Germany transfers 528 million euros in child benefits to beneficiaries abroad
Germany transferred a record amount of 528 million euros in child benefits to foreign accounts in 2025, the highest amount ever recorded, according to the Federal Employment Agency. These transfers continue the long-term trend of increasing benefit transfers abroad.
A spokesperson for the Federal Employment Agency stated that this figure reflects continuous growth over the years. In 2024, Germany transferred 514 million euros abroad, while the amount in 2010 did not exceed 35.8 million euros. This increase is partly related to the rise in child benefit rates and the number of eligible beneficiaries outside Germany.
Not all transfers to foreign accounts mean that children actually reside abroad. Some German families use accounts in other countries while their children live in Germany. In other cases, child benefits can be paid to German accounts for children residing abroad. Most of the funds in 2025 went to EU countries such as Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, France, Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Bulgaria.
Child benefit transfers abroad are subject to repeated criticism due to concerns about potential social fraud, especially among migrants from Eastern Europe. However, EU law stipulates that Germany is obliged to pay child benefits for children residing in other EU countries if the legal conditions are met. German citizens working abroad, EU citizens with residency rights, and recognized refugees are also entitled to these benefits.
Among 17.57 million children who received child benefits in 2025, 3.93 million of them held foreign nationality. Ukrainians have now become the third largest group of beneficiaries after Germans and Turks. In 2024, benefits were paid to 337,110 Ukrainian children, with total transfers exceeding 1.14 billion euros.