Apply for an annual review of the maintenance advance for children of single parents
Service description
The maintenance advance is a state benefit for children of single parents. It is a social benefit with which the youth welfare offices support single parents with at least one dependent child.
The maintenance advance helps single parents to secure their child's financial livelihood. The prerequisite for this is that the child does not, only partially or not regularly receive maintenance from the other parent in the amount of the statutory minimum maintenance. The other parent must later repay the advance if they do not pay maintenance, although they could pay maintenance in full or in part.
The responsible maintenance advance office will check annually whether your child is still entitled to maintenance advance.
You must answer the relevant questions and submit documents for the check.
Inform the Maintenance Advance Office immediately of any changes in your circumstances during the entire period in which you receive benefits.
Contact the maintenance advance office, even if you are unsure. This will help you to avoid possible reclaims of benefits.
Procedure
- Once a year, the maintenance advance office will ask you to provide information about your living situation.
- You can submit your response via online service or paper form.
- Once we have received your reply, we will check whether you are still entitled to advance maintenance payments.
- If the requirements are met, the advance maintenance payment will be authorised and paid out.
- If your application is rejected, you will receive a notification with detailed reasons.
Prerequisites
- You and your child live together in Germany.
- You are already receiving maintenance advance.
- You are a single parent and live with your child in the same household.
- You are bringing up your child alone and clearly have the predominant responsibility for bringing up the child (no alternating model).
- You are not (newly) married.
- The other parent pays your child no maintenance or only irregular maintenance or only maintenance that is less than the maintenance advance.
- You can also receive maintenance advance if it is not clear who the father of the child is. It does not matter whether there is a court judgement on paternity or an acknowledgement of paternity before the youth welfare office. However, you must co-operate in establishing or attempting to establish paternity or the whereabouts of the other parent.
- Even if you are widowed, you can receive advance maintenance payments for your child.
- Foreign children are only eligible for certain residence permits.
- For children aged 12 to 17, the following additional requirements apply:
- Your child does not receive SGB II benefits or
- Your child would not be dependent on SGB II benefits with the maintenance advance or
- As a parent, you have your own income of at least EUR 600 gross per month (with the exception of child benefit).
Which documents are required?
The documents you need to submit depend on your individual circumstances. The exact documents will be shown to you in the online service as you complete it.
In any case, you need:
- Birth certificate of your child.
If you do not want to or cannot upload the documents to the online service, you can also send a copy to the maintenance advance office afterwards.
What fees are charged?
There are no costs.
What deadlines do I have to observe?
Inform the maintenance advance office immediately if your circumstances change.
Legal basis
- § Section 1 (3) of the Act on Securing the Maintenance of Children of Single Mothers and Fathers through Maintenance Advances or Loss of Maintenance Payments (Maintenance Advance Act)
- § Section 6 Act on Securing the Maintenance of Children of Single Mothers and Fathers through Maintenance Advances or Loss of Maintenance Payments (Maintenance Advance Act)
Legal remedy
- Contradiction
- Compulsory action
What else should I know?
There are no indications or special features.
Further information
- Further information on the maintenance advance on the family portal of the Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ)
- Brochure "Advance maintenance payments - help for single parents and their children" on the website of the Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ)
Short text
- Entitlement to maintenance advance is reviewed annually
- Regular information is mandatory
- Maintenance advance office checks requirements
- Competent body requests evidence
- Communicate all changes immediately
Author
Forwarding service: Deep link to the source portal Forwarding service: Deep link to the source portal- Have my child's maintenance advance checked annually in Saarland
Display of performance in the source portal
- Apply for an annual review of the maintenance advance for children of single parents
Display of performance in the source portal
- Have my child's maintenance advance checked annually in Saarland
Professionally approved by
Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ)
Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Women and Health - Division A3
Applications / Forms