Support services for single parents

If you want to assert maintenance claims, you can request an advisor from the youth welfare office. The advisor will help you to legally clarify paternity and ensure that your child receives the maintenance to which he or she is entitled. If maintenance is disputed, the guardian can represent your child in court maintenance proceedings. Assistance from the youth welfare office is a free service. You can find detailed information on guardianship and how to submit an informal application to your local youth welfare office here on Familienportal.NRW.

Low-income single-parent families can receive benefits from the so-called education and participation package.

If you meet the requirements, your child is entitled to allowances for leisure activities, school trips or learning support, for example. Detailed information on the benefits of the education and participation package and how to apply can be found on Familienportal.NRW.

If you are a single parent, you can also claim the tax relief amount for single parents. This amount reduces your taxable income and can lead to a lower tax burden. The relief amount of €4,260 per year is taken into account under the following conditions:

• You live without another adult in a joint household with at least one child.
• You are entitled to child benefit or a child allowance for the child.

For the second and each additional beneficiary child, the annual relief amount increases by 240 euros.

You can apply for the relief amount in your income tax return. To do so, you must enter the relevant information on the relief amount in the "Child annex". In order not to benefit from the relief amount only with the tax refund, it is advisable to apply for tax class 2 at the tax office after the separation. This means that the tax relief amount is taken into account directly in the monthly wage tax deduction.

Tips on choosing the tax class can be found on the topic page "Tax classes at a glance" here on Familienportal.NRW.

Single parents can receive either child benefit or the child allowance. If you are a single parent, you are generally entitled to half of the child allowance. The other half can be claimed by the other parent. Under certain circumstances, however, you can also receive the full child allowance, for example if the other parent lives abroad or does not pay maintenance. The tax office will automatically check on your tax return whether child benefit or the child allowance is more tax-efficient for you. Further information on tax benefits can be found here on Familienportal.NRW.

Child benefit is only ever paid to one parent. If you live separately, child benefit is paid to the parent in whose household the child lives most of the time. If the other parent pays maintenance, the maintenance payment is reduced by half of the child benefit. Information on applying for child benefit can be found at Familienportal.NRW.

Working single parents who have statutory health insurance receive child sickness benefit if they are unable to go to work to care for their sick child. You can apply for child sickness benefit for 30 working days in each of the years 2024 and 2025. If you have several children, you are entitled to a total of up to 70 children's sick days per year. The prerequisite for the payment of child sickness benefit is that your child is under the age of twelve or - regardless of age - disabled or in need of assistance.

If the child is treated in hospital, the entitlement to child sickness benefit is unlimited in time from 2024 if the hospitalization of the parent is also medically necessary.

You can apply for child sickness benefit from your health insurance fund. You can also find more detailed information on children's sickness benefit here on Familienportal.NRW.

Single parents, like couples, are entitled to child supplement if they are employed but still do not earn enough to cover their children's living expenses. The child supplement is paid in addition to child benefit and is intended to help cover the children's basic needs. The amount of the supplement depends on the family's income. You can check whether you are entitled to the child supplement without obligation using the KiZ-Lotsen on the website of the Federal Employment Agency.

You can find detailed information on how to apply and the eligibility requirements on the Kinderzuschlag page here on Familienportal.NRW.

Both parents are legally obliged to provide child maintenance. The parent with whom the child lives pays their share by raising, caring for and feeding the child. The other parent, who does not live in the same household, usually has to pay cash maintenance. The amount of cash maintenance depends on various criteria such as the age of the child and the income of the parent liable for maintenance and is generally based on the Düsseldorf table.

Only if there is a deficiency and the net income of the other parent is below the statutory deductible are you not entitled to child maintenance. If there is a so-called deficiency case , you should seek advice from the youth welfare office.

Special cases arise when calculating maintenance if there is extended contact or if the parents take turns caring for the child in unequal shares. It is then advisable to stipulate the share of care in a joint maintenance agreement. It is advisable to seek legal advice when drawing up the agreement.

On this topic page of the Family Portal, you will find detailed information on child maintenance, the current maintenance rates and the deductible. A good overview of the legal situation and the calculation of child maintenance in special cases is provided by the "STARK" portal on the topic of child maintenance and child benefit.

Under certain circumstances, single parents who receive citizen's allowance or social assistance can apply for additional needs in order to receive additional financial support. Common reasons for additional needs are, for example, the purchase of initial baby equipment during pregnancy, special childcare costs or unexpected costs such as medical treatment in the event of illness or disability. The amount of additional needs depends on the age and number of children. If you receive social assistance, contact the social welfare office in your municipality. If you receive citizen's allowance, the job center is responsible for you. You can find detailed information on additional needs on the portal of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

Bearing the responsibility of raising children alone requires a lot of strength and energy. The increased strain can lead to exhaustion, which manifests itself in various symptoms. If you have an increased health risk due to family stress or are already ill, you are legally entitled to a cure with or without a child. Find out more about the offers of a mother or father-child cure or mothers' or fathers' cures here on Familienportal.NRW.

Under certain circumstances, single parents are also entitled to maintenance. For example, if you are unable to work due to caring for the child. On the website of the Federal Ministry of Justice, you can find further information on the maintenance obligation of spouses after a divorce.

If you have difficulties enforcing maintenance payments from the other parent, you have the option of applying for an advance on maintenance payments from the youth welfare office. This advance is paid if the other parent does not meet their maintenance obligation or does not meet it in full. You can find all the information about your entitlements and how you can apply for maintenance advance digitally on the topic page maintenance advance here on Familienportal.NRW.

Housing benefit is a state subsidy that helps single parents on a low income to cover their housing costs. It is paid as a rent subsidy or as an allowance towards heating costs if the income is below a certain limit. Entitlement to housing benefit depends on various factors, such as the size of the household and the level of income.

You can use the housing benefit calculator of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia to calculate the amount of any entitlement to housing benefit online without obligation. After the calculation, you can use the tool to submit an online application directly to the housing benefit authority in the city or municipality where your home is located.

You can find important questions and answers about housing benefit as well as an explanatory film on the portal of the Ministry of Regional Identity, Communities and Local Government, Building and Digitalization of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Did you know that the state government supports time out at family holiday centers? The grant enables single parents on a low income to take a short break to spend time with their children and recharge their batteries.

How to book a stay and further information on the offers can be found in the article "Vacation at the family holiday center" here on Familienportal.NRW.