School allowance (schooltoeslag)
What is School allowance in Belgium?
The School allowance is a child benefit paid once a year (between September and December).
Your child may receive it if he - she attends pre-, primary or secondary school in Flanders (or managed by Flanders).
It is intended for families with low income.
If you live in Flanders, you receive the School allowance automatically. You do not need to fill an apllication form or to write to us.
It is not the same as the School Premium or the Toddler allowance.
Do you live in Brussels or Wallonia?
If your child attends a school managed by Flanders and your family has low income, you may receive this other allowance. Apply for School allowance by KidsLife and we’ll investigate your situation.
Criteria for School allowance
- Your child attends a pre-, primary or secondary school in Flanders or Brussels that’s recognised, subsidised or financed by the Flemish Community.
- Your son or daughter is enrolled at the school and demonstrates sufficient attendance.
- Your family income falls within a certain threshold amount. These threshold amounts are entirely dependent on your family circumstances.
How much School allowance could your child receive?
That depends on your family income, family circumstances and the type of education. We receive this official data from the Flemish Government. Remember: you do not need no to submit an application. KidsLife now makes the automatic payment instead of the government. Below is an overview of the School allowance amounts.
School allowance amounts from the 2023-2024 school year
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Other types of education
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If you’re pursuing an HBO5 course and you’re older than 25, then you’re no longer entitled to Child Benefit but may still be entitled to the Study Allowance. In this scenario, we only investigate your entitlement if you apply for it.
Married or independent or living alone students
When could you receive your School allowance?
KidsLife automatically pays the School allowance based on the information we receive from the Flemish Government.
So you could receive the school allowance at another time to another family: it depends on when we receive all the information from the Flemish Government.
The School allowance is usually paid between September and December, once per school year.
What should your income be to receive School allowance?
Family income is calculated by the Flemish Government and consists of 3 parts:
- The family's gross annual taxable income. This includes salaries and allowances as well as income from real estate. As this year's data has not yet been processed, we are looking at the situation two years ago. For the school allowance in 2023, we take into account income from 2021.
- Your family situation on August 31 of the current school year.
- If you have a property that you don't use as a family residence or for your profession, the government will carry out a cadastral income check.
As you can see, the situation can be very different for each family. The Flemish government sends us the statement, and we then check whether your family is entitled to the School allowance.
What happens when your child reaches 18?
As of 18 years of age, the School allowance no longer forms part of the Groeipakket, the child benefits in Flanders. You have to submit an application to the Flemish Government. The conditions are usually the same as for minor children.
What’s the difference between the School allowance and the School Bonus?
The School Bonus is an allowance for all children
- whether they go to school or not
- whether their parents have low income or not
It is automatically paid by KidsLife in August.
Just ask for child benefits from KidsLife
Good idea! All you need is your ID and an account number. You do not need to contact your current Child Benefits Fund.
Applying is free of charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
In the majority of cases, KidsLife pays the Study Allowance, also known as School Allowance, to the parent(s), beneficiaries or benefit recipient.
Adult children who are in secondary education and are married, independent or single, receive the Study Allowance themselves.
KidsLife receives all the necessary information from the Flemish Government. We automatically pay the School Allowance or Selective Participation Allowance (SEPAR) based on this information. The timing of your Study Allowance payment therefore depends on several factors. Study Allowance payments are made from the end of August until December.
The payment of your School Allowance is dependent on the completeness of the information we receive from the Flemish Government
Please note: No application is necessary! Already receiving your Child Benefit or Growth Package from KidsLife? We ensure that all families with an entitlement to the School Allowance receive this automatically. Handy, right?
We make a distinction between nursery/primary and secondary education. For the latter category, you can retain your Study Allowance entitlement until the year in which the student turns 22. There is no age restriction for BuSO (special-needs secondary education) and HBO5 Nursing.
You must request the Study Allowance or Education Allowance in Higher Education from the Flemish Government.
The School Bonus is a school premium (or education allowance) for all families with children and is automatically paid by KidsLife in August, together with your Child Benefit for the month of July.
The Study Allowance is a supplementary amount for low-income families. KidsLife automatically pays this before the end of the year to all families who are entitled to it.
KidsLife makes things easy by automatically paying the Study Allowance at the end of the year.
You can submit an application:
- If you live in Brussels or Wallonia and your child is attending a recognised Flemish school. Contact us and and we’ll investigate your Study Allowance entitlement.
Still have questions related to the Study Allowance?