Passing
If you become a widow or widower, the child allowances are replaced by orphan’s allowances at an increased rate.
Who receives the orphan’s allowance?
The person who raises the child receives the allowances.
As a child, you personally receive the family allowances if you are over 16 years old and live alone.
How to apply for the orphan’s allowance?
Death in Belgium – Do not forget to inform us. The necessary information is automatically forwarded via the Kruispuntbank, but sometimes this can be delayed. If you do not reside in Belgium or if there is missing data, we will send you an orphan’s allowance application form to fill out.
Death abroad – In this case, a death certificate is sufficient. If your child was born abroad and did not yet reside in Belgium before the death, it is better to send both the birth certificate and the death certificate. This way, we can verify if the child is related to the deceased parent.
How much is the orphan’s allowance?
A child who has lost one parent is entitled to 150% of the basic amount (cohabitation or remarriage of the surviving parent no longer has any effect from 01/01/2020).
A child who has lost both parents is entitled to 200% of the basic amount.
This amount can be supplemented with additional allowances depending on the household income and the needs of the child in case of a disability or condition.
You can find an overview of the basic amounts here.
What do our families say about Brussels Family?
“Very satisfied with the service. I automatically receive child benefits for each child every month! Easy application and fast payments.”
Gabriella, 31
“My family benefits fund for years. I’m very satisfied. They respond very quickly and you can ask any questions.”
Mitch, 29
“Excellent service, regular payments every month.”
Fatima, 34
“Great team, fantastic consultants, attentive, quick, and very pleasant.”
Sarine, 27Specific family situations
Frequently asked questions
You are entitled to this unconditional right until your child turns 18. From September of the year in which your child reaches this age, certain conditions must be met to continue receiving it. You can keep benefitting from this until your child is 25, if he/she is taking sufficient hours of lessons, enrolling for enough study credits or is registered as a job seeker after leaving school.
We are happy to help you understand how to modify your household composition. We know that changes in family life can be complicated, but we will explain everything you need to know.
New birth: You simply need to register your child with the civil registry office of your municipality. This will automatically update your household composition and Brussels Family will be informed of this change.
Divorce: Anyone who has left the household (your ex-spouse or yourself) must register their new address with the civil registry office of their municipality. From that moment on, they will no longer be considered part of your household composition and your file will be updated by Brussels Family.
If an additional person comes to live with you, the local police officer will need to verify their presence before your household composition can be updated. Brussels Family will then automatically be informed of this change.
Finally, if a person leaves your household, you simply need to inform the civil registry office again. If this person provides their new address to the civil registry office, no further formalities are required and your household composition will be automatically updated.
If you have any questions about how to modify your household composition, feel free to contact the civil registry office of your municipality. And if you want to know more about social supplements in the context of family allowances, you can find all the information you need on our website.
Students in higher education (university, college) are entitled to child benefit until the age of 25, provided they are enrolled for at least 27 credits or attend at least 13 hours of classes per week.
To continue receiving child benefit after the age of 18, your child must be enrolled in non-higher education:
- Attend at least 17 hours of classes per week in non-higher education
- OR be enrolled in a recognised apprenticeship programme
- For special situations (specialised education, specific training programmes, etc.), the conditions may vary. We recommend that you contact us to verify eligibility in your specific case.
You can submit your application for the adoption allowance once the adoption request has been filed with the court and the child is living with the adoptive parent. If you meet these conditions, follow these steps:
- Send us a copy of the adoption request that you filed with the court. For adopted children from abroad, also send us a copy of the adoption certificate from the respective country.
- Generally, we automatically verify your eligibility for an adoption allowance. However, submitting an application can speed up this process. Feel free to call us or send us an email regarding this matter.
Your eligibility for monthly family allowances is automatically assessed at the same time as your eligibility for the adoption allowance. Therefore, you do not need to send a separate application.