Temporary parental allowance for the self-employed

The government provides a temporary parental allowance for self-employed persons who have resumed or continue their activity in May and/or June, but who work less in order to take care of their children.

Who can apply?

• Self-employed persons in a main occupation;
• Primo-starters;
• Assisting partners with maxi status (also at the beginning of the activity);
• Self-employed persons in a secondary occupation, self-employed persons who benefit from the application of art. 37, student self-employed persons and self-employed persons who have reached the legal retirement age (without receiving a pension), whose provisional social security contributions legally due, based on the reference income in N‑3, correspond to the contributions due by a self-employed person in a main occupation (= minimum contribution of € 717.18 per quarter, excluding processing costs).

For which children can the application be submitted?

You can submit an application if your (biological, adopted or foster) child is maximum 12 years old.

The application can also be submitted for a disabled child aged up to 21 years, under the following conditions:

• either the disability is recognised for at least 66%;
• or at least 4 points are recognised in the first pillar of the medical-social scale, within the meaning of the child benefit regulations;
• or at least 9 points are recognised in all three pillars of the medical-social scale, within the meaning of the child benefit regulations.

The age limit of 21 years does not apply when the temporary parental allowance is claimed for a disabled child receiving an inpatient (e.g. day-care centre) or outpatient service or treatment (e.g. home help) organised or recognised by the communities. Therefore, this may also concern adults.

What is the amount of the temporary parental allowance?

The allowance amounts to € 532.24 for each full calendar month of interruption of the self-employed activity.

In the case of a single-parent family, i.e. you live exclusively with one or more dependent children for tax purposes, the benefit amounts to € 875.

Please note that no allowance is due if the partial interruption lasts less than one month.

Can I combine the temporary parental allowance with another social security benefit?

The allowance cannot be combined with any other replacement income under the scheme for the self-employed, such as an incapacity for work benefit, invalidity allowance or maternity allowance, informal carer’s allowance, bridging right, paternity or childbirth allowance, etc.

On the other hand, the parental allowance can be combined with a replacement income from another scheme than for the self-employed, such as, for example, an unemployment benefit or parental leave as an employee.

How and when should the application be submitted?

The application must be submitted by 30 September 2020 at the latest.

Click here to fill in our application form