Family Benefits in Latvia (pabalsti ģimenēm ar bērniem)

The State Social Insurance Agency (VSAA) pays the national family benefits. They are not means-tested, but the parent and the child must live permanently in Latvia, have a Latvian personal code and an active status in the Register of Natural Persons. People with a temporary residence permit do not receive the family state benefit or the childcare allowance. Kindergartens are run by the municipalities, and some municipalities pay extra local benefits. Benefits linked to your job, such as maternity and parental benefit, are described under Parental.

Childbirth and childcare allowance

• Childbirth benefit (bērna piedzimšanas pabalsts): a one-off €600 for each child born on or after 1 January 2026 (it was €421.17). You must apply within 6 months of the birth, or the right is lost. In Riga you can apply at the registry office when you register the birth.
• Childcare allowance (bērna kopšanas pabalsts): €298 a month until the child is 1½ years old (2026; next review in 2028). For each additional child of a multiple birth there is a further €298 a month. For children born up to 2 November 2026, €42.69 a month is also paid from 1½ to 2 years. Both working and non-working parents receive it. A working parent receives it together with the parental benefit, and both are paid to the same person.

Family state benefit (ģimenes valsts pabalsts)

• Paid for each child from age 1 to 16, and to 20 if the child studies full-time at school or, since 1 January 2026, at a college or university and is not married.
• Amounts (2026), depending on how many children one person receives it for: one child €25 a month; two children €100 (€50 each); three children €225 (€75 each); four or more €100 for each child.
• A supplement of €160 a month is paid for a child with a disability.
• You can apply right after the birth. If you apply late, it is paid back for at most 24 months.

Childcare and tax relief

• Kindergarten: pre-school education in municipal kindergartens is paid from public budgets, and preparation for school is compulsory from age 5. Places and queues are handled by each municipality, so rules vary; ask your municipality early.
• Tax relief for dependants: €250 a month per dependent child (2026), registered in the parent's payroll tax book with the State Revenue Service.
• Guardians: from 1 January 2026, the allowance for a child in guardianship is €390 a month for a child under 7 and €468 for a child aged 7 to 17.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• The family state benefit is higher if one parent claims for all the children. Parents who split it (one child each) get €25 per child instead of €50.
• Do not miss the 6-month deadline for the childbirth benefit. Late applications are refused.
• For children over 16, VSAA uses school data. If the child stops studying, payment ends from the next month.
• Check your residence permit type: with a temporary permit you may receive the work-related benefits (maternity, paternity, parental) if you pay contributions, but not the family state benefit or the childcare allowance.

Official guidance: VSAA: family state benefit, VSAA: childcare allowance, VSAA: changes in 2026, Ministry of Welfare: changes in 2026