Brussels and Wallonia, the family allowance is in principle paid to the mother provided that the child(ren) are domiciled with her.


Family allowance if your child is domiciled in Brussels

How do I apply for family allowance?

Your application for family allowance is automatically submitted if:

  • you already have at least one child receiving family allowance; or
  • a birth allowance has already been paid before the birth.

If you will be moving to Brussels from outside Belgium, or have already moved, you can make the request for family allowance payments online

If you are moving to Brussels from within Belgium, you may need to change family allowance fund if your current fund does not cover Brussels.

How much do I receive and when?

Family allowance amounts are paid monthly before the 8th day of the month.

The amount* is different for children born before 01/01/2020 or after 01/01/2020:

AgeBorn after 1 January 2020 (monthly amount in euros)Born before 1 January 2020 (monthly amount in euros)
0–11 years old175.76164.04
12–17 years old187.47175.75
18–24 years old (not in higher education)187.47175.76
18–24 years old (in higher education)199.19187.47

In addition to the basic amount, there are also other allowances: annual age allowance, orphans allowance, allowance for children with a disability or medical condition, placed children, etc.

* all amounts are subject to indexation. For the most updated amounts, please refer to www.infino.be/en


Family allowance if your child is domiciled in Flanders

If your child is domiciled in Flanders, they are part of the ‘Groeipakket’ scheme, which brings together family allowances as well as allowances related to childcare, school attendance etc.

How do I apply for family allowance?

Your application for family allowance is automatically submitted if:

  • you already have at least one child receiving family allowance; or
  • a birth allowance has already been paid before the birth.

If you will be moving to Flanders from outside Belgium, or have already moved, you can make the request for family allowance payments online

If you are moving to Flanders from within Belgium, you may need to change family allowance fund if your current fund does not cover Flanders.

How much do I receive and when?

Family allowance amounts are paid monthly before the 8th day of the month.

Children born on or after 01/01/2019 receive a fixed amount, currently €176.66 per month*.

Children born before 01/01/2019 receive an amount according to whether they were the first (currently €99.70), second (€184.47), third child and subsequent children (€259.49), and will continue to receive that amount as long as they are entitled to family allowance payment. There are a number of exceptions to this, such as if the child is an orphan, if the age allowance is adjusted, etc.

This means that you may be receiving different amounts per child, depending on when your children were born.

* all amounts are subject to indexation. For the most updated amounts, please refer to www.infino.be/en


Family allowance if your child is domiciled in Wallonia

How do I apply for family allowance?

Your application for family allowance is automatically submitted if:

  • you already have at least one child receiving family allowance; or
  • a birth allowance has already been paid before the birth.

If you will be moving to Wallonia from outside Belgium, or have already moved, you can make the request for child benefit payments online

If you are moving to Wallonia from within Belgium, you may need to change family allowance fund if your current fund does not cover Wallonia.

How much do I receive and when?

Family allowance amounts are paid monthly before the 10th day of the month.

Children born on or after 01/01/2020, receive a fixed monthly amount, currently €185.24* (child under 18 years old) or €197.19 (from 18 to 25 years old).

For children born before 01/01/2020, family allowance is determined according to the age and number of children in the household of the person receiving family allowances. Currently, the first child has the right to €114.49, the second €211.85, the next €316.31.

This means that you may be receiving different amounts per child, depending on when your children were born, your family situation (e.g. single parent), and the professional situation of the family.

* all amounts are subject to indexation. For the most updated amounts, please refer to www.infino.be/en


Family allowance if your child is domiciled within German-speaking Belgium

The Department of Family and Social Affairs of the Ministry of the German-speaking Community of Belgium is responsible for family allowance payments (‘Familienleistungen’) if your child is domiciled in the German-speaking community.

How do I apply for family allowance?

To apply for the family allowance, complete and return the relevant form, which you can find on the website of the family portal of the German-speaking community

How much do I receive and when?

Family allowance amounts are paid monthly around the 8th day of the month.

The basic family allowance for each child is €164.36* per month.

* all amounts are subject to indexation. For the most updated amounts, please refer to www.infino.be/en

More information?

Ministerium der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft
Kaperberg, 6
4700 EUPEN
Belgium

Tel: 087 596 300
Email: familienleistungen@dgov.be
Website: www.ostbelgienlive.be (German)


Other situations

Employees of the European institutions, Eurocontrol and the European schools

If your family is domiciled in Brussels or Flanders and one parent works for a European institution, Eurocontrol or one of the European schools and the other parent is a salaried employee on a local contract, your right to Belgian family allowance has priority over your right to any family allowance from that ‘European’ employer. Note that this is not the case if the second parent is self-employed – in this case, the family allowance has from the ‘European’ employer has priority.

In Wallonia it is the other way round, i.e. the allowance from the ‘European’ employer has priority over the Belgian allowance.

Note that all the above apply where the parents are married or legally cohabiting.

Example
John works for the European Commission and Claire works for a Belgian-based company on a local contract. They live in Brussels with their three children. The family receives Belgian family allowance due to Claire’s professional activity.

John may receive an additional amount his employer after deduction of the amount already received from the Belgian state. 

Employees of the UN, NATO and SHAPE

If your family is domiciled in Brussels, Flanders, or Wallonia and one parent works for the UN, NATO or SHAPE, your right to family allowance from one of these three organisations has priority over any right to Belgian family allowance.