Apply for Kinderzuschlag (child supplement)

Up to €297 per child per month, in addition to Kindergeld of €259. The maximum amount is only reached if the child has no income of its own and the parents' income does not exceed their own needs. The child's own income – such as maintenance, maintenance advance or a training allowance – reduces the supplement; higher parental income does too, though only proportionally, so that extra work still pays off.

There is a lower threshold and an upper threshold. At the lower end you must earn at least €900 gross a month, or €600 as a single parent. What counts is the average of the last six months before the application, so a single weak month does no harm. At the upper end, entitlement ends where your income is so high that the supplement is calculated down to zero – this threshold depends on housing costs and the number of children and cannot be stated as a flat figure. Use the KiZ-Lotse for this.

No, and this is the costliest misconception about this benefit. The approval period begins with the month of the application; nothing is paid for the time before that. The comparison with Kindergeld, which comes from the same Familienkasse and can be paid retroactively for six months, is particularly misleading. This rule expressly does not apply to the Kinderzuschlag. So it is better to submit the application incomplete within the current month and provide documents later.

Usually for six months. A new application is then required; the approval does not renew automatically. Since the follow-up application has no retroactive effect either, you should remind yourself in the fifth month – otherwise a gap of a month or more arises that can no longer be closed.

The Familienkasse of the Federal Employment Agency. The Jobcenter is responsible for Grundsicherungsgeld under SGB II, the employment agency for benefits under SGB III. The Kinderzuschlag belongs to neither: it is set out in § 6a BKGG, the Federal Child Benefits Act. So the application deadlines of § 324 SGB III do not apply to it either, but rather the separate rule on the approval period.

That depends on income, and you cannot have both at once. The Kinderzuschlag is intended for households that cover their own needs through earned income, but not additionally those of their children. Anyone who does not reach the minimum income of €900 or €600 is referred to Grundsicherungsgeld at the Jobcenter. The Familienkasse also checks, as part of the process, whether the KiZ is enough to avoid being in need of assistance – if it is not, it points this out.

A separate entitlement under § 6b BKGG that arises once the Kinderzuschlag is received: school supplies, communal lunches at school and at the Kita (child daycare centre), trips and class trips, learning support, and a monthly amount for sport, culture and leisure. For many families, calculated over the year, this is worth more than the supplement itself. Note: these benefits must be applied for separately, usually at the local authority – they do not come automatically with the KiZ notice.

Yes. The child's own income reduces the Kinderzuschlag – this includes maintenance payments, maintenance advance, orphan's pension and a training allowance. These amounts must be declared, even if they are small. If a child's income is concealed and later discovered, the Familienkasse reclaims the overpaid amount for the whole approval period, that is, for up to six months at once.