Measures being planned to increase births
The birth allowance is increasing permanently and retroactively by 400 to 1,500 euros for births that took place from January last year, depending on the number of children. This is the allowance introduced as of January 1, 2020, amounting to €2,000 for each child born.
This forms part of a total of seven government interventions against the demographic problem, which add up to 441 million euros, Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis announced on Monday.
The beneficiary of the birth allowance is the mother who resides permanently and legally in Greece and has an annual equivalent family income up to €40,000. Until today the aid has been paid in two installments of €1,000 each.
From now on, as Hatzidakis and Social Cohesion and Family Minister Sofia Zacharaki announced, the birth allowance increases for each child born, depending on the number of children in the family.
Therefore, for the first child, it amounts to €2,400, for the second to €2,700, for the third to €3,000, and for the fourth etc to €3,500.
The measure, as pointed out by the ministers, bolsters families at a time when there has been a decrease in births and indeed in an environment of high living costs. It annually supports approximately 35,000 one-child families, 32,000 families with two children, 6,600 families with three and 1,400 families with four or more children.
The first payment of the increased amounts, as well as the payment of retroactive amounts for births from January 2023, is scheduled to take place by April.
Within 2024 the government will also implement six additional measures including a €1,000 increase of the tax-free allowance for families with children, an increase of the maternity allowance for freelancers and farmers from four to nine months to the level of the minimum salary, an increase of the heating allowance income limits from €3,000 to €5,000 per child, the introduction of the social electricity tariff for families with four or more children, the public sector payroll reform, and a profit margin ceiling on infant formula.
