Apply for advance maintenance payments for children of single parents
Are you a single parent and receive no or only partial maintenance from the other parent? Then you can apply for an advance on maintenance payments under certain conditions.
Description
You will receive advance maintenance payments for your child if you are raising it in your household without another parent against whom the child is entitled to maintenance. However, this maintenance is not paid by the other parent or the person obliged to pay maintenance, or is paid incompletely or irregularly.
Children with a deceased parent may also be entitled to an advance on maintenance payments if no or insufficient orphan's benefits are paid.
The child's center of life must clearly be in your household. This means that you are not entitled to an advance on maintenance payments if you use the alternating model. You must not have married a new partner.
If the eligibility requirements are met, the maintenance advance will be paid to you until your child reaches the age of majority.
The amount of the maintenance advance is calculated from the amount of the respective minimum maintenance rates less child benefit and, if applicable, less any maintenance payments or orphan's benefits already received.
The following amounts currently apply (as of 2025)
- for children up to 5 years EUR 227.00 per month
- for children from 6 to 11 years EUR 299.00 per month
- for children from 12 to 17 years EUR 394.00 per month
The maintenance advance is always paid at the beginning of a calendar month and can be applied for retroactively for 1 month.
Information for Darmstadt: Unterhaltsvorschuss - eine Hilfe für Alleinerziehende
Office hours
Monday through Friday:
Appointments by arrangement
What is maintenance advance?
The maintenance advance serves to ensure the maintenance of underage children if
- a parent who is liable to pay maintenance does not pay maintenance for a child
- or is unable to do so. In this case, the responsible maintenance advance fund initially makes an advance payment.
The aim of the maintenance advance is to:
relieve the burden on the single parent and prevent the loss of maintenance for their child, as no child should fall into need.
The child's maintenance claims are then transferred to the state in the amount of the maintenance advance paid, which recovers the money paid out from the parent liable for maintenance and, if necessary, sues for it.
Who receives maintenance advance?
The following age limits apply:
- Children up to the age of 12 (12th birthday)
- Children between the ages of 12 and 17
under the following conditions:
- if your child is not dependent on benefits under Book II of the Social Code (SGB II) (Hartz IV)
- if the single parent has a gross monthly income of at least 600 euros
- if the child's need for assistance under Section 9 SGB II can be avoided through the maintenance payment
These children are entitled to advance maintenance payments if
- the parent with whom the child lives (in Germany) is single, widowed, divorced or permanently separated from his/her spouse and
- the other parent, with whom the child does not live, does not pay any maintenance or only pays partial or irregular maintenance
(there is no income limit for the single parent in this case. A court maintenance judgment against the other parent is not required. If the other parent is fully or partially able to pay maintenance, the state will claim the amount of the maintenance advance paid). - the child does not receive orphan's benefits after the death of the parent liable for maintenance.
Entitlement to the maintenance advance is excluded if, among other things
- the single parent remarries and does not live permanently separated from the spouse or if the single parent - whether married or not - lives with the other parent.
Amount of the maintenance advance
The amount of the maintenance advance is based on the statutory minimum maintenance. The child benefit paid from public funds is deducted from this.
The amount of the maintenance advancedepends on the age of the children and is paid monthly:
from 01.01.2024
- 230 euros for children aged 0 to 5 years,
- 301 euros for children aged 6 to 11,
- for children aged 12 to 17 years 395 euros
Maintenance payments from the other parent or other income of the child (e.g. half-orphan's pension) are offset against these amounts.
Any income limits do not have to be observed. However, advance maintenance payments may be offset against assistance with living expenses in accordance with Social Security Code XII - Twelfth Book - by the social welfare office or against social benefit in accordance with Social Security Code II - Second Book - by the provider of basic benefits for jobseekers.
Application and payment
In order to clarify all questions immediately and to be able to decide on the application as quickly as possible, it is important to meet in person when applying. Fill out the application and the information sheet in
advance. (You will find the application and the corresponding information sheet in the "Forms" box at the top right).
The application must be submitted in person together with the required documents. Please make an appointment for this in advance.
The required documents are also listed on this page (see below), which you must also bring with you.
Important note: Make your application in good time, as maintenance advance can only be paid retroactively for one month.
The maintenance advance fund of the city of Darmstadt isresponsible for processing applications and paying out the maintenance advance for the city of Darmstadt:
.
The youth welfare offices have prepared themselves as well as possible for the statutory extension of the entitlement to advance maintenance payments. However, due to the large number of new applications received so far, there may be longer processing times. We ask for your understanding in this regard.
Online service
Unterhaltsvorschuss
Description
Use this service online
Trust level
You need an electronic ID card with a PIN to use the service (trust level: high).
further information on the level of trust for online services
Competent office
Municipal youth welfare offices
Contact point
Maintenance advance offices in the youth welfare offices of the cities and districts
Contact person
Jugendamt, Abteilung Wirtschaftliche Jugendhilfe, UVG und AfA
Description
Address
address
Opening hours
Termine nach Vereinbarung
Contact
e-mail: jugendamt@darmstadt.de
e-mail: bafoeg@darmstadt.de
e-mail: unterhaltsvorschuss@darmstadt.de
e-mail: jugendamt-wjh@darmstadt.de
Required documents
- Application form
- additionally required depending on the individual case:
- the birth certificate of the child concerned
- the identity card of the single parent
- confirmation of registration or information from the register of residents
- for foreign children or parents:
- identity card
- valid proof of residence permit
- Maintenance title:
- current maintenance determination, maintenance certificate, judgment, order
- in the event of separation of a marriage:
- Divorce decree, letter from the lawyer about the date of separation, if applicable
- for unmarried couples:
- Acknowledgment or establishment of paternity
- Proof of income:
- Child benefit
- Half-orphan's pension, if applicable
- Maintenance payments, if applicable
- If applicable, approval or cessation notices regarding benefits under the Maintenance Advance Act from other maintenance advance funds
- From the age of 12, if you are currently receiving SGB II benefits, a complete, up-to-date notification from the job center
- From the age of 15, additionally the school certificate or, from the end of school attendance, proof of income.
Information for Darmstadt: Unterhaltsvorschuss - eine Hilfe für Alleinerziehende
In addition to the completed application and the signed information sheet, the following documents must also be submitted:
- Birth certificate of the child
- Identity card or passport/residence permit - Settlement/residence permit of the applicant and the child
- Proof of child benefit (bank statement)
- Acknowledgment of paternity or judgment establishing paternity
- Maintenance title (judgment, settlement, document from the youth welfare office or notarized agreements)
- Divorce decree, if applicable
- Marriage certificate, if applicable
- If applicable, current SGB II decision of the applicant parent
- Address of the appointed lawyer's office
- Proof of receipt of a half-orphan's pension or maintenance payments from the parent far from the family
For children aged 12 and over additionally:
- Proof of income of the applicant parent, if applicable
For children aged 15 and over additionally:
- School certificate
- If applicable, training contract + payslips of the child
- Proof of assets of the child
Further information pages:
>> Info page
(of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth)
>> Maintenance advance (in plain language)
Forms
Many Hessian maintenance advance offices offer an online application service, e.g. Unterhaltsvorschuss Online.
You can obtain the paper application forms from the relevant youth welfare office.
Information for Hesse: Unterhaltsvorschuss für Kinder von Alleinerziehenden beantragen
Many Hessian maintenance advance offices offer an online application service, e.g. Unterhaltsvorschuss Online.
You can obtain the paper application forms from the relevant youth welfare office.
Prerequisites
The following requirements must be met for the approval of advance maintenance payments:
- Your child is under 12 years old
- Your child is 12 to 17 years old and the following conditions are met:
- Your child does not receive a citizen's allowance.
- The maintenance advance can prevent your child from needing assistance.
- You have a gross monthly income of at least EUR 600 and may receive supplementary citizen's allowance.
- Child maintenance is not paid or is only paid in part or no or insufficient orphan's benefits are paid.
- Your child is resident or habitually resident in Germany.
- You may also be entitled if you live abroad with your child but are fully liable for income tax in Germany.
- You are a single parent. You are also considered a single parent if you are widowed.
- You and the child must live in the same household.
- Foreign children are only eligible if they have certain residence permits.
Basis for legal action
- § 1612a Abs. 1 Satz 3 Nr. 1 oder 2 Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB)
- § 1 Unterhaltsvorschussgesetz (UhVorschG)
Information for Darmstadt: Unterhaltsvorschuss - eine Hilfe für Alleinerziehende
Act to secure the maintenance of children of single mothers and fathers through advance maintenance payments or loss of maintenance payments:
Here you will find the Maintenance Advance Act (UhVorschG).
Legal remedy
- Contradiction
Deadlines
Advance maintenance payments can be granted retroactively for 1 month if the requirements were already met at that time.
Costs
There are no costs.
Notes (specifics)
The following information is available:
- Children between the ages of 12 and 17 are only entitled to an advance on maintenance payments if
- the child is not dependent on SGB II benefits,
- the child would not be dependent on SGB II benefits with the advance maintenance payment or
- if the single parent in receipt of citizen's allowance earns a gross income of at least EUR 600.
- The other parent must repay the maintenance advance to the maintenance advance office. If the person obliged to pay maintenance does not pay, the maintenance advance office can sue for repayment and enforce it.
Further Information
Area of validity
Hesse
Official approval
Officially approved by Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) on 15.02.2024
Keywords
Unterhaltsvorschuss, Alleinerziehende, Kindesunterhalt, Unterhaltssicherung, Anspruch Unterhalt, Kinder, Unterhaltsvorschussstelle, Unterhalt Kind, Unterhalt