Federal Family Minister Karin Prien has put the planned cuts to maintenance advance up for discussion. The measures remain the subject of talks within the coalition, the CDUpolitician told the magazine Stern on 30 October. In her view, it is difficult to justify the state having spent around fuel discount €2.5 billion on the temporary fuel rebate, while seeking savings of €245 million on advance maintenance payments.
Advance maintenance payments are made when the parent liable for maintenance does not pay or cannot be contacted. Funding is shared by the Federation and the Länder ; local authorities are involved in administering the scheme. According to the Federal Family Ministry, spending has risen significantly since the 2017 reform, as more children and longer periods of entitlement have been covered.
In the summer, Prien announced key points for changes, including lowering the age limit in order to curb the growth in spending. Opposition quickly mounted. Social welfare organisations and representatives of local authorities warned of the burden on single parents and their children. Reservations about across-the-board cuts were also voiced by the SPD .
With her latest position, Prien is signalling a willingness to renegotiate. She highlights the conflict between budgetary discipline and dependable social policy. She uses the fuel rebate as a benchmark for priorities in the federal budget. At the same time, she remains committed to easing the burden on local authorities and improving recovery rates from parents who fail to pay maintenance.
In practice, the next steps remain uncertain. Coalition talks are under way on the scope and design of possible changes. The Federal Finance Ministry is insisting that agreed savings targets be met; however, specific amounts and deadlines have not been finalised. One thing is clear: any change to advance maintenance payments would have immediate financial consequences for the Länder and local authorities, as well as for the families affected.
The political dispute has therefore been revived. Supporters of stricter rules point to the sharp rise in spending since 2017 and limited budgetary resources. Critics warn that cuts could undermine the essential protective role of advance maintenance payments. Whether Prien can win majority support for her approach of renegotiation will be decided in the coalition’s forthcoming discussions.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).