What kinderopvangtoeslag is
Kinderopvangtoeslag is the Dutch childcare allowance. It is money from the government towards the cost of registered childcare while you work, study or follow your inburgering. Nothing happens automatically, because you apply for it yourself. Dienst Toeslagen pays it in advance every month, and you always pay part of the bill yourself.
The childcare allowance covers four types of care:
- dagopvang (daycare centre) for children up to 4
- bso (buitenschoolse opvang, out-of-school care) before and after school and in the holidays
- gastouderopvang (a childminder through a childminder agency)
- peuteropvang (playgroup for toddlers, the old peuterspeelzaal)
You cannot get it for tussenschoolse opvang (TSO), the care during the school lunch break.
Who can get childcare allowance in the Netherlands
You can get kinderopvangtoeslag if all of these are true:
- You work, study, follow a route to work (traject naar werk) or must do inburgering. If you have a toeslagpartner (benefit partner), the same applies to your partner.
- Your childcare is registered in the Landelijk Register Kinderopvang (LRK) and has an LRK number.
- You and your child live at the same address and are both registered there with the gemeente.
- Your child is born and has a BSN.
- You pay part of the costs yourself. If a childminder looks after your child for free, you get nothing.
- You pay the childcare on time: the costs of one year must be paid before 1 July of the next year.
Work does not need to be a permanent job, and freelance work, your own business and work in your partner's business count too. Study must be a full programme recognised by the government, such as mbo, hbo, university or vavo. A short course or a workshop does not count.
The official list of conditions is on the Belastingdienst page about childcare allowance.
Childcare benefit during inburgering
If you must do inburgering, you can get childcare benefit for your course. The course must be at an approved school; you can check schools on zoekinburgerschool.nl. A partner who works and a partner who follows the inburgering course together meet the condition.
Since 7 July 2026, DUO says the allowance also covers the other required parts of inburgering under the 2021 law: the Module Arbeidsmarkt en Participatie (MAP), the participatieverklaringstraject (PVT) and the participation hours in the Z-route. DUO tells Dienst Toeslagen that you have to do inburgering. Dienst Toeslagen can still ask for proof; you then ask your gemeente for a statement.
If you stop the course for a while because you are pregnant or have just given birth, you keep the allowance from at most 28 days before until at most 42 days after the birth.
Extra courses after you have finished your inburgering do not count.
How much you get in 2026
The amount depends on your household income, the number of children, the hourly price of your childcare and the number of hours. The government pays a percentage of the hourly price, up to a maximum hourly rate. In 2026 these maximum hourly rates are:
| Type of care | Maximum hourly price 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dagopvang (daycare) | € 11.23 |
| Bso (out-of-school care) | € 9.98 |
| Gastouderopvang (childminder) | € 8.49 |
With the lowest incomes you get 96% of that price for every child. With the highest incomes you get 36.5% for the first child and 68.2% for each next child. If your childcare costs are higher than the maximum, you pay the difference yourself.
You get the allowance for at most 230 hours per child per month. The number of hours does not depend on how many hours you work. You get them for each month in which you and your partner work, study or do inburgering.
The full income table is on Rijksoverheid: bedragen kinderopvangtoeslag 2026.
How to apply for kinderopvangtoeslag
You apply online in Mijn toeslagen, the website of Dienst Toeslagen. You log in with DigiD. The website is in Dutch.
- Sign the contract with the childcare provider or the childminder agency.
- Get these details ready: the name and address of the childcare, its LRK number, the hours per month and the hourly price. You also need your yearly income and that of your toeslagpartner.
- Log in to Mijn toeslagen, choose Kinderopvangtoeslag and then Aanvragen.
- Answer the questions and send the application.
Apply as soon as the contract is signed. You must apply within 3 months of the date you become entitled to it: if your child starts childcare on 1 May, apply by 31 July at the latest. If you apply later, you lose money. After you send it, you usually see the amount straight away. You get a letter within 5 weeks, by post, and in your Berichtenbox on MijnOverheid if you have turned it on.
See the Belastingdienst application steps for the official route.
Report changes within 4 weeks
You apply once, but you must report every change in Mijn toeslagen. Changes in your income, your childcare hours or the price change your allowance. If you report late, you may have to pay money back.
- Your child stops going to childcare: report it within 4 weeks.
- You stop working: report it within 4 weeks. You keep the allowance for 3 more months. After that, you can use unused hours until the end of the year.
- Your inburgering course ends: report it within 4 weeks. You can use unused hours until the end of the year. When they are used up and you meet no other condition, stop the allowance.
- A holiday: if the contract and the payments continue, you do not have to stop anything.
To stop, choose Wijziging doorgeven and then Toeslag stoppen in Mijn toeslagen. You usually get a new calculation within 5 weeks. The Belastingdienst page on stopping lists every situation.
Kinderopvangtoeslag in the KNM exam
Benefits and childcare are part of the KNM exam (knowledge of Dutch society). A question in DUO's 2025 example exam reads:
Maartje krijgt kinderopvangtoeslag. Ze krijgt een nieuwe baan en gaat meer geld verdienen. Wat gebeurt er waarschijnlijk met haar kinderopvangtoeslag?
Maartje gets childcare allowance and starts a better-paid job. What probably happens to her allowance? The answer: Haar kinderopvangtoeslag gaat omlaag (it goes down), because the percentage depends on income.
The overview of Dutch benefits explains the other toeslagen. You can try more questions like this in our free KNM practice.