Child benefits to be raised to 30 euros

The Minister of Labor and Social Policy Natalia Efremova presented proposals to the relevant parliamentary committee to increase child benefits, maternity and one-time childbirth benefits. They will be included in the state budget for next year. The measure covers a wide range of families, with the overall package providing for an additional 300 million euros for social assistance.

New amounts of child benefits

The ministry's proposal provides that from January 1, child benefits for one child will increase from 25.57 to 30 euros. Families with two children will receive 65 euros instead of the previous 56.25 euros, and for three children the amount will reach 100 euros. Benefits for children with disabilities, which were previously frozen, are also being increased. At the highest disability rate, the supplement increases by 100 euros and will now be 704 euros per month.

The one-time grant for enrolling students from first to fourth grade, as well as for eighth graders, is also being raised and will amount to 175 euros compared to the current 153.39 euros.

Increase in one-time grants for pregnancy and childbirth

The most significant increases are planned for financial support for the birth of a child, where the increase reaches 56%. For the first child, the grant becomes 300 euros, for the second the amount jumps to 720 euros, and for the third, 360 euros will be paid. The one-time pregnancy allowance is also being updated and will increase by 50 euros, reaching 165 euros.

According to Minister Efremova, the total amount of 300 million euros for these areas is distributed in different items - 200 million euros are earmarked for tax breaks, 70 million euros come from the state budget and 30 million euros from the state social security budget.

Incentives for working mothers

The debates on Budget 2027 also include a change in benefits when returning to work during maternity leave. If the mother decides to return to work, she will receive 75% of her compensation along with her salary, instead of the previous 50%.

In parallel, an increase in funds for the second year of maternity is being discussed, which will increase from 398.81 euros to around 450 euros. Efremova estimates that if a mother had secured herself with the maximum income, she could have received a total of around 28,000 euros for the two years, which is equivalent to over 1,000 euros per month. The minister noted that nominally these amounts exceed support in countries such as Austria, where maternity leave covers only eight weeks before and eight weeks after childbirth.