Family Minister Prien is planning an income limit for maintenance advances

The shortened payment of maintenance advances to single parents is apparently off the table. The benefit should continue to flow until the child's 18th birthday, said Federal Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) during a government survey in the Bundestag. The current draft law now provides for an income limit. In the future, single parents who earn more than 40,000 euros a year can no longer expect the state to step in with an advance on maintenance if the other parent does not pay.

The limit moves up by 10,000 euros for each additional child. According to the minister, the lower limit is a gross monthly income of around 4,500 euros for one child. She spoke of a good compromise. “Children need maintenance, but of course primarily from their parents. I want to make that very clear,” said Prien.

In the summer, her department announced that in future the 16th birthday should be the end date.

In addition, parents who do not pay maintenance as planned should be held “more accountable,” said the minister. That is the core of the bill. According to the ministry, those unwilling to pay should be able to be put under pressure with, among other things, driving bans. The seizure of income should also be possible to a greater extent than before.

According to the ministry, the draft was sent to the other departments, which can comment on it. This is a step towards the cabinet decision. So changes are still possible before the federal government finally votes on them.

The state pays the maintenance advance for children of single parents if one partner does not fulfill his maintenance obligation. In 2024, the federal and state governments paid around 3.2 billion euros of this advance to single parents. The authorities were only able to get a small part of the money - around 17 percent - back from the parents who were actually responsible for maintenance.

In the coalition agreement, the Union and the SPD agreed to put more pressure on parents who are liable for maintenance and do not pay. “We also do not lose sight of the goal of reducing the burden on the federal budget, but also on the budgets of the states and municipalities, through targeted provision of benefits and more effectiveness in recourse,” said Prien.