Flanders scraps school bonus for 1.1 million children

Parents of approximately 1.1 million Flemish children will not receive the school bonus this year, as the regional government’s budget cuts take effect. Only families receiving a social allowance through the Vlaams Groeipakket child benefit system remain eligible, according to VRT NWS.

A benefit narrowed to low-income families

The school bonus, an annual payment ranging from 23.07 EUR for the youngest children to 69.22 EUR for those up to 24 years old, was previously paid to every child in Flanders regardless of family income. Last year, more than 1.63 million children received the payment. This year, approximately 530,000 children from low-income families will still qualify.

The bonus is normally paid out in August, ahead of the new school year. Families who had a social allowance in July will receive it automatically this week; those who did not will see the payment disappear from their accounts for the first time.

According to the official Flemish government website, the school bonus is now defined as a yearly supplement for families who qualify for the social allowance in July. The payment agency Parentia confirms the bonus is paid automatically around August 8, with no application required.

Income thresholds and the two-year lag

Whether a family qualifies for the social allowance depends on income and household size. For families with one or two children, the full social allowance threshold is 40,701.59 EUR gross per year, with reduced payments available up to 47,485.19 EUR. For families with three or more children, the upper income limit rises to 76,560.64 EUR.

The calculation lags two years behind reality: this year’s assessment uses the 2024 tax return. Families who have lost work or income since then may still appear above the income threshold on paper. An “alarm bell procedure” exists for those who can prove their family income fell below the threshold for at least six consecutive months.

Part of a broader budget package

The measure stems from the Flemish budget agreement concluded in September 2025, which aims to save 1.5 billion EUR to bring the regional government out of deficit by 2027. The budget agreement also increased the care premium from 64 to 100 EUR per year and cut subsidies across welfare, education, work, and economic domains. The school bonus restriction is expected to save approximately 50 million EUR annually.

The school bonus is separate from the school allowance (schooltoeslag), a higher income-dependent benefit for families with school-going children, which is not being cut.

Family organizations push back

The Gezinsbond (Family Union), Flanders’ largest independent family organization, has criticized the change. “September is for families a very expensive month,” spokesperson Lien Swinnen said on Radio 1’s De Ochtend. The organization’s Gezinsbarometer survey found that 1 in 7 Flemish families struggle to pay September school costs, with 37 percent finding it tight to cover their bills.

Gezinsbond director Jeroen Sleurs calculated that a middle-class family with two young children will lose more than 900 EUR in purchasing power per year due to the combined cuts to the Groeipakket, including the phasing out of the kindergarten allowance and the increased care premium.

School costs in Flanders average 516 EUR per year for families with children in kindergarten or primary school, 950 EUR for secondary school, and 1,700 EUR for higher education, according to research by payment agency MyFamily.

Political dimension

The abolition also removed a sanction tool used by Education Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) to penalize parents who, for example, refused to learn Dutch. As Knack reported, the government argued the school allowance was the more appropriate instrument for such sanctions.

Opposition parties have been sharply critical. Jos D’Haese, PVDA faction leader in the Flemish Parliament, said the government is “reaching deep into the pockets of Flemish families” with the care premium increase and school bonus abolition, according to the PVDA.

What to watch

The school bonus is the latest in a series of cuts to the Groeipakket system. The kindergarten allowance has been phased out since early 2025, and benefit amounts were not indexed for years. As the Flemish government pushes toward its 2027 deficit target, family organizations warn that further measures could follow. Families who believe they qualify for the social allowance but were assessed incorrectly can file a request through their Groeipakket payment agency.