Advance Maintenance (Unterhaltsvorschuss) Payment Dates 2026 – When Does the Money Arrive?

Last updated: May 2026. Advance maintenance payments (Unterhaltsvorschuss, UVG) are, as a rule, transferred at the start of the month by the youth welfare office (Jugendamt) of your municipality. In 2026 the amount is €227 (ages 0–5), €299 (ages 6–11) and €394 (ages 12–17) per month (§ 2 UhVorschG — Advance Maintenance Payments Act). The exact payout day is not regulated uniformly across Germany — each municipality sets a fixed date on which the bulk transfer to all eligible recipients is triggered.

Legal basis and responsibility

Advance maintenance is based on the Advance Maintenance Payments Act (UhVorschG), last comprehensively reformed on 1 July 2017. Entitled, under § 1 UhVorschG, are children under 18 who live with only one parent and receive no, irregular, or too little maintenance from the other. The amount follows § 2 UhVorschG and corresponds to the minimum maintenance of the Düsseldorf Table minus half the child benefit.

The responsible body is the Jugendamt of the municipality where the child has its habitual residence (§ 9 UhVorschG). Payment is generally made monthly in advance, to the account of the caring parent given in the application. Unlike child benefit, there is no nationwide end-digit staggering, because each of the more than 600 German youth welfare offices manages its own payment processing.

Typical 2026 payment dates by municipality

The actual dates vary considerably. The following overview shows typical patterns that occur in practice:

In Berlin most borough youth welfare offices pay out on the first banking day. In Munich the transfer is usually made on the 1st or 2nd working day, in Cologne on the 1st working day. In rural regions it can take until the 10th, because association funds with a larger booking volume often operate there.

Example: the Schneider family in Cologne

Ms Schneider applies for advance maintenance in February 2026 for her eight-year-old daughter. The father has paid no maintenance for months. The Cologne Jugendamt processes the application in six weeks. The approval decision is dated 14 April 2026 and contains these key figures:

• Entitlement begins: 1 February 2026 (the application month)
• Monthly advance: €299 (the 6–11 age group)
• Back-payment February to April: €897 (3 months × €299)
• First ongoing payment: 4 May 2026 (the 1st banking day)

The back-payment of €897 already arrives separately on 22 April 2026. From May the payment runs automatically on the 1st working day of the following month.

Example: the Yilmaz family in Berlin

Ms Yilmaz lives with her three-year-old son in Berlin-Neukölln. She submits the application online via the Berlin family portal on 5 March 2026. Four weeks later, on 8 April, the approval decision arrives. The advance is €227 (the 0–5 age group). Payment is made as follows:

• Back-payment March–April: €454, credited on 16 April 2026
• From May: €227 each on 4 May, 2 June, 1 July, etc.

The Berlin borough of Neukölln uses a centralised payout routine that bundles transfers on the 1st banking day — provided it does not fall on a public holiday.

Example: the Wagner family in Düsseldorf (age-group change)

Ms Wagner's son Jonas turns twelve on 17 August 2026. Until July she receives €299 a month. From August 2026 the advance rises automatically to €394, with no new application needed. The Düsseldorf Jugendamt adjusts the amount within the existing decision. The August 2026 transfer already comes at the higher rate, because the birthday falls at the start of the month. For birthdays after the 15th of a month, the higher amount is nonetheless paid in practice from the birthday month, because § 2 (1) UhVorschG keys on the age reached in the relevant month.

Payment examples for selected months in 2026

In federal states with additional public holidays (e.g. Epiphany on 6 January in Bavaria, BW and Saxony-Anhalt; Corpus Christi in Catholic states), the date shifts by a further banking day.

The first payment after applying

A common misunderstanding: advance maintenance is not paid up to six months retroactively, the way child benefit can be. § 4 UhVorschG sets the start of entitlement from the month of application. Anyone who applies in March and whose decision is issued in May receives:

1. A back-payment for March, April and May in one lump sum
2. From June: the ongoing monthly payment on the set date

Every month missed before the application is gone for good. Anyone who hesitates after a separation, or wants to give the defaulting parent a chance first, risks losing several hundred euros. Practical advice: apply as soon as three monthly payments have failed to arrive.

Processing time at the Jugendamt

Processing usually takes four to eight weeks after all documents have arrived. The following documents are typically required:

• The child's birth certificate (original or certified copy)
• The caring parent's ID card
• Registration certificate for parent and child
• Bank statements for the last three months (as proof of missing maintenance payments)
• If available: acknowledgement of paternity, court maintenance order, address of the other parent

If documents are missing, the Jugendamt sets a four-week deadline to supply them. Miss the deadline and the application is rejected — a new application means a fresh start to processing and often the loss of another month of advance.

Conditions from the 12th birthday

Since the 2017 reform, advance maintenance is paid until the 18th birthday. From the 12th year of life, however, extended conditions apply (§ 1 (1a) UhVorschG):

• The single parent receives no citizen's benefit (Bürgergeld), or
• has their own net income of at least €600/month

The €600 threshold counts as a gross sum from earned income. Housing benefit (Wohngeld) and the child supplement (Kinderzuschlag) are not counted. On a tight income, a combined check pays off: often a mix of reduced citizen's benefit plus housing benefit plus child supplement plus UVG is more favourable than pure citizen's-benefit receipt.

Offsetting maintenance payments

If the other parent pays partial maintenance, it is offset one to one against the advance. Example: the father transfers €150 a month for an eight-year-old child. The UVG entitlement is €299. The Jugendamt then pays out only €149.

Every change must be reported to the Jugendamt without delay (§ 6 UhVorschG). Anyone who conceals payments risks a claw-back plus a fine of up to €1,000. In extreme cases (deliberate benefit fraud under § 263 StGB — Criminal Code) fines or imprisonment may apply.

What happens if…

…the banking day falls on a public holiday? The transfer moves to the next banking day. Example January 2026: 1 January is a holiday, 2 January a Friday — so the first payment is made on 2 January.

…the IBAN changes mid-month? A new IBAN must reach the Jugendamt in writing by the 20th of the previous month at the latest, so it is effective for the next payment. Later changes only take effect the month after next. In the meantime, payment can go to the old account — usually the bank transfers it back free of charge.

…I move to another city? With the move, local responsibility changes. The old Jugendamt still pays in the month of the move; from the following month the new Jugendamt is responsible. Delays of one to two months regularly occur here, because the file has to be handed over. Tip: submit a follow-up application to the new Jugendamt immediately, without waiting for the file handover to finish.

…I give a foreign account? SEPA transfers within the EU are no problem. Outside the EU (e.g. Switzerland, the UK) processing fees arise, which the recipient bears. Some youth welfare offices do not pay to non-SEPA accounts at all — in that case a German trust account helps.

…the child comes of age? On the 18th birthday the UVG entitlement ends automatically. The last advance is paid in the birthday month, provided the birthday falls before the payout day. If the child turns 18 after the payout day, the advance for the whole birthday month is treated as approved and is not partially reclaimed.

Common mistakes with the UVG application and receipt

• Waiting before applying: Many single parents hope for months that the ex-partner will still pay. Every month before the application is lost — applying does not block your own maintenance claim.
• Not stating the other parent's address: The Jugendamt tries to recover from the ex-partner. Without an address, the decision is delayed by weeks. Even an old address helps — the Jugendamt researches itself.
• Not asserting a maintenance order: Anyone with a court maintenance order should first demand payment from the liable party before applying for UVG. Otherwise the ex-partner gets a letter from the Jugendamt without having been approached first — which needlessly sours the relationship.
• Concealing special income: Tax refunds, inheritances or lottery winnings of the entitled child must be reported.

Links with other family benefits

Advance maintenance is not offset against child benefit (Kindergeld). Housing benefit and the child supplement are also possible. Against citizen's benefit, however, the UVG is taken into account as the child's income (§ 11 SGB II). An overview of all family benefits and their interactions is provided by the overview of family benefits 2026.

For the concrete amount calculation, the advance maintenance calculator is available — including age-group changes, the offset of partial maintenance, and a plausibility check of the minimum retention amount. To calculate child maintenance under the Düsseldorf Table in parallel, use the Düsseldorf Table calculator. Guidance and forms for the first application are in the guide Applying for advance maintenance at the Jugendamt 2026.

Payment for families with several children

For two or three children from the same relationship, a separate decision is issued for each child. The payment, however, is made in one bulk transfer on the same date. Example: two children aged 4 and 9 — the transfer is €227 + €299 = €526 per month. For foster children and patchwork constellations, responsibility is more complex, which is why a consultation appointment at the Jugendamt is recommended.