How do I apply for Dutch childcare benefit and prepare the details?
What would you like help with?
Detailed explanation, checklist and sources
Kinderopvangtoeslag is not automatic. Check eligibility, collect contract and income information, and apply yourself through Mijn toeslagen. This is the first-application route; another child is reported as a change.
On this page
1. Check eligibility and your partner
You and any benefit partner must work or meet an eligible exception, such as recognised education, compulsory integration at an approved school or a route into work. Check residence and immigration conditions too. Shared parenting or living or working abroad requires a separate check.
2. Check childcare and your contribution
Childcare must be registered in the LRK. Normally your child lives and is registered at your address; shared-parenting rules differ. You must pay part yourself. Keep proof of all costs, including your contribution: pay within six months after the childcare year ends.
3. Prepare details for each child
For each child and location, prepare the contract, LRK number, starting date, monthly hours and hourly price. Estimate your and your partner’s assessment income for the entire year; monthly wages or turnover alone are insufficient. The official trial calculation is an estimate, not an award.
4. Apply as soon as possible
You can apply once the contract is signed and your child is born and has a BSN. Do not wait for the first invoice if you already have the details. A first application in October normally cannot start before 1 July; other conditions still apply.
5. Submit through the official portal
Open Mijn toeslagen yourself, choose Kinderopvangtoeslag and Aanvragen, check prefilled information and submit. Keep confirmation and sign out. Saved preparation is not submission. For another child entering childcare, amend the existing benefit rather than making a duplicate first application.
6. Check confirmation and changes
Dienst Toeslagen usually sends a letter within five weeks, not a guaranteed decision deadline. Check starting date, hours, price and income in the calculation. Report childcare changes within four weeks and update income estimates. Our help-request route supports preparation and submits nothing to the authority.
Does my second child need a new application?
If you already receive childcare benefit, add the next child as a change in Mijn toeslagen. Check that child’s LRK number, hours, price and starting date.
Documents to prepare
Prepare your next stepFill in and save · Word
Tick what you have checked or collected. Note what is missing and take your overview to a meeting.
Unless saved in My overview: Your entries stay only on this screen. Download before leaving; closing or reloading clears them. Do not enter identity numbers, passwords or unnecessary personal details.
What do you still need for your next step?
Item 1 / 6 · Where do you stand with this item?
Eligibility, work/exception and benefit partner
This overview follows your own answers. It does not assess your rights or guarantee that your file is complete.
Your choices stay here. Use the buttons below if you want to save or download.
View all details, notes and timeline
Your timeline and evidence
List events and contacts. Note where you keep the evidence; no upload is needed.
What goes in my timeline?
Record what happened, when, the response and where to find the letter, message or photo. Mark uncertain dates.
Is my evidence sent?
No. You only note where it is kept. No files are uploaded or sent automatically.
How do I save my timeline?
Your entries are not saved automatically. Choose Save and continue later to store this preparation, including your timeline, in My overview. Wait for confirmation and save new changes again. You can also download a Word file without an account.
Up to 20 events. Choose a different position for an event to change the order.
0 / 6 · Checked or collected
For each event, note the date, what happened and where the evidence is kept. Example: 3 October — letter received — correspondence folder.
Describe the solution you would like, such as an explanation of a deduction and repayment of the outstanding amount.
For example: which document is missing, who can provide it and what should I do first?
Record the date and its source. If unknown, note this and check promptly. This tool does not calculate or monitor deadlines.
After your conversation
These are your own notes. Confirm agreements with the other person; these notes do not prove their agreement.
This is your preparation, not a submitted request, objection or legally reviewed document. A tick records only your own progress. Check the procedure and deadline in the original letter.
Save and continue later
Clear entries
Download anything you want to keep first. Clearing cannot be undone.
- Eligibility, work/exception and benefit partner
- LRK number, contract and starting date
- Monthly hours and hourly price per child/location
- Estimated annual assessment incomes
- Payments including your own contribution
- Submission confirmation and change dates
Contact with a lawyer
You can use the chat and information without a phone number. A contact request requires a phone number, a verified email address and your wish for telephone contact. Our team assesses which partner fits your question. Data is shared only under the stated consent procedure. A partner or engagement is not guaranteed.
View the current application processSources
Need personal assistance? Request a lawyer through our chat. We explain the next step; submitting a request does not engage a lawyer. The links below support the legal information.
Dienst Toeslagen · Aanvragen ↗Dienst Toeslagen · Voorwaarden ↗Wet kinderopvang · Artikel 1.3 lid 2b ↗Dienst Toeslagen · Wijzigingen kinderen ↗Sources may be in Dutch. General information about Dutch law, not individual legal advice.