Your maternity allowance

All about maternity allowance 

You undoubtedly know that, when you are expecting a child, you are entitled to maternity allowance. But what exactly do you need to know about the granting of this allowance?

The birth of a child is a special moment. However, for some this event can also be a bit frightening. How can you welcome your baby in the best possible circumstances and give him or her everything he or she needs from the very first moment? In Belgium, parents are entitled to a birth grant, also known as the maternity fee, to help them with this. This allowance can be used to furnish the baby's room, buy nappies or clothes, or even just to put aside in a child's account. In this article you will find all the information you need to make your application without any problems. 

The maternity money is paid out 2 months before the birth.

Who is entitled to maternity money?

Every (future) parent living on the territory of the Brussels-Capital Region can claim maternity money.

Who submits the application?

It is up to the (future) mother to submit the application for maternity money. The amount is then granted to her. In case of co-maternity, the allowance is granted to the mother carrying the child.

How much is the maternity fee?

In Brussels the amount paid varies; for a first child you receive a higher amount. In addition, these amounts will be raised as a result of the indexation of all child benefits on 1 March 2022. Here is a table to help you find out exactly how much you are entitled to:

When should the application be submitted and when will it be granted?

In order to be valid, you must submit your request in the sixth month of your pregnancy at the earliest. The allowance will then be paid at the earliest 2 months before the expected date of birth. 

Please note that all child benefit funds have legally determined payment dates; these are identical in all funds. It is therefore possible that the payment will not be made exactly 2 months before the expected date of birth, but rather on the payment date that is closest to the deadline of 2 months before the date of birth. 

Have you submitted your application after the 2-month period before the planned date of birth? Then the payment will be made on the next payment date after your request has been processed.

Do you want Infino to pay the maternity fee? You can make your request here. >>

Do you still need to make arrangements with your child benefit fund?

Once you have submitted your application for a birth grant, you no longer need to take any action with your child benefit fund. Your file has been opened, we automatically receive the information about the birth of your child through the municipal administration.

Child benefit is paid to the child's mother. If it concerns parents of the same sex, we automatically grant the child benefit to the oldest parent.

Good to know: 

• Would you like the payment of the maternity fee to be made to an account in the name of both parents? Of course this is possible. The rule is that the mother (or the person who is to receive the payment) must at least be the co-titular holder of the bank account into which the payment will be made.
• You did not make the application before the birth of the child? No problem, the amount of the maternity fee is not lost as long as the statute of limitations has not expired. You still have up to 3 years after the birth to submit the application.
• Is it your second or next child and you did not submit the application before the birth? Your municipal administration will inform us of the new birth. We will then automatically examine the right to a maternity fee and keep you informed by email.
• You work in Belgium and the mother lives abroad. Are you then entitled to the allowance? As soon as one of the parents works in Brussels, the right to a maternity fee will be examined. Whether you are entitled to it or not depends on your country of residence. For some countries (like France and Luxembourg) Belgium can never pay the maternity fee. For other countries, we can investigate the difference in payment (i.e. the difference between the amount granted as maternity money abroad and the amount in Belgium) or pay out the full amount if there is no entitlement abroad. These scenarios are often examined on a case-by-case basis. In that case, we ask you to contact a case manager to review the application together.
• Did you unfortunately suffer a miscarriage or give birth to a stillborn child? Then of course you are still entitled to a maternity fee. Send us the "certificate of a stillborn child" that you can request from your municipal administration. This document must confirm that the pregnancy lasted at least 180 days (the minimum pregnancy period to be entitled to the premium).