Overview
- The family ministry announced on Monday that Minister Karin Prien will prepare a draft law to limit how long the Unterhaltsvorschuss is paid, with reporting inconsistent about whether the cutoff would be at the 15th or 16th birthday.
- The ministry says costs have roughly quadrupled since the 2017 expansion and cites about €3.2 billion paid in 2024 as the reason for relieving Länder and municipalities of the financial strain.
- Prien pairs the proposed time limit with tougher recovery measures for non‑paying parents, including options discussed such as temporary driving‑licence suspension, improved cross‑authority collection and longer legal enforcement steps.
- The plan has drawn swift resistance: the SPD says it will not simply agree to the cuts, welfare and child‑protection groups warn it will deepen child poverty, and the ministry estimates roughly 80,000 children could be affected.
- Next steps are uncertain — a bill is to be prepared soon, parliamentary approval is not assured, and media have mentioned a possible implementation date of 1 January 2027 if the law passes.