Child support

If you are unable to enforce the maintenance claims yourself despite advice, you can apply to the youth welfare office for a guardianship for your child. The guardian will support you and primarily try to reach an out-of-court solution with the other parent. If this is not possible, the guardian will also represent the child in court.

The prerequisite for guardianship is that you either have sole custody or that the child is in your care if you have joint parental custody. You must also apply in writing to the youth welfare office to set up a guardianship.

You can contact the guardianship office by telephone on 0711 216-55806. The office hours are Monday and Tuesday from 9 am to 12 noon, Wednesday from 10:30 am to 12 noon and Thursday from 9 am to 12 noon and from 2 pm to 3:30 pm. Declarations of maintenance are also certified free of charge by the Youth Welfare Office.

Alternatively, you can also contact the responsible contact person directly:

Single mothers and fathers can apply for benefits for their underage children under the Maintenance Advance Act.

A child can receive an advance on maintenance payments if, among other things

• has not yet reached the age of 18,
• lives with a single parent who is single, widowed or divorced or is permanently separated from his/her spouse or partner
• does not live in the same household as the other parent (who is liable for cash maintenance),
• receives no, too little or irregular maintenance from the other parent,
• the other parent is deceased and the half-orphan's pension is less than the maintenance advance.

After the age of 12, the entitlement may also depend on whether the child and/or the single parent receive benefits from the Jobcenter and how high their income is.

After the age of 15, some of your child's income will be deducted from the maintenance advance payments.

You can find all the important information on entitlement to maintenance advance in the information sheets on the Maintenance Advance Act.

You must submit a written application for advance maintenance payments. You can send the application by post or complete it directly at the Youth Welfare Office.

Please enclose the following documents with your application or bring them with you to the appointment:

• Birth certificate of the child
• Acknowledgment of paternity with the mother's consent to the acknowledgment of paternity
• Copy of your and your child's identity card or passport
• Copy of the residence permit (if available) of you and your child
• A copy of the divorce decree without grounds (if you are divorced)
• A copy of your current Jobcenter notice if you are over 12 years old
• For over 15-year-olds, a copy of the school certificate

The form is designed for up to three children. If you wish to submit an application for more than three children, please use another application form. If your children have different fathers/mothers, please use separate forms for each.

You will also need the supplementary application form for each child aged 12 and over.

If you need help filling out the applications, please make an appointment. The times for appointments, for submitting applications and the responsible contact persons can be found in the form Unterhaltsvorschusskasse: Buchstabengruppen und Ansprechpartner.

The application forms for advance maintenance payments can be found here.

The maintenance advance payment is for the period from 01.01.2025:

The following are deducted from this

• incoming maintenance payments from the other parent or orphan's benefits received by the child after the death of the other parent or stepparent,
• the child's income from work and property if the child no longer attends a general school (applies from the age of 12).

The responsible contact person is determined by the first letters of your child's last name.

Please refer to this form for the person in charge and their personal and telephone office hours:

You can obtain general information or information on the application process from Monday from 9 to 11 a.m. and Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m. on the following telephone numbers:

• 0711 216-55388
• 0711 216-55389

The Maintenance Advance Fund must be informed immediately of any changes that are relevant to the benefit under the Maintenance Advance Act, in particular if:

• you move house,
• the child no longer lives with you, even if it is temporarily living with a foster family or in a home, for example,
• you get married, even if the partner is not the other parent of the child, or if you enter into a registered civil partnership,
• you share the care of your child with the other parent, in particular any increase in the other parent's share of care,
• you reconcile with your spouse or the father/mother of your child or end the separation,
• you move in with the other parent,
• you receive maintenance payments directly from the other parent, or
• the other parent shows willingness to make regular maintenance payments for the entitled child,
• you have set up a guardianship for your child or you have appointed a lawyer to enforce maintenance,
• important information about the other parent that you become aware of, e.g. place of work, address, if the whereabouts of the other parent were previously unknown and changes in personal and financial circumstances,
• in the event of the death of the other parent/step-parent, the child will be granted orphan's benefits or a settlement will be granted instead,
• a declaration of commitment in accordance with the Aliens Act exists,
• if the child starts, changes or finishes general schooling (from the age of 15) or training, employment, voluntary service or similar (from the age of 15),
• the child has his/her own income (e.g. training allowance) or income from assets (applies from the age of 12).