Child benefit and leave schemes

Financial support and child benefits

Anyone who is insured under the Dutch national insurance scheme (generally: anyone who lives or works in the Netherlands, with a few exceptions e.g. international students) is entitled to child benefit (kinderbijslag). This is an allowance for the costs of raising children between birth and 18, and can be claimed by anyone raising a child i.e. parents, adopted parents, step-parents, foster parents, legal guardians. Babies are expensive, but teenagers even more so, so the amount you receive increases at the age of 6 and again at 12. In 2024, for a child from 0 to 5 years the quarterly amount is €279, for a child aged 6 to 11 it is €339, and for a child between 12 and 17, it is €399. You can apply for child benefit through the SVK agency. 

Lower income families are also sometimes entitled to a further allowance in the form of a tax credit, named child budget (kindgebonden budget). Generally, the SVK agency will inform the tax office of your application for the child benefit, and the decision to whether you’re also entitled to child budget will be organized automatically. However, if you believe you should be entitled to child budget and have not been contacted by the tax office, you can inquire here. 

With most childcare options, working parents are entitled to a further benefit; the childcare benefit (kinderopvangtoeslag). If you are entitled to the childcare benefit, you can receive it for a maximum of 230 hours per month per child. You can find the details on conditions for the childcare benefit and how to apply here.

Maternity and other leave schemes

• Maternity leave: Pregnant employees are entitled to a total of 16 weeks of paid leave, usually split up into 6 weeks of pregnancy leave (before birth) and 10 weeks of maternity leave (after birth). If you’re a self-employed professional, the Maternity Benefit Scheme for the Self-Employed (ZEZ) entitles you to an allowance during pregnancy and after childbirth that can be claimed from the Employment Insurance Agency (UVW).
• Partner leave: If your partner has given birth, you’re entitled to 1 week of paid partner leave, which can be taken at any time within the first 4 weeks after birth. This can be further extended to 5 weeks unpaid leave within the first 6 months after birth. In this case, employees can claim benefits up to 70% of their salary from the Employment Insurance Agency (UVW).  

Further information on parental, adoption and care leave can be found here.