Requirements for maintenance advance

Anti-maintenance advance is financial support that single parents can claim if the other parent does not meet his or her maintenance obligations.

You have questions about the conditions you must meet in order to receive the advance maintenance payment, for example, when you are considered a single parent or whether there is an age limit for the payment of maintenance? Here you will find answers to the most important questions.

You can get maintenance advance if

• Your child is younger than 18 years,
• You are a single parent and your child has its center of life in your household and
• Your child receives no or no regular maintenance from the other parent or the maintenance payments are below the statutory minimum maintenance.

You can also get maintenance advance if the other parent participates in the care of the child. However, the predominant child-rearing responsibility must lie with you. Maintenance advance is also paid if you have joint custody with the other parent.

If your child is between 12 and 17 years old, one of the following two conditions must also be met:

• Your child is not dependent on citizen's allowance or
• You receive citizen's allowance and have at least 600 euros per month gross available without child benefit.

Children under 12 years receive maintenance advance even if they receive citizen's allowance. However, the maintenance advance will be credited against the citizen's allowance.

In these cases, the right to advance maintenance for your child may be denied or excluded:

• If you, whether married or not, live with the other parent or not permanently separated.
• If you are married or partnered and living together with a new partner.
• If your child lives with the other parent.
• If you do not provide information about the other parent.
• If you do not cooperate in the establishment of paternity or a clarification of the residence of the other parent.

If you have a new partner by your side, you can continue to receive advance maintenance payments, even if you live together in one household. However, this changes if you remarry or live in a registered partnership. Then the entitlement to maintenance advance ends.