Child benefit - When your child turns 16

There are different rules for receiving child benefit for children of 16 and 17 than for younger children. You can get child benefit as long as he or she:

• does not have a job earning more than € 1,240 net per quarter, and
• attends full-time education aimed at obtaining a basic qualification ('startkwalificatie'), or
• is exempt from obtaining a basic qualification, or
• continues to attend full-time education after obtaining a basic qualification, or
• is unemployed, after having obtained a basic qualification, or

• is unable to attend education due to illness or a handicap, after having obtained a basic qualification.

If your child is unemployed

If your child is unemployed, you can continue to get child benefit if he or she:

• has a basic qualification (startkwalificatie)
• is registered as a jobseeker with UWV WERKbedrijf, and

• has accepted an offer of on-the-job training (werkleeraanbod) from the municipal authorities (gemeente), or has applied for this and is still waiting for the decision.

If your child lives outside the Netherlands, you can get Dutch child benefit if he or she is registered with an employment office or another official organization that helps him or her look for work. Your child must actively cooperate in the efforts to find a job.

Student grant? Your child benefit will stop.

If your child starts attending higher vocational education or university, he or she can apply to DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs) for a student grant (WSF). If your child is entitled to a student grant, your child benefit will stop. If your child is not entitled to a student grant, you may be able to continue receiving child benefit.

Your child is allowed to earn up to a certain amount

If your child has a job and earns less than € 1,240 net per quarter, you will continue to receive child benefit. If your child earns more, your child benefit will stop. If you have a child who lives away from home and you get child benefit at twice the basic rate for this child, the maximum allowed earnings are lower.