"Who's actually paying for Wednesday's after-school care?"
That question rarely arrives at a calm moment. It lands on a Tuesday evening in the group chat, between a photo of a swim bag and a reminder about the dentist.
For many separated parents, that one question has a whole stack of others behind it. Who applied for the allowance? What changes next year? And how do you keep things fair when there are two households but one invoice from the childcare centre?
Childcare allowance has been in the Dutch news again over the past weeks. Below are the facts, followed by the questions it helps to walk through together.
What is new for childcare allowance in 2027?
Since the budget presentation in September it is clear that the Dutch childcare allowance goes up again in 2027, though by less than first planned. According to reports, working parents with a combined income up to roughly 72,000 euros get the maximum rate of 96 percent.
The maximum hourly rates also rise: 11.60 euros for daycare, 10.31 euros for after-school care and 8.77 euros for host-family care. If your provider charges more, you pay the difference yourself.
The final percentage table is still to be set in a decree. Always check the current figures with the Dutch Tax Administration (Belastingdienst/Toeslagen) before you start calculating.
And after 2027? A new system in 2029
On 21 September the minister sent a bill to the Council of State. The idea: from 2029 the allowance disappears, and an income-independent subsidy goes straight to the childcare provider. Parents then pay a limited own contribution.
It is not law yet. And the government's announcement does not say how that contribution would work for parents who share care across two homes.
That is an open question. Not a reason to panic, but a reason to keep an eye on it.
Why two homes make it more complicated
The allowance works with a combined income. How that plays out when parents live apart depends on your own situation. We cannot explain that for you, and frankly neither can any single article online. That is what the tax administration, a mediator or an allowance adviser is for.
What you can do is put the questions on the table before the amount changes.
"It was never about the money itself. It was that I didn't know what came in and what I had to top up." Sanne, mum of two
Many parents find that rules built around one household do not automatically fit two. That does not mean you are doing anything wrong.
Four questions to walk through calmly together
Who is currently the applicant for the allowance, and do you both know what lands in the account each month?
Who pays the childcare invoice, and how do you split the part the allowance does not cover?
What do you agree if the childcare gets more expensive, or if one of you works more or fewer days?
And when will you look at this again? A fixed moment, say every autumn, takes a lot of tension out of the conversation.
Alimony gets a new number in November, too
In November the indexation percentage for alimony from 1 January is set in the Netherlands. For 2026 it was 4.6 percent. What it will be for 2027 is not known yet.
Whether and how that applies to you is written in your own agreements or in the court's decision. A mediator or lawyer can check that with you.
Living in Flanders?
This piece is about the Netherlands. In Flanders, childcare costs and benefits work differently, and for child benefit after a separation Opgroeien is a good first place to look.
Fewer surprises, more calm
Much of the tension around money is not about the amount, but about not knowing. A shared calendar and one place where both parents see what has been paid and what is still coming take out that noise. That is also why many parents with us use Split: everything in one place, visible to both.
An amount you know weighs less than an amount you fear.
Sources: Dutch national government, 21 September 2026 (cabinet and new childcare financing system); Debicare budget-day overview of 2027 rates and maximum hourly prices; Tweehuizenhulp on alimony indexation. This article is not legal or tax advice.
