Child maintenance obligation: what are your obligations?

Questioner

My partner and I have 3 children. One of them has now turned 18. She receives a monthly allowance from DUO and also works part-time. She is following a course at HBO. She lives with us and is given food and drink. Despite having my own company (self-employed), I am in debt every year thanks to the tax authorities. My husband earns quite normally but his salary is spent entirely on bills. Mine on other bills and groceries. In addition, I pay off the debts in installments. In what sense can and am I obliged to provide my daughter with the mandatory maintenance/study. And what amount do I have to pay her each month. I am now just getting by with what I earn. And then I have 2 other children, the middle one of whom is now just in secondary school. I hope you have answers for me.

Lawyer

In principle, you have a maintenance obligation for your children until they are 21. Because your daughter receives a supplementary grant from DUO, I understand that you cannot contribute financially based on your income. In addition, your daughter has an income, does not pay rent or energy costs, and simply eats with you. (Also a point of attention: who pays for health insurance and has health care allowance already been applied for). You could use the calculations of the Nibud (see their website) to make a calculation to see how high a possible monthly contribution from your daughter could be.

Questioner

Our daughter receives full health care allowance from the tax authorities. She then only has to pay a small amount of approximately 30 euros. She does this herself. What would I now have to contribute to maintenance obligation, I would not know. Thanks in advance.

Lawyer

You no longer have to contribute anything yourself. That is precisely the reason why your daughter receives a supplementary grant from DUO. If DUO found, based on the information from the tax authorities, that you could contribute, she would not receive a supplementary grant and would have to borrow everything. I referred to the Nibud website to calculate whether your daughter's income (from work, health care allowance, grant) compared to her monthly expenses (study costs, clothing, health insurance, etc.) still allows her to contribute to your household (in connection with costs of housing, energy, food).