How to claim child benefit
If your first child has been born and you have received a letter from us informing you that you can claim child benefit, your child benefit claim form will be ready for you in My SVB. How to submit your claim is explained in the letter.
If your situation is different, please answer a few questions to find out what you should do.
Read what you need to do if you have not received a letter
You already receive child benefit for another child
You are not yet receiving child benefit for another child
You have adopted a child
If you have adopted a child, you must register the child with your municipality (gemeente). You must also inform the SVB of the adoption via My SVB. To do this, click or tap ‘Report a change’ in My SVB, or contact us.
It is important to register the child with your health insurer within 4 months of birth, even if the child was born outside the Netherlands and came to the Netherlands later. If you do not do so, your health insurer might not pay your child's medical costs.
You and your partner are separating or getting divorced
Child benefit is paid to the parent with whom the child is living.
If your child lives with you and you have not claimed child benefit, you can do so via My SVB.
If your child lives with you and your ex-partner in turn, you may be ‘co-parenting ’. This will be the case if:
- you are both responsible for raising and caring for your child
- your child lives with each parent for a more or less an equal amount of time
- you share the cost of raising your child and you both pay roughly the same
- these arrangements have been recorded in a written agreement signed by both parents, or they have been decided by a court of law
If you are co-parenting, you and your ex-partner can agree on how the child benefit should be divided between the two of you. If you do not make an agreement, you will each get half of the child benefit. Contact us if you are co-parenting.
If you and your partner separate or get divorced, this will normally also affect the child budget that is paid by the Dutch Tax Administration (Belastingdienst). If you did not receive child budget before you separated or got divorced, you may be entitled to child budget after.
You have had another child
If you have registered your child with the municipality, you do not have to do anything. We will automatically adjust your child benefit and send you a letter about this.
It is important to register the child with your health insurer within 4 months of birth, even if the child was born outside the Netherlands and came to the Netherlands later. If you do not do so, your health insurer might not pay your child’s medical costs.
You have started looking after a foster child
Report via My SVB that a foster child lives with you. In My SVB, go to ‘Report a change’. Under ‘Someone else starts living with you’, fill in the foster child’s details.
It is important to register the child with your health insurer within 4 months of birth, even if the child was born outside the Netherlands and came to the Netherlands later. If you do not do so, your health insurer might not pay your child’s medical costs.
Your child or your partner’s child has started living with you
Report via My SVB that a foster child lives with you. In My SVB, go to ‘Report a change’. Under ‘Someone else starts living with you’, fill in the foster child’s details.
It is important to register the child with your health insurer within 4 months of birth, even if the child was born outside the Netherlands and came to the Netherlands later. If you do not do so, your health insurer might not pay your child’s medical costs.
Your child has been born but you are not yet receiving child benefit
Select your situation and read how to claim child benefit.
- Register your child with your municipality
- Within 3 to 6 weeks, you will receive a letter from us
- When you have received our letter, you can submit a claim child for benefit via My SVB
If you have not received a letter from us after 6 weeks, please contact us.
It is important to register the child with your health insurer within 4 months of birth, even if the child was born outside the Netherlands and came to the Netherlands later. If you do not do so, your health insurer might not pay your child’s medical costs.
Child benefit can be claimed online via My SVB. If you cannot submit your claim online via My SVB, please contact us.
It is important to register the child with your health insurer within 4 months of birth, even if the child was born outside the Netherlands and came to the Netherlands later. If you do not do so, your health insurer might not pay your child’s medical costs.
Your child or your partner’s child has started living with you
Claim child benefit via My SVB
If you cannot submit your claim online via My SVB, please contact us.
It is important to register the child with your health insurer within 4 months of birth, even if the child was born outside the Netherlands and came to the Netherlands later. If you do not do so, your health insurer might not pay your child’s medical costs.
You recently started living or working in the Netherlands
Claim child benefit via My SVB
If you cannot submit your claim online via My SVB, please contact us.
It is important to register the child with your health insurer within 4 months of birth, even if the child was born outside the Netherlands and came to the Netherlands later. If you do not do so, your health insurer might not pay your child’s medical costs.
You have adopted a child
Select your situation and read how to claim child benefit.
- Register your child with your municipality
- Within 3 to 6 weeks, you will receive a letter from us
- When you have received our letter, you can submit a claim child for benefit via My SVB
If you have not received a letter from us after 6 weeks, please contact us.
It is important to register the child with your health insurer within 4 months of birth, even if the child was born outside the Netherlands and came to the Netherlands later. If you do not do so, your health insurer might not pay your child’s medical costs.
Child benefit can be claimed online via My SVB. If you cannot submit your claim online via My SVB, please contact us.
It is important to register the child with your health insurer within 4 months of birth, even if the child was born outside the Netherlands and came to the Netherlands later. If you do not do so, your health insurer might not pay your child’s medical costs.
You have started looking after a foster child
Claim child benefit via My SVB
If you cannot submit your claim online via My SVB, please contact us.
It is important to register the child with your health insurer within 4 months of birth, even if the child was born outside the Netherlands and came to the Netherlands later. If you do not do so, your health insurer might not pay your child’s medical costs.
You and your partner are separating or getting divorced
Child benefit is paid to the parent with whom the child is living.
If your child lives with you and you have not claimed child benefit, you can do so via My SVB.
If your child lives with you and your ex-partner in turn, you may be ‘co-parenting ’. This will be the case if:
- you are both responsible for raising and caring for your child
- your child lives with each parent for a more or less an equal amount of time
- you share the cost of raising your child and you both pay roughly the same
- these arrangements have been recorded in a written agreement signed by both parents, or they have been decided by a court of law
If you are co-parenting, you and your ex-partner can agree on how the child benefit should be divided between the two of you. If you do not make an agreement, you will each get half of the child benefit. Contact us if you are co-parenting.
If you and your partner separate or get divorced, this will normally also affect the child budget that is paid by the Dutch Tax Administration (Belastingdienst). If you did not receive child budget before you separated or got divorced, you may be entitled to child budget after.
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Version: 1 May 2026