Eligibility to Child Benefit

Eligibility to Child Benefit

Eligibility to Child Benefit
The Child Benefit Act sets out the following eligibility conditions for the child benefit:

• The applicant is of the Croatian citizenship or has the status of a foreigner with an approved permanent residence, and the applicant has resided in the Republic of Croatia for at least three (3) years before applying
• The applicant has the status of an asylum seeker or a foreigner under subsidiary protection or a member of their family according to the regulations on the asylum, without being obliged to meet the condition of citizenship and the length of the residence, i.e. permanent residence in the Republic of Croatia
• The total income earned in the previous calendar year per a household member does not exceed 70% of the state budget base per month
• The applicant lives in a household with a child and
• The applicant is supporting the child.

Exceptionally, the child with a higher rate or severe disability and a child of a deceased or missing Croatian war veteran fulfils the eligibility conditions regardless of the total earned household income.
 
Child Benefit Amount

The child benefit amount is determined in the following way, depending on the amount of the total monthly income per household member:
 

• If the  total income per member of the beneficiary's household does not exceed 16.33% of the state budget base per month (HRK 543.14), the beneficiary is entitled to a child benefit in the amount of 9% of the state budget base per child (HRK 299.34)
•  If the total income per member of the beneficiary's household is between 16.34% and 33.66% of the state budget base per month, the beneficiary is entitled to a child benefit in the amount of 7.5% of the state budget base per child (HRK 249.45) 
• If the total income per member of the beneficiary's household is between 33.67% and 70% of the state budget base per month, the beneficiary is entitled to a child benefit amounting to 6% of the state budget base per child (HRK 199.56).

The amount of child benefit is determined based on income thresholds (means-tested groups). It is increased 25 % for a child without both parents and 15% for a child without one parent or if one parent is or both parents are:

• Unknown
• Of unknown residence
• Fully incapacitated to live and work independently
• Deprived of the legal capacity.

A child with a functional impairment whose disability is not rated as a disability of a higher grade or as a severe disability receives 25 % higher an amount of the child benefit than the corresponding amount of the child benefit determined according to the established income threshold.
 
A child with a higher grade or severe disability acquires the right to child benefit regardless of the amount of income that the beneficiary's household earns, and the amount of child benefit amounts to 25 % of the state budget base (HRK 831.50).


Pronatalist Supplement

Besides the determined amount of child benefit, the beneficiary has the right to a supplement in the amount of HRK 500.00 for the third and fourth child. Namely, the beneficiary will receive HRK 500.00 in addition to a decision-based total amount of child benefit if he/she is entitled to the child benefit for three children or HRK 1,000.00 per month if he/she receives the child benefit for four or more children.