Income limit for maintenance advances: From 4,500 euros there is nothing more

After heavy criticism of the change to the maintenance allowance presented in July 2026, Federal Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) presented a new draft bill in a federal government survey on Wednesday in the Bundestag.

Unlike the previous proposal, maintenance advances for young people aged 16 and over should continue to be maintained. In contrast, from 2029, the advance payment for single parents with a taxable annual income of over 40,000 euros will no longer apply. And not gradually, but completely. According to Prien, this corresponds to a gross income of around 4,500 euros per month. The limit increases by 10,000 euros per year for each additional child.

So far, the state has paid advance payments to single parents if the other parent does not pay or only pays insufficiently. 6 percent of single parents would lose their advance as a result of the regulation.

In addition to the introduction of an income limit, there is another central point in the draft bill: the federal government wants to make the parent who is unwilling to pay more responsible. If you refuse to provide information about your assets or are absent when the authorities are called, the fine will double from the current 1,000 to 2,000 euros in the future. Repeated violations can even result in a driving ban of up to three months. The draft will be discussed in the cabinet in the next step.

The federal government expects the change to provide financial relief for the federal, state and local governments. Starting next year, 16 million euros should be saved. After the income limit comes into force, these savings are expected to increase to a total of 250 million euros in 2029.

The Federal Minister describes the draft as a good compromise. The chairwoman of the Fair for Children association is happy that the abolition of the maintenance advance from the age of 16 is off the table and also praises the pressure on those liable for maintenance, but still criticizes the new draft: "Anyone who punishes single parents with income limits creates false incentives instead of incentives to work. With her proposal, Family Minister Prien is undermining financial independence instead of promoting it. Single parents are already disadvantaged in tax terms. Now they will also have to pay for the lack of maintenance for others the parent,” says Delia Keller.

For the mothers, who make up the majority of single parents, this is a further financial burden in addition to the care work and shows how little the CDU knows about the reality of life for single parents.

The opposition is also critical of the draft. The Greens also emphasized the decreasing incentives for single parents to work that would arise as a result of the change. The Left has submitted a motion demanding that only half of the child benefit be taken into account when making maintenance advances, as is already the case with children who receive maintenance from dependents.