Germany’s Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) plans to cut the state child maintenance advance (Unterhaltsvorschuss), the payment that steps in when a separated parent fails to pay child support. Under her proposal, the state would stop paying once a child turns 16, two years earlier than the current cut-off of 18. The plan has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties and open resistance from the CDU’s own coalition partner, the SPD.
The Unterhaltsvorschuss cut at a glance
- What changes: Payments would stop at a child’s 16th birthday instead of the 18th.
- Who is affected: The Family Ministry estimates around 80,000 children.
- Money at stake: Families could lose up to €394 a month per child aged 16 to 18, according to the association for single parents.
- Why it’s happening: Costs have quadrupled since a 2017 reform extended payments to age 18, and states and municipalities want relief.
- Status: No bill has been introduced yet; the ministry says a draft is coming soon, but the SPD says it will demand changes.
What is the Unterhaltsvorschuss?
The Unterhaltsvorschuss is a state advance payment for single parents whose ex-partner pays no child support, or not enough. The state pays the money to the parent raising the child, then tries to recover it from the parent who owes it. A 2017 reform extended eligibility from age 12 up to a child’s 18th birthday. Since then, according to the report, the cost of the programme to the state has quadrupled, prompting states (Länder) and municipalities to push for cuts.
What the ministry is proposing
A spokesperson for the Family Ministry, Dominik Lenz, confirmed that Minister Prien intends to bring forward a bill “very soon” that would end payments at a child’s 16th birthday rather than the 18th. The ministry estimates that about 80,000 children would ultimately be affected by the change. At the same time, the ministry wants to increase pressure on parents who fail to pay child support: Lenz said the ministry is considering a temporary driving ban (Fahrverbot) for parents who repeatedly fall behind on payments.
Criticism from opposition and single-parent groups
The plan has drawn some of the sharpest criticism the ministry has faced this year. At a press conference in Berlin, Left Party co-chair Ines Schwerdtner accused the minister of losing touch with reality, calling the planned cuts a “horror message” for single parents and their children. She argued that nearly half of all single parents in Germany are at risk of poverty and said they should not be asked to plug budget gaps that, in her view, should instead be closed by taxing billionaires more fairly.
Green Party co-leader Franziska Brantner said the government appeared to be balancing its budget “on the backs” of families and single parents, instead of closing inheritance tax loopholes.
Daniela Jaspers, chair of the Association of Single Mothers and Fathers (Verband alleinerziehender Mütter und Väter), told public broadcaster MDR that “the ones who suffer are the children,” who would no longer receive the support they are entitled to. She calculated that families could lose up to €394 a month for children aged 16 to 18.
Resistance inside the coalition
Opposition to the plan is not limited to opposition parties. Within the SPD, the CDU’s coalition partner, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s state premier Manuela Schwesig has rejected the proposal. Truels Reichardt, the SPD Bundestag faction’s spokesperson on children’s issues, also spoke out against it, saying the party would need to “rework” any bill once it reaches parliament. That leaves it open whether the reform will pass in the form the Family Ministry currently plans.
What it means for people living in Germany
If you are a single parent in Germany relying on Unterhaltsvorschuss, or expect to need it, this proposal is still a draft, not law. No bill has been formally introduced yet, and the SPD has already signalled it wants changes before any vote. If you currently receive the advance for a teenager, keep an eye on news from the Family Ministry over the coming months, and check with your local youth welfare office (Jugendamt), which administers the payments, for updates once the bill is published.
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