You must notify the maintenance advance office of any important changes during the entire period of benefit receipt. You must report all changes that may be important for the claim or about which you have made declarations in connection with the advance maintenance payment.

You must notify the changes within 14 days at the latest.

Examples of changes:

• Your child no longer lives with you.
• You move house.
• You get married.
• You move in with the other parent.
• The other parent pays maintenance again or wants to pay maintenance again.
• You become aware of the previously unknown whereabouts of the other parent.
• The other parent has died.
• The child has died.
• The child no longer attends school.
• The income of the child who no longer attends school changes (because, for example, the amount of the training allowance changes).

Notifications to other authorities are not sufficient.

An intentional or negligent breach of these obligations is an administrative offense and can be prosecuted or punished with a fine. In addition, the benefits paid can be reclaimed.

You will receive advance maintenance payments for your child if you are raising it in your household without another parent against whom the child is entitled to maintenance. However, this maintenance is not paid by the other parent or the person obliged to pay maintenance, or is paid incompletely or irregularly.

The child's center of life must clearly be in your household. You must not have married a new partner.

If the eligibility requirements are met, the maintenance advance will be paid to you until your child reaches the age of majority. The limit on the duration of receipt (previously a maximum of 72 months) has been lifted.

The amount of the maintenance advance is based on the minimum maintenance amount.

If the single parent is entitled to full child benefit, since January 1, 2025 the maintenance advance in Lower Saxony has been :

• 227.00 euros per month for children up to 5 years of age
• for children from 6 to 11 years 299.00 euros per month
• for children from 12 to 17 years 394.00 euros per month

After the age of 12, your child is only entitled to maintenance if one of the following conditions is met:

• You or your child do not receive citizen's allowance.
• Advance maintenance payments can prevent your child from needing assistance.
• You have a gross monthly income of at least 600.00 euros and receive supplementary citizen's allowance.

This ensures that, if necessary, all children receive maintenance advance without any gaps. At the same time, an important incentive is created for households that are not in need of assistance or that could become independent of basic security benefits through their own earned income to secure their own livelihood.

The maintenance advance is always paid at the beginning of a calendar month and can be applied for retroactively for one month.