The birth grant gives every mother a financial boost

Find out all you need to know about the birth grant 

You may know that you are entitled to a birth grant when you are expecting a child. Yes, but what do you need to know about how to get it? We tell you all about it here

The arrival of a child is a wonderful event! But for some it can also be quite scary. How can you welcome this baby in the best possible circumstances, and buy everything he/she needs from the first days onwards? In Belgium, parents are entitled to a birth grant to help them as much as possible. It can be used to buy a nursery, stock up on nappies, clothes or to open a bank account in the baby's name. You can find all the information you need to submit your application without a false start here

The birth grant is paid 2 months before the birth.

Who can apply for the birth grant?

Any parent or future parent living in Wallonia can apply for the birth grant.

• Are you a couple consisting of two mothers? The mum who is carrying the child is responsible for submitting the application.
• Do you work in Belgium but live abroad? Depending on your country of residence, you may be entitled to the birth grant.
• Are you adopting a child? You may also be entitled to an adoption premium.

Have you adopted a child?

Then you are also entitled to a premium, regardless of whether the adoption took place in Belgium or abroad. You just have to send us, together with your application, a copy of the application filed with the competent court for adoption in Belgium. In the case of a foreign adoption, the copy of the application or, failing that, a copy of the adoption document signed abroad is required. Would you like more information about the adoption premium?

Who is entitled to this premium?

Every (future) parent living in Wallonia is entitled to the birth grant.

Who must make the application?

It is up to the (future) mother to submit the application for the birth grant. The amount is then paid to her. In the case of co-maternity, the premium is paid to the mother who is carrying the child.

What amount do you receive?

In Wallonia, you receive 1.314,61 € per child. 

When to apply and when is the amount paid?

In order to be valid, you must submit your application from your sixth month of pregnancy (in technical terms, this is five full months of pregnancy). Subsequently, the premium will be paid at the earliest two months before the expected delivery date. Please note that child benefit funds have, by law, certain payment dates; these are the same for each fund. It is therefore possible that the payment date does not fall on the day two months before your due date (but that you will receive the premium on the payment date closest to two months before your date of delivery).

Did you apply after this two-month period before the birth? Then we will make payment on the next scheduled payment after your application has been processed.

Would you like Infino to pay your birth grant? 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 do not need to take any further action with your child benefit fund. Your file has been opened, we automatically receive the information about the birth of your child through your municipal administration.

Whether it is a birth or adoption, child benefit is paid to the child's mother. If your parents are of the same sex, we award child benefit to the eldest parent.

Good to know:

Would you like the birth benefit to be paid into an account in the name of both parents? This is of course 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. Are you still entitled to it? Yes, the amount of the birth grant is not lost as long as the limitation period has not expired. You have up to 5 years after the birth to submit the application. Logically, the limitation period for applying for an adoption premium is also 5 years. 

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 your entitlement to the birth grant and keep you informed by email.

You work in Belgium and the mother lives abroad. Are you then entitled to this premium?

As soon as one of the parents works in Wallonia, the right to the childbirth allowance will be examined. Whether you are entitled to it or not depends on your country of residence. For some countries (such as France and Luxembourg), Belgium can never pay the birth grant. For other countries, we may examine the difference in payment (that is, the difference between the amount granted as a birth grant abroad and the amount in Belgium) or pay 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 birth grant. 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 gestation period to be entitled to the premium).