Who receives the child benefit (beneficiary)?

The beneficiary receives the child benefits. It is not up to parents or persons raising the children to choose the beneficiary. The authorities have provided in regulations to that end.

the child benefits are paid to the mother and into her bank account. If she is not the account manager, we always check if she has at least access to the money in the (joint) account.

For example: Agnes and Marc live together with their two children. Agnes receives the child benefits on a joint account she has with Marc.

There are some exceptions to this general rule.

For minor children, we generally continue to pay the child benefits to the mother. Are the children officially registered at the father’s address? In that case, the father can request to receive the child benefits himself by letter or e-mail.

Does the adult child alternate and equally stay with both parents? Then nothing changes for the child benefits. If the child mainly lives with one of the two parents, the parent with whom the child lives receives the child benefits.

Sometimes parents make specific arrangements about the child benefits through a divorce decree. In that case, it is best to contact your file manager.

 If a child is not being raised by their parents but by someone else, that person receives the child benefits. This could be a foster parent, but also an aunt or a grandparent.

If a young person is already living independently, they can receive the child benefits themselves from the age of 16. This also applies to children who still live at home, but are already married or have children of their own for whom they receive child benefits.

There is also a general rule for same-sex parents: the older of the two receives the child benefits.

Minor children growing up in problematic circumstances can be placed in a youth institution by the Juvenile Court or a government service. A separate arrangement is applied for these children.

Contact us.