10,000 Young Belgians Receive Living Allowance and Increased Child Benefit While Living at Home
Approximately 10,364 young adults in Flanders aged 18-25 who live at home received both a living allowance (leefloon) and an increased child benefit (verhoogd Groeipakket) in 2023, according to Het Laatste Nieuws. The figures, requested by N-VA parliamentarian Tomas Roggeman from Flemish Minister of Welfare Caroline Gennez, reveal a growing trend of students relying on social support to pursue their education.
How the System Works
The leefloon is a form of financial social assistance provided by the OCMW (Public Centre for Social Welfare) to people who lack sufficient financial resources. Nearly 174,000 Belgians receive this support, with a single person’s leefloon currently set at 1,340 euros per month. To receive both leefloon and increased Groeipakket, a young person must come from a household with limited income, be a student or have recently left school, and sign a strict contract with the OCMW requiring full-time study, regular class attendance, and submission of exam results.
A Growing Trend
The number of student leefloon recipients has grown significantly across Belgium, from 34,987 in 2020 to 42,692 in 2025 - a 22% increase in five years. VRT NWS reported 10,064 leefloon students in Flanders in 2025, with Ghent having the highest number (1,203), followed by Mechelen (584) and Antwerp (546). Wallonia has 18,421 leefloon students and Brussels 14,246. The more than 42,000 leefloon students cost the Belgian state 244 million euros in 2025.
“We see that students find their way to the OCMW more easily,” said Nathalie Debast of the Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities (VVSG). “By temporarily supporting vulnerable young people, their chances on the labor market increase and they can take their lives back into their own hands.”
Closing the Loophole
The debate over benefit accumulation reached a turning point when exceptional cases emerged of families in Dendermonde accumulating up to 7,000 euros in combined benefits. “That meant they kept more net income by staying home than by going to work,” said Roggeman. “That can never be the intention: a social system must support people, but at the same time avoid creating an unemployment trap.”
Effective March 1, 2026, Federal Minister of Social Integration Anneleen Van Bossuyt closed the loophole allowing unlimited accumulation of leefloon benefits within one household. The calculation now includes income from all household members - grandparents, in-laws, working children and grandchildren - and the Groeipakket is now counted as income. The impact is substantial: a father with two studying sons earning minimum wage would see his family’s combined support drop from 2,327 euros to 612 euros per month under the new rules.
Employment Outcomes Under Scrutiny
A key controversy centers on employment outcomes. Only 46.5% of leefloon students are sustainably employed five years after graduation, compared to over 90% of the broader student population one year after leaving school. Vlaams Belang parliamentarian Ellen Samyn called this figure “much too low,” warning that the leefloon “threatens to become mainly a final destination.”
However, Van Bossuyt defends the investment: “It’s even a positive story. Those who do NOT study in that precarious situation only achieve an employment rate of 36 percent. That 47% with a diploma do find work proves to the OCMWs that the investment and guidance do prove their worth.”
Concerns About the New Rules
Critics argue the stricter rules may harm vulnerable families. Groen Gent published an analysis warning that counting the Groeipakket as income could lead to “more structural and generational poverty.” Federal parliamentarian Jeroen Van Lysebettens (Groen) stated: “By counting the Groeipakket as income, families are financially punished for studying or working toward a better future.”
The VVSG has also warned about the administrative burden of the new rules on OCMWs, noting that software packages are lagging behind and social workers face increased manual work.
Minister Gennez (Vooruit) defended the Groeipakket as “a right of every child” that “makes a world of difference for vulnerable young people,” while acknowledging the need to make social allowances adjust more gradually to changes in parental income.
What to Watch For
As the new calculation rules are rolled out throughout 2026, key questions remain: What will the actual budget savings be? How many families will be affected? And will the stricter rules lead to more young people dropping out of education? The P-Magazine analysis suggests the story may be part of a broader narrative to justify budget cuts, arguing that the “shocking” combination of leefloon and Groeipakket simply describes a poor family with a studying child. The coming months will reveal whether the reforms strike the right balance between preventing abuse and supporting vulnerable young people through education.