Child Surcharge in Simple Language

Some families don't have much money.

Maybe there isn't enough money to go around.

That's where the child supplement comes in.  

The child supplement is money from the government.

Parents receive the child supplement in addition to child benefits.

This helps them provide better for their children.

• When do you receive the child allowance?
• How much child allowance do you receive?
• What other benefits are available in addition to the child allowance?
• How long do you receive the child allowance?
• Where do you submit your application?
• What do you need to apply?
• Where can you get help?

You may be eligible for the child supplement if:

• Your child is under 25 years old
• Your child lives with you
• Your child is not married
• You receive child benefits for the child

Also important:  
You must earn enough money to support yourself.
But that money isn’t enough for the whole family: 

• Are you married?
  Then you must earn at least 900 euros gross per month. 
• Are you a single parent?
  Then you must earn at least 600 euros gross per month. 
• You do not receive basic income support.

You want to know:
Are you eligible for the child allowance?
You can easily check.
There’s a program from the Federal Employment Agency for this. 
The program is called: KiZ-Lotse.

The program is not available in Easy-to-Read Language.

The child allowance is available for every child.

You can receive up to 297 euros for each child. 

Perhaps your family will soon earn more money.

Then you’ll need less help from the government.

Then the child allowance will be reduced.

Perhaps your child will receive money. 

For example:

• Child support
• Advance child support payment
• Half-orphan’s pension

The money your child receives is important for the calculation. 

The child supplement will then also be reduced.

The child supplement is paid once a month.

The money is transferred to your bank account.

Do you receive a child allowance?

Then there’s even more help available:

• You often don’t have to pay anything for daycare.
• You can also receive money from the Education and Participation Package. 
  More information in easy-to-read language is available on this website:
  https://www.familienportal.nrw/de/leichte-sprache/bildungs-und-teilhabe…

You will receive the child allowance for 6 months.

Then you will need to submit a new application.

You must submit your application to the Family Benefits Office.  

The Family Benefits Office is part of the Employment Agency.

You must submit an application.

You will not receive any money without an application.

You can find all the forms on this website: 

https://www.familienportal.nrw/de/kinderzuschlag

You can fill out the application online. 

The application is not available in easy-to-read language.

Or you can send the application by mail.

The form is also available for printing.

For the application, you must show:

• How much money do you earn?
• How much money do you have?

To do this, you must show important documents. 

For example:

• Pay stubs
• Rental agreement

What other important documents are required?

That is specified in the application.

Do you have questions about the child allowance?

The Family Benefits Office can help you with your questions. 

Which Familien-Kasse is responsible for you?

And how can you contact the Familien-Kasse?

You can find that out using the agency locator. 

The website is:

https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/about-us/contact-information

The page is not available in easy-to-read language.

You can also call.

The phone number is 0800 45555 30.