Child benefit for Ukrainian refugees

Parents who fled from Ukraine can receive child benefit under certain conditions.

Wichtig:Note: Simplified conditions for the entitlement to child benefit
Since 1 July 2022, employment is no longer required for child benefit. Applicants must no longer submit supporting documents.

Child benefit is a financial support for families with children. It is paid for children from birth to the age of 18. In special cases, it is also paid to the age of 25 – for more information, visit the website Child benefit from the age of 18 (German).

Entitlement to child benefit

Frau gibt Mädchen einen Kuss

In the following cases, parents who fled from Ukraine can receive child benefit:

  • positiv:The parent who files the application for child benefit has a residence permit according to Article 24 of the Residence Act. The residence permit must allow employment for at least six months.
  • positiv:The parent who files the application lives in Germany. 
  • positiv:The child lives in Germany or another State of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.

Complete orphans and children who do not know the place of residence of their parents are also entitled to child benefit. In this case, they must file the application themselves. The prerequisite is that the children have a residence permit according to Article 24 of the Residence Act. A job or a certain length of stay is not required.

Amount of child benefit

  • For each child: 250 Euro each

Child benefit is paid monthly to the bank account indicated in the application.

Important supporting documents for the application

The following documents are required so that your application can be checked by the Familienkasse:

  • Residence permit according to Article 24 of the Residence Act (e.g. settled status or pre-settled status with which you are allowed to work) of you and the child for which you apply for child benefit.
  • Proof of the whereabouts of your child: The registration with the immigration authority or a certification of the department responsible for child care, for example.
  • If you want to apply for child benefit retroactively for months before June 2022: Submit supporting documents that you were employed during these months, e.g. an employment contract or a payslip.

Applying for child benefit

Junger Mann sitzt am Fenster mit Aussicht auf Stadt und arbeitet auf Laptop

For this purpose, fill out the following forms:

Complete orphans and children, who do not know the place of residence of their parents, who have a residence permit according to Article 24 of the Residence Act, fill out the following form:

Application for orphans or children, who do not know the whereabouts of their parents / Заява про отримання допомоги на дитину для сиріт або дітей, які не знають місця перебування своїх батьків / Заявление на получение пособия на ребенка для круглых сирот или детей, местонахождение родителей которых неизвестно

You can submit the documents to the Familienkasse responsible for your place of residence. To find a Familienkasse in your vicinity, use the Department search.

Tipp:Good to know: On the translated versions of this page you will find explanatory videos that explain step by step in Ukrainian or Russian how to fill in the application correctly.

For more information, see the leaflet on child benefit:

Answers to frequently asked questions

Applicants for asylum or recognised refugees are only entitled to child benefit from the date of granting or recognition.

Before that, you can only receive child benefit if:

  • You have been living in Germany for at least 6 months and
  • If your status will be granted or recognised later on.

Wichtig:Important: Child benefit will be deducted from your benefits for asylum seekers. Therefore, you will not have a financial advantage. Moreover, you are not allowed to work during the asylum procedure. 

You will also receive child benefit if your application for asylum or recognition is rejected but you are still granted subsidiary protection in Germany. You will then be entitled to child benefit from the date of granting.