Child benefit: Who is entitled to it and how to apply?

What is child benefit and what has replaced it?

Until recently, child benefit was a separate state social assistance benefit. A family with a dependent child and an income of up to 3.4 times the minimum subsistence level was eligible. However, from 1 October 2025, the Act on State Social Assistance Benefits came into force, which introduced a new single benefit – the super benefit. This merged several original benefits:

• child Benefit,
• housing benefit,
• a living allowance,
• housing supplement.

The super-benefit has four components:

• housing component,
• a subsistence component,
• achild bonus (child bonus),
• a work bonus (rewards work activity or care).
  

What does this mean in practice?

You will no longer be able to claim the ‘old’ child benefit from October 2025. If you were already receiving the benefit before, the state will temporarily catch up – according to the MLSA and specialist portals, payment of the old benefit is linked to the submission of a new claim for the super benefit and will gradually roll over to the new system. If you’re claiming for the first time or want to keep claiming, everything is dealt with through the super benefit and its child bonus.

So in what follows we will mainly talk about the current situation – the child bonus under the super allowance. Where useful, we will also highlight the expiring ‘old’ benefit.

Who is a dependent child?

The concept of a dependent child is still fundamental after the reform. It is the basis for entitlement to the child bonus and the calculation of the whole benefit. The basic definition remains the same as for the former allowance.

As a rule, a dependent child is:

• a minor child until the end of compulsory schooling,
• or a person up to the age of 26 who is continuously preparing for a future profession (typically studying at secondary, higher vocational or university level),
• or a child/person who is unable to study or work for health reasons, whether short-term (illness, accident) or long-term, in the case of an adverse health condition recognised by the competent authorities,
• or a young person who has completed compulsory schooling up to the age of 18 and is registered with the employment office as a jobseeker and is not receiving unemployment benefit or retraining.

Exception: a child (young adult) who has been granted a disability pension for 3rd degree disability is not considered a dependent child.

Dependency is assessed on an individual basis – if you are unsure, it is worth having the situation assessed (perhaps by a doctor, school or lawyer).

Entitlement to the child benefit/child bonus under the super allowance

A household with at least one dependent child is always entitled to the child bonus. Unlike the old benefit, it is no longer just ‘jointly assessed persons’ for one particular benefit, but the whole household for which the super benefit is calculated as a whole.

Who makes up the household?

A household is typically made up of the child/children and their parents, or other people who live with them and share the costs (e.g. grandparents); separately, an adult dependent child who lives at a different address from the parents (e.g. a student in a lodger) can also be a household.

The Law on State Social Assistance Benefits describes a household in some detail – but in practice, a simple rule applies: those who actually live and manage together count.

Income limit – no longer 3.4 times, but up to 4 times the minimum subsistence level

In the “old” child benefit, the limit was 3.4 times the family’s subsistence level. For the child bonus in the super allowance, the limit is more generous: a household is eligible if its qualifying income does not exceed 4 times the household’s minimum subsistence amount.

The subsistence minimum continues to be calculated on the individual members of the household. The amounts that apply after October 2025 are, for example:

• cZK 4,860 – single adult,
• 4 470 CZK – first adult in the household,
• 4 040 CZK – second and each additional adult,
• cZK 2,480 – a child under 6,
• 3 050 CZK – child 6-15 years,
• 3 490 CZK – child 15-26 years.

The sum of these amounts for all household members constitutes the household subsistence minimum. For the child bonus, it is then monitored whether the average net household income does not exceed 4 times this amount.

What counts as income?

For the calculation, the household income is taken. This basically includes:

• net income from employment (including agreements),

• income from self-employment (business, trade),
• pensions(old-age, disability),
• sickness benefits, wage compensation for incapacity for work,
• unemployment and retraining benefits,
• parental allowance,
• maintenance (alimony) for children and spouse,
• other income specifically mentioned in the law.

The income of the dependent child himself (e.g. regular part-time jobs) is usually treated differently or not counted in full towards the qualifying income – it is always a good idea to check the specific situation.

The means test: what you can own to qualify for the super allowance

As well as income, the assets of the whole household – savings, property and cars – are also assessed for the superannuation. If a household exceeds any of the limits, it will not qualify for the super (and therefore not for the child bonus), even if it otherwise meets the income conditions.

For savings, an individual can have a maximum of CZK 200,000 saved. For each additional member of the household, this limit is increased by CZK 50,000, but there is an overall ceiling of CZK 400,000 per household. A household with four or more members must therefore not exceed this limit with its savings. Savings include money in current and savings accounts as well as cash. Conversely, certain long-term savings products supported by the state, such as supplementary pension savings, building savings, life insurance with a savings component or other long-term investment instruments that are specifically exempted by law, are not taken into account.

For real estate , the law assumes that a household should primarily have one dwelling in which it actually lives. The standard is considered to be a single dwelling structure, i.e., an apartment or house that the household actually uses for permanent residence. A second dwelling structure – typically a cottage or holiday home – can only be owned temporarily by the household for a maximum of three years from the date of application. Thereafter, the second property must be sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of or the means test will come out negative. Ownership of other flats, houses or holiday properties beyond this excludes the household from claiming the super allowance.

For cars, the rule is fairly straightforward: each adult member of the household can own no more than one car. Thus, a household consisting of two adults can pass the means test with two cars, provided they meet the other conditions. However, once the number of cars exceeds the number of adult members of the household, the assets are deemed to be over the limit and the authority may refuse to grant the super allowance, even if it would otherwise be based on income.

Claiming the allowance / super allowance: how to proceed

Today there is no longer a separate form just for child benefit. You always apply for the state social assistance benefit (super allowance) as a whole. One application will then assess whether you are entitled to the housing component, the subsistence component, the child bonus and the work bonus.

Where can you apply?

1. Online via the MLSA Portal – Jenda

You log in via Citizen Identity (bank identity, eObčanka, etc.). The system will guide you step by step through the entire application. It will generate tasks for you – e.g. completing documents for housing or income.

1. At the Labour Office of the Czech Republic

You can apply in person at the branch according to your place of residence, the employee will fill in the application with you and tell you what you need to document.

1. By post or data box

Forms can be downloaded from the website of the MLSA or the ÚP and sent completed. For electronic communication, a recognised electronic signature or data box is typically required.

What will you need for the application?

The specific list of documents may vary depending on the situation, but typically the office wants proof of identity of all adult members of the household, birth certificates of the children or a custody decision, proof of studies for children over 15 years old, a summary of income for the last three months (pay slips, employer’s certificate, self-employment certificate, pension decision, parental allowance certificate, etc.), housing documents (lease agreement, registration certificate, SIPO, utility bills, etc.), information on assets (real estate, other flats, vehicles, savings, investments), consent of all adult members of the household to the processing of data – without them the Office will not process the application.

The reference period for income and housing costs is usually the last three calendar months before the month of application.

What if you are already receiving the ‘old’ child benefit?

If you were awarded Child Benefit before October 2025, you will continue to be paid temporarily under the old rules, at the amounts that were in force in recent years (e.g. CZK 830, CZK 970 and CZK 1,080 depending on the age of the child, with an increase if you are in work). However, to avoid losing the benefit, you must submit a new application for the super allowance by 31 December 2025 at the latest. The state will then gradually transfer payments from the old benefit to the new child benefit system.

Therefore, if I claim the allowance in May with the intention that it should start to be paid in June, the reference period will be the first quarter, i.e. January, February and March.

Summary

Child benefit as a separate benefit for new claims has ended – it has been replaced by the state social assistance benefit (super benefit), which includes a child bonus. A household with at least one dependent child and a qualifying income not exceeding 4 times the household’s subsistence minimum is entitled to the child bonus. Not only income but also assets and work activity of the adults are considered. For children, regular school attendance is relevant. The application is submitted once for the entire household – online via the MLSA portal (Jenda), in person at the Office of the Social Security Office, by mail or by post. It is necessary to provide proof of income and expenses for the last three months and the consent of all adult members of the household.