Information in English

Welcome to UVO – Unterhaltsvorschuss Online (child support advance payments online). This service is currently available in German only. This page summarises the most important information about child support advance payments in English: What is the child support advance payment? How does the application process work? Who is entitled to a child support advance payment? How much will I receive? And much, much more. Should you have any further questions, feel free to contact your local child support advance office (Unterhaltsvorschussstelle) at any time.

The child support advance payment (Unterhaltsvorschuss) is financial support provided by the German state for the children of single parents. Its purpose is to ensure that the child is financially secure if one of his/her parents does not pay enough child support. The parent liable to pay child support will subsequently be required to pay back the advance if he/she does not pay child support despite having the means to do so.

Your child is entitled to a child support advance payment if

• you and your child live in Germany
• the child is under 18 years of age
• the child lives in the same household with only one of his/her parents and the other parent does not pay enough child support.

Please note:

• Child support advance payments are granted for children living abroad in exceptional cases only.

A number of additional requirements must also be met for children aged between 12 and 18:

The child is not dependent on benefits under Book II of the German Social Code (SGBII), or as a single parent, you are in receipt of benefits under SGBII and have gross monthly earnings of at least 600 euros excluding child benefit;

You or your child are in receipt of benefits under SGBII and you do not have a gross income of at least 600 euros per month; however, your child is no longer dependent on basic social security benefits due to the child support advance payment (no longer in need of assistance).

An entitlement to a child support advance payment does not apply if

• you are living with the parent who is liable to pay to child support
• you are married (including to another spouse), or live in a same-sex partnership
• the child is being cared for by his/her other parent to a significant extent, or the child is in residential care
• the parent caring for the child does not provide the requisite information
• the child’s mother fails to help establish paternity
• the obligation to provide child support is met by advance payment
• one of two joint children is living with the respective parent and the parent is caring for this child.

The child support advance amount is based on the statutory minimum amount of child support and varies depending on the age of the child:

• 0 to 5 years: €230
• 6 to 11 years: €301
• 12 to 18 years: €395

Child benefit (Kindergeld) is deducted from this amount. Certain deductions are made from the child support advance payment, including child support payments made by the other parent, a half-orphan pension, income earned by the child and income from gainful employment if the child is no longer attending school.

The entitlement to the payment begins when the child is born and ends at the latest on his/her 18th birthday. In certain circumstances, payments may be backdated, provided that the single parent has made reasonable attempts to induce the parent liable to pay child support.

Providing false information or failing to comply with disclosure requirements may result in the child support advance payment being reclaimed. This also applies in cases where the child earns an income which should be taken into account after the application has been submitted. The child support advance payment is deemed to be the child’s income and may therefore be offset against other social security benefits.

In certain circumstances, children who are citizens of foreign country are also entitled to a child support advance payment. Please contact your child support advance office (Unterhaltsvorschussstelle) for further information.

If you know or believe that your child is entitled to additional child support, please contact the specialist service for legal support and child support for minors at your local youth welfare office (Fachdienst Beistandschaft und Unterhalt für Minderjährige).

You can apply for child support advance online or on paper by submitting an application to your local child support advance office. The documents required will vary depending on your individual situation and are displayed when you complete the application process online. You will need your child’s birth certificate in every case. If you are unable to upload the documents online, you may send a copy to the child support advance office subsequently.