Just in case you are really interested in the "child benefit" (Allocation familiale in French), I found the current amount of child benefit in Belgium.
Pour le premier enfant : 86,77 EUR (for the first child, about $110)
Pour le deuxième enfant : 160,55 EUR (for the second child, about $200)
Pour chaque enfant à partir du troisième : 239,72 EUR (for the third child, about $300).
Adopted children also receive this assistance, and children of gay couples are also eligible.
"Children" living at home and still in school are eligible to receive this payment up to the age of 25 years old. After 16 years old, the payment can be made directly to the child, instead of the parents
The "double payment" twice a year has been changed. There is now only ONE additional payment in August (still to assist the family with the going back to school expenses) that is "only" about $100.00.
There is also a one time "prime de naissance" (or birth allowance) which consist of about $1,600 for the first child, and about $1,200 for every child after that.
I must say that I think it is a little excessive in my opinion, and that this would be a great area of spending cuts, just by adding a "means testing" criteria, and reducing the age of continued eligibility to 18 or 21.
But. . .it sure helps to keep the economy going and to keep children from going hungry!
