Child allowance: Application form A21 and beneficiaries – When is it paid?

On 30 November 2021, the 5th bimonthly instalment of the six total instalments of the child benefit for 2021 by the OPEC to beneficiaries.

This payment concerns the months September and October.

The sixth dose and last installment that concerns the months of November and December, is expected to be paid before the New Year.

It should be noted that the fourth instalment has been paid 30 September 2021 for the months of July and August.

The amounts for child benefit

Beneficiaries are determined according to income criteria as follows:

- First category up to EUR 6,000
- Second category 6.001-10.000 euros
- Third category 10.001- 15.000 euro

The amount of the allowance depends on the number of dependent children and concerns:

- For the first category €70 per month for the first dependent child, an additional €70 for the second and a further €140 per month for the third and each additional 3 children

- For the second category €42 per month for the first child, plus €42 for the second and €84 per month for the third and each dependent child

- For the third category, EUR 28 per month for the first child, an additional EUR 28 for the second and an additional EUR 56 for the third and each dependent child beyond the third.

What you need to know about the A21 application form

The beneficiaries of the allowance will be able to submit the A21 application on the platform of the IDC idika.gr or via the website opeka.gr, by using the beneficiary's personal passwords to access the TAXISnet.

The entitled amount will be calculated based on the number of dependent children declared on the 2021 A21 and the total family income the beneficiaries had in the 2020 tax year.

After submission of the current year's tax return or an amending tax return, the amount of the allowance recalculated automatically before each payment, with based on income and no new A21 application is required.

According to the announcement, the online platform for submitting the A21 application allows, through extensive electronic cross-reference with available databases of other institutions and services, checking the accuracy and correctness of the data and information declared at the application stage.

To the allowance is granted, the application must be submitted definitively and must have approved. Please note that an application that has been temporarily stored is considered not to have been submitted and will not be taken into account.

In order to facilitate the submission of the A21 application form, OPEKA clarifies the following:

The SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER of all family members, entered in the application form (A21), must be valid. (An online check is also available at http://www.amka.gr/).

The students of TEI and other Public Schools must have valid student ID cards (pass).

Students who Transcript: within 2021 must have additionally available the academic ID number they had prior to their transfer. If this is not available, they will be asked to electronically attach a certificate of first registration to their A21.

The foreign citizens or expatriates, who have a Special Identity Card for Homogenous Persons, must, at the time of submitting the A21 application, have valid residence permits in Greece. If the residence permits are not cross-checked electronically, they will be asked to attach them electronically.

For the dependent children who in the year 2021 are 19 years old (year of birth 2002) and are students of Secondary Education (gymnasiums, high schools, EPAS, EPAL, etc.), the beneficiaries must enter in the relevant fields of the application the student's Register Number and the Register Number of the school he/she attends. In cases where the declared data are not cross-checked for accuracy, they will be asked to electronically attach a recent (issued within 2021) certificate of study to the A21 application form.

Dependent children over 18 who are students of IEKs (private-public), colleges or students of higher and higher education who do not have an academic ID (pass), such as theatre, dance, etc., or students of recognized institutions abroad or students of the post-secondary year-apprenticeship class of EPAL, must have recent certificates of studies (issued within 2021) from their schools of study.

In cases where the declared data are not cross-checked for accuracy, they will be asked to electronically attach or enter details of the certificate in the A21 application form. Certificates from foreign institutions must be legally translated.

In cases divorced parents both claiming child benefit for the same dependent children, it is obligatory to attach the court decision or any private agreement regulating the custody of the children or an affidavit of the other parent or electronic consent of the other spouse.

In the cases of divorced parents the electronic attachment of the court decision awarding custody is mandatory.

For applications with attachments, the approval is given after the Control of the attached documents by OPEKA officials and then the payment follows.

Before each payment is made recheck of income on the basis of the amended E1 declarations of all family members participating in A21 and the benefit is recalculated.

Please note that an application that has been temporarily stored is considered as not having been submitted and will not be taken into account.

Applicants can visit the link of the OPEKA and read the frequently asked questions and related answers provided by the agency and aim to get any clarifications on Child Benefit.

Increased number of beneficiaries

From the clearance of tax returns emerged - according to a report by Open - new beneficiaries, as several workers went on probation last year, resulting in a reduction in their family income, while many existing beneficiaries will receive higher amounts.

Specifically, the beneficiaries of the child benefit reach 736.000 including the 10,000 added after the liquidations.

Regarding the increases, for example, two parents who were suspended in 2020 with two children and salaries of 2,500 euros per month will receive an allowance of 28 euros per month instead of the 0 euros they received until now.

Similarly, two parents who had been in a parole in 2020 with two children and salaries of 2,000 euros per month will receive an allowance of 84 euros per month instead of the 56 euros they received until now, with an annual benefit of 336 euros.