Advance on maintenance
All information on advance maintenance payments at a glance.
What you should know if you are a single parent
Are you a single parent and bear most of the responsibility alone? And you also have financial worries after the separation because the child maintenance payments have not been made? What happens if the other parent does not pay maintenance, only pays part of it or does not pay it regularly? In these cases, you can apply for maintenance advance. You can find all the important information about the benefit and how to apply here.
Your local maintenance advance office will support you with the application if required.
What is the maintenance advance?
The maintenance advance is a compensation payment for missing maintenance payments from the other parent. If it would actually be possible for the other parent to pay maintenance, the state reclaims the maintenance advance paid.
Maintenance advance is paid provisionally by the state. The state advances the money if the ex-partner liable to pay maintenance does not or cannot pay and reclaims it from the other parent within the limits of their financial means.
If the other parent is able to pay, the state reclaims the maintenance advance paid from them.
In order to find out whether the defaulting parent is able to pay, they are asked to disclose their income situation. If the information is refused, the maintenance advance office can request information, for example about income, from the employer, tax office, insurance companies and social security institutions. If necessary, legal action and enforcement may be taken.
However, the maintenance advance is only to be repaid by the parent liable to pay maintenance if they are in a financial position to do so.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, recovery from the parent liable to pay maintenance is usually a matter for the NRW State Office of Finance. You can find lots of important information on this on the website of the Landesamt für Finanzen.
Advance maintenance payments explained simply
Apply for advance maintenance payments online now - here's how it works
You can not only easily apply for advance maintenance payments completely digitally via the application link, but also quickly and easily determine whether you meet the basic requirements for the payment of advance maintenance:
It's about the well-being of your child
Your child has a legal entitlement to maintenance advance if maintenance is not paid or is not paid regularly. It is then used to financially secure the child's basic needs. These include the cost of food, clothing, housing, hobbies and leisure activities, schooling and pocket money. Your child has a right to grow up well provided for. You should therefore not refrain from applying for an advance on maintenance payments if your child meets the requirements. Your local maintenance advance office will help you with the application if required.
Further information on advance maintenance payments
Amount of the advance on maintenance
What is the power and how is it calculated?
Requirements for maintenance advance
What you need to know about eligibility
.Similar services
Assistance
If you are raising your child alone, you can apply for a guardianship for your child at the youth welfare office. The guardian will help you to legally clarify paternity and/or to enforce your child's maintenance claims.
Child benefit
Child benefit is paid to all families, regardless of their income. It is paid from birth until at least the child's 18th birthday. Under certain conditions, child benefit is available until the 25th birthday.
Education and participation package
Does your family receive benefits under SGB II, SGB XII, AsylbLG, housing benefit or child supplement? Then you can receive financial support for participation in school, daycare, child daycare and leisure activities as well as equipment, meals and transportation.
Where can I find help and advice?
If you have any questions about advance maintenance payments or the application process, please contact the advance maintenance payments office. In most municipalities, this office is part of the youth welfare office. You can use the Jugendamt-Finder to find out which youth welfare office is responsible for your place of residence.
You can also submit a free application for beistandschaft to clarify and claim maintenance entitlements.
Submit an applicationAdvance on maintenance
Further informationLinks to read more
Questions and answers for debtors can be found on the portal of the NRW tax authorities.
BrochuresDownload
You can download the brochure "The maintenance advance" from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth free of charge.
The Bundesverband alleinerziehender Mütter und Väter e.V. has compiled tips and information on separation and divorce and much more in the brochure "alleinerziehend"
.