Maintenance advance

Many youth welfare offices offer an online application for advance maintenance payments. The online application has the advantage that you are guided step by step through the online application and only the questions that are crucial for you are displayed. You also have the option of temporarily saving your data at any time. You can see whether the online application for advance maintenance payments is already available in your municipality in the overview of active municipalities. (See below)

The link under "Apply now" will take you to the start page of the online application. There you can do a quick check to verify your eligibility or start the online application directly. When you start the online application, you must first log in: Quite simply with your e-mail address and password, or alternatively with your electronic ID card or a service account. If you log in with the electronic ID card, you can digitally sign the online application and submit the application completely paperless.

If you log in with your e-mail address and password, you will receive a so-called jacket sheet to download after submitting your data, which you must sign and send to your maintenance advance office. If you cannot or do not want to take advantage of the online application, you can also fill out the application on paper. You can usually download the paper application from the website of your municipality or pick it up directly from your maintenance advance office.

You can find the online application at www.unterhaltsvorschuss-online.de

Important note: The online application is not yet possible in all municipalities in NRW. The municipalities that already use the online application can be found in our overview.

If you have any questions about the advance on maintenance payments or the application process, please contact the maintenance advance office responsible for you. In most municipalities, this office is part of the youth welfare office. You can find out which youth welfare office is responsible for your place of residence by using the Youth Welfare Office Finder.

All information on the advance on maintenance payments can be found explained in detail on the page Advance on Maintenance Payments on the Familienportal.NRW.

As a rule, you will receive maintenance advance from the month in which you submitted the application. The maintenance advance can also be paid retroactively for the month before the application was filed if the legal requirements were already met during this time. This also includes that maintenance payments were claimed from the other parent. Provided you are entitled to advance maintenance payments, you should therefore lose no time in submitting the application.

To receive maintenance advance, you must meet certain requirements. You can find out what these are on the page Prerequisites for maintenance advance.

Which documents do I need for the application for advance maintenance payments?

As a rule, you need at least the following documents:

• Birth certificate of your child
• If available: Proof of paternity acknowledgment for children born outside of marriage
• If available: Maintenance title

If applicable, the application may show that you need to provide further evidence in your specific case.

The processing time for the maintenance advance application is usually between 2 and 6 weeks.

None.