The text stipulates that the increase in the social benefit will occur when the second child turns eighteen, instead of the current age of fourteen.
As Parliament begins reviewing the budget bills, the announcement of a draft decree delaying the increase in family allowances is concerning advocates for families’ interests. Currently, families with two or more children under twenty receive a higher family allowance rate when the second child turns fourteen. According to the draft decree, they will now have to wait until the child is eighteen.
The measure will affect the five million households receiving family allowances, but in varying ways, as the payment amount depends on parental income, the number of dependent children, and their ages. It will apply starting in the spring of 2026, after consultations on the decree are held at the end of 2025. The implementation will be gradual, affecting new cases only, with no changes for current recipients.
To justify this change, the government cites a study by the Directorate for Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics, which recently questioned the cost difference between children under 14 and those over 14, instead recommending the age of 18 as the threshold. They argue that the level of support should align with the child’s actual expenses, in line with the benefit’s objective.