Frequently Asked Questions

Your Starting Amount or Maternity Allowance will be paid 2 months prior to your expected delivery date at the earliest.

Conditions in Flanders stipulate that the pregnant woman must live in the Dutch-language area and have Belgian nationality or a valid residence document.

In Brussels and Wallonia, you must also have some form of professional employment.

You can also receive your Starting Amount or Maternity Allowance following the birth of your baby. In this case, the conditions of residence apply to the child itself.

If your child is born abroad, you may still be entitled to a Starting Amount or Maternity Allowance from Belgium in certain situations. You’re entitled to this birth premium if the child is registered in Belgium within 2 months of their birth. This can be extended by 4 months for medical reasons. Submit your application online and KidsLife will subsequently investigate whether this option applies to you!

Apply for your maternity allowance now

The Starting Amount is the new name for the Maternity Allowance or Birth Premium in Flanders. Brussels and Wallonia still refer to this as the Maternity Allowance.
These terms all refer to the same thing: the amount that you receive during pregnancy or following the birth of your child. Curious about how much Maternity Allowance or Starting Amount you will receive upon the birth of your child? Use our handy simulation tool! 

Apply for Maternity Allowance here

In order to pay your Maternity Allowance or Starting Amount, we require a certificate from your doctor specifying the baby’s expected delivery date.

However, you can still apply, even if you don’t yet have a doctor’s certificate in your possession. We’ll send you a reminder when it’s time to provide us with this certificate. Naturally, we also require a number of personal details from the mum-to-be. Your Maternity Allowance or Starting Amount will be paid 2 months prior to your expected delivery date at the earliest.

Submit your application Starting Amount here              
Request Starting Amount

 

A baby on the way? All children should have every opportunity from the day they are born. To support parents in this, every child is entitled to a Starting Amount (also known as the Maternity Allowance or Birth Premium) at birth.

The Starting Amount is the new name for the Maternity Allowance or Birth Premium and is available to all children who are born in Flanders or who are resident there within 2 months of their birth.

Applying for you Starting Amount is quick and easy. You can submit your application using our handy online tool within just 4 minutes! 

View our step-by-step plan detailing what you need to do in order to receive your Starting Amount here. 

Pregnant? Congratulations! You can apply for a Starting Amount or Maternity Allowance right at the very onset of your pregnancy. The expectant mother’s details are the sole requirement for submitting an application. If you would like to receive the Maternity Allowance or Starting Amount prior to the birth of your child, then we also require a doctor's certificate specifying the expected delivery date. 

You certainly can! We’ll ultimately require a certificate from your doctor or gynaecologist, however, we can already start preparing your personal file in the meantime. Once we have your doctor's certificate (prepared from your fifth month of pregnancy) in our possession, we’ll pay your Starting Amount of 1190,68 euros*, at the earliest 2 months prior to your expected delivery date. Don’t worry - we’ll definitely let you know if we require additional information. 

Apply for your Starting Amount

*If you live in Wallonia or Brussels, you'll receive 1288,87 euros. Starting from second birth in Brussels you'll receive 585,85 euros.

A stillborn child may still be entitled to the Maternity Allowance. You can arrange this by reporting the stillborn child to the municipality in the first instance. In fact, this is mandatory if the pregnancy lasted more than 180 days. Once you have submitted the certificate, you need take no further action. 

Congratulations on your pregnancy! You’re entitled to a one-off premium for your future child. This is called the Starting Amount, and is also known as the Maternity Allowance or Birth Premium. 

Applying for a Starting Amount from KidsLife is quick and easy. And the payment will be deposited into your bank account prior to the birth of your child. 

• To process your Starting Amount application, we require the the mother-to-be’s personal details and the expected delivery date.
   
• In order to pay the Starting Amount prior to your baby’s birth, we also ask you to supply a doctor’s certificate stating that you’re at least 5 months pregnant.

You can submit an application here. 
Apply for your Starting Amount

This depends on when you submit your application!

After the birth

Does your application concern the birth of your first child? Then you will receive your Maternity Allowance or Starting Amount via one of our weekly payments as soon after submitting your request as possible.
Does the application concern the birth of your second or subsequent child? You will receive your Maternity Allowance or Starting Amount once we have received the birth notification from the municipality.

Between 7 and 9 months of pregnancy

We will pay the Maternity Allowance or Starting Amount via one of our weekly payments as soon after submitting your request as possible.

From onset to the 7th month of pregnancy

You will receive the Maternity Allowance or Starting Amount 2 months prior to your expected delivery date. We make the payments once per week. 

Pregnant? Congratulations! All mothers, fathers or co-parents to-be can request the Maternity Allowance or Starting Amount.
You can apply right at the very onset of your pregnancy. The payment can be made from 2 months prior to your expected delivery date.