News item | 23-02-2022 | 12:13
In 2023, the amount of the childcare allowance will no longer depend on the number of hours worked. Minister Van Gennip of Social Affairs and Employment is releasing this condition for the childcare allowance through the Childcare Allowance Decree 2023 (hereinafter ‘the Decree’).
The Decree was published online on 22 February for consultation. Letting go of hours worked is one of the measures agreed in the coalition agreement.
Until now, the amount of childcare allowance has partly depended on the number of hours of the parent who works the least. The link to the hours worked is a complicated condition for many parents. Especially for parents with irregular working hours, such as entrepreneurs, it is difficult to estimate how many hours a month they work. This can lead to parents having to deal with high repayments and hinder the participation in the labor market. The government will remove this obstacle to make it easier for parents with young children to work.
Indexation hourly prices
The Decree also regulates the indexation of the maximum hourly rates and assessment incomes in the childcare allowance. Indexation prevents negative income effects for parents as a result of wage and price increases.
Funding for the intensification of supervision and enforcement in childminder care
The Decree also regulates the financing of the intensification of supervision and enforcement in childminder childcare. The cabinet has previously indicated that it wishes to intensify supervision in order to better guarantee the quality of childminder childcare. Municipalities can use the extra money to increase the frequency and scope of supervision among childminders. Due to the intensification of supervision and enforcement, the structural expenditure on the childcare allowance will increase by € 6.4 million.
The costs of this are paid by parents who use childminder childcare. After all, they also benefit from the better protected quality. The maximum hourly rate for childminder childcare will be reduced by € 0.15.
Would you like to contribute ideas about these topics? Interested parties can respond to until March 22, 2022 the internet consultation Childcare Allowance Decree 2023