Fewer families receiving child benefits as income adjustments delay, births drop
The number of families receiving benefits for their children continues to shrink as rising wages push households over income thresholds that have not been adjusted for inflation.
According to the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family and the state welfare agency OPEKA, 498,799 parents were eligible for the benefit this September, down 22,925 from a year earlier.
Payments this month totaled €87.5 million, compared with €99.7 million distributed to 521,724 families in September 2024. The decline is sharper when measured against 2023, when 635,103 families received a total of €123.5 million.
Officials say the drop reflects both a decline in births and the lack of changes to eligibility criteria. As nominal wages rose in 2024, more families crossed income limits and no longer qualified for the allowance.
In the meantime, the government reopened the online A21 application platform, where families can submit new claims or update existing ones using their Taxisnet credentials.
Eligibility is based on the number of dependent children and 2024 family income, with school enrollment checks required for all minors.
Right now, 1.1 million beneficiaries of various social programs, including the child benefit, receive more than €275.5 million through OPEKA.
Kathimerini
