Changes to allowances in 2026

In 2026, rules and amounts for allowances, such as rent allowance, care allowance and child-related budget, will be subject to changes. Some amounts will go up and some rules will be simplified. Are you entitled to allowances and are you curious about how these changes may effect you? Or would you like to find out about  allowances you may be entitled to and have not received before? In this article Aeslupa aims to help you make sense of the allowance changes in 2026.

Rent allowance

In 2026, more people will be entitled to rent allowance. This is because the upper limit for the rent amount on which you can receive an allowance will be removed. Meaning people paying higher rents will also qualify for rent allowance. In addition, young people from the age of 21 can apply for rent allowance. In 2025 only people over 23 years of age were entitled to rent allowance. While this is good news for people who previously did not receive an allowance, you may lose out in 2026 if you (also) received an allowance on the service costs of your rental property in 2025. As of 2026, service costs will no longer count.

Childcare allowance

In general, people who are entitled to Childcare Allowance will benefit in 2026. Are you entitled to childcare allowance and have a low or middle income? Compensation will be higher especially for people in these groups. This is because a larger part of the hourly rate of the day care, after-school care or childminder will be reimbursed. Parents with a joint income of up to € 56,413 will be reimbursed 96% of the costs per hour. Even if your income or joint income is higher, you will most likely receive more allowance in 2026 compared with 2025.

Health care allowances

For the healthcare allowance, the income and capital limits have been adjusted from 2026. This means that some people will receive more health care allowance, while others lose out. Do you want to know what the consequences of these shifts could be in your case? With this tool (in Dutch) from the Tax and Customs Administration, you can make a test calculation. Or check your situation (in Dutch) on My Allowances (log in with DigiD).

Child budget

Are you a single parent and do you have an income below € 30,000? Or do you and your tax partner have a joint income below € 40,000 per year? Then there is a good chance that your Child Budget will increase (slightly) in 2026. We have less good news for parents or caregivers with an income above these limits. You will probably receive less Child Budget than last year.

Find out more

You can read more about changes to allowances (in Dutch) on this page of the Tax and Customs Administration, or make a test calculation.

Don't forget to report changes in your situation promptly to the tax administration. In My Allowances you can access information about your personal situation and you can report changes that effect your allowances (such as income and family composition). Do you have questions or concerns about your finances? Aeslupa is here for you. Feel free to contact us to explore together what we can do for you.