Overview
- The national government has put forward a proposal for a universal €200 per month payment for each child up to age 18 but the measure has not been approved and awaits parliamentary backing.
- Independent cost estimates from the Consejo Económico y Social and experts place the bill at roughly €19.3 billion a year and predict notable cuts in child poverty if fully implemented.
- The Basque Government formally approved an expansion of its existing €200 per month childcare cheque on Tuesday, June 2, extending eligibility to children up to four years old and opening applications after publication in the Boletín Oficial del País Vasco.
- The Basque change is retroactive to January 1, 2026, covers about 52,000 people, and also extends the payment to foster families and widens monoparental support.
- Regional and local supports remain varied: Andalusia keeps income‑adjusted subsidies and a €200 (or €400 in very small towns) tax deduction per birth, while municipalities such as Seville pay a €600 baby cheque, creating a patchwork that could complicate coordination if a national benefit is adopted.