Paus gives an assessment: the basic child security could be so high

Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus has given an estimate of how high the planned basic child security for children at risk of poverty could be. In 2025, benefits could range from 530 euros for the youngest to 636 euros for the oldest children, the Greens politician told the editorial network Germany (RND). This takes into account the announced increase in the standard rate of around twelve percent for 2024 and an assumed further “moderate” increase of three percent in the following year.

“That’s a good amount to give children a little more participation and equal opportunities,” said Paus. The amounts are therefore the sum of the future child guarantee amount and the additional child amount.

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From 2025 there should be a guaranteed amount for all children

The traffic light coalition wants to bundle previous benefits such as child benefit, benefits from the citizen benefit for children and the child supplement in the basic child security. Greater clarity and the use of a central platform are intended to reach many families who, due to ignorance or bureaucratic hurdles, have not been able to access the money to which they are entitled.

From 2025 there should be a so-called guaranteed amount for all children. This replaces today’s child benefit (250 euros per month). On top of that, there is an additional amount depending on need, graded according to the age of the child and the income situation of the parents. The less they earn, the higher it should be. The previous citizens’ allowance for children should be included in it.

With citizen money, the successor to Hartz IV, children under the age of six currently receive 318 euros a month. This amount increases with age, for 14 to 17 year olds there is 420 euros. Social Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) announced on Tuesday that the rates in 2024 should rise to 357 euros for children under the age of six and 471 euros for 14 to 17 year olds.

Basic child security ensured the next traffic light dispute

The traffic light had already agreed on the introduction of basic child security in its coalition agreement. However, a constant dispute developed between the Greens and the FDP as to whether benefits should be increased or not and how much money the state should now spend on them. An agreement was only reached on Monday night.

In the year of its introduction in 2025, the traffic light is now initially estimated to cost around 2.4 billion euros. Government circles had also said that if the use of basic child security services increased, the costs could rise to up to six billion euros in the following years.

This was also emphasized by Paus, who had originally asked for twelve billion euros per year for the project and was therefore unable to assert herself. “If we achieve our declared goal of reaching as many families as possible in the coming years, basic child security will cost six billion euros and more,” the minister told RND. “If we then add the additional costs for the child benefit increases that have already taken place, the higher child benefit and future child benefit increases, we are already well over ten billion euros,” she argued.

Union boss Merz: “That shows all the madness!”

Union faction leader Friedrich Merz criticized the coalition plans. “The amount of bureaucracy involved in securing basic child security will be so high that at the end of the day hardly anything will reach the children,” said the CDU politician to the newspapers of the Funke media group. The country is choking on bureaucracy. This is also shown by “the alleged agreement on the traffic light for basic child security: 2.4 billion are to be spent – 500 million of them for additional administrative work,” said Merz. “That shows all the madness!” He also emphasized that more education for the children, rather than more transfer payments for the parents, was the right way. “We need a national effort for education and integration for children.”