Overview

• About 41% of single parents are at risk of poverty, according to a Bertelsmann Foundation study cited in the new guidance.
• A model project by Amuvee found that better navigation of benefits can add roughly €300 per month to a participant’s budget.
• Families receive €255 per child in Kindergeld, and the Kinderzuschlag adds up to €297 per month per child for six months, with eligibility checkable via the Federal Employment Agency’s KiZ-Lotse.
• If maintenance is unpaid or insufficient, advance payments are available through youth welfare offices at €227 for under 6s, €299 for under 12s, and €394 for under 18s.
• Single parents can claim a tax relief of up to €4,260 per year plus €240 for each additional child by using tax class II, and Bürgergeld recipients cannot also receive Wohngeld or the Kinderzuschlag.