Child benefit at twice the basic rate for a child living away from home
If your child is living away from home to follow a particular course of study or train at a residential centre of excellence for sport, or it is not possible for your child to live at home because of illness or disability, you may be able to get child benefit at twice the basic rate. To qualify for this, you will have to pay €1,384 per quarter towards your child’s support.
Please note: if you or the other parent stays with your child for a large part of the time, your child will be regarded as ‘living at home’.
Answer a few questions to see whether you qualify for child benefit at twice the basic rate.
You stay with your child for 46 days or more
If you or the other parent stays with your child for a total of 46 days or more in a quarter, you cannot get child benefit at twice the basic rate for that quarter.
The days that each parent visits the child in a particular quarter are added together. This includes visits that start in one quarter and finish in the next quarter.
If your child is going to another country to follow a course of study, you can get child benefit at twice the basic rate if the child’s course of study:
- is comparable to a course of study in the Netherlands
- is not given within a distance of 25 kilometres from your family home
Example: your child is following a course of study outside the Netherlands
If your child goes to the United States for 1 year and attends an American high school, you cannot get child benefit at twice the basic rate. American high school is not comparable to courses of study or educational institutions in the Netherlands.You stay with your child for 46 days or more
If you or the other parent stays with your child for a total of 46 days or more in a quarter, you cannot get child benefit at twice the basic rate for that quarter.
The days that each parent visits the child in a particular quarter are added together. This includes visits that start in one quarter and finish in the next quarter.
If your child is training at a residential centre of excellence for sport, you can get child benefit at twice the basic rate.
| Name | Town/city |
|---|---|
| TeamNL centrum Amsterdam | Amsterdam |
| TeamNL centrum Papendal | Arnhem |
| TeamNL centrum Noord | Heerenveen |
| TeamNL centrum Zuid | Eindhoven |
| TeamNL centrum Metropool | Den Haag |
| NTC Waterpolo | Zeist |
| NTC Triathlon | Sittard |
| NTC KNLTB | Amstelveen |
If your child lives in an institution because of illness or a disability, you can get child benefit at twice the basic rate if the costs of the institution are covered by the following:
- The long-term care scheme (Wlz )
- The Youth Act (‘Jeugdwet’)
- Your health insurance
Your child goes into hospital
If your child goes into hospital for a short time, they are still regarded as living at home. In that case, you cannot get child benefit at twice the basic rate.
If your child has been in hospital for more than 6 months, or if it is clear from the beginning that your child’s stay will last more than 6 months, you may well qualify for child benefit at twice the basic rate.
You stay with your child for 46 days or more
If you and/or the other parent stay with your child for a total of 46 days or more in a quarter, you cannot get child benefit at twice the basic rate for that quarter.
The days that each parent visits the child in a particular quarter are added together. This includes visits that start in one quarter and finish in the next quarter.