New Data Reveals Record-High Payments to Families of Delinquent Alimony Payers
The German federal government, states and municipalities have been forced to pay out a record-high amount of money to families of delinquent alimony payers in the past year, according to a report by the German newspaper Bild, citing new figures from the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs.
The ministry’s data shows that the expenses for the so-called alimony advance, a financial support for families of divorced parents who fail to meet their alimony obligations, increased by 20 percent in 2024, reaching a total of 3.24 billion euros. This marks a new high, with the expenses having quadrupled since 2017, as reported by Bild.
In the past year, authorities were able to recover 544.5 million euros, or 17 percent of the total expenses, from the delinquent alimony payers. This is a slight decrease from the 19 percent recovery rate in 2023.
The alimony advance is a financial support paid to the children of divorced parents when one of the parents fails to meet their alimony obligations. The amount of the support varies by age, with 227 euros per month being paid for children under the age of five and 299 euros for children between the ages of six and eleven. The costs are shared by the federal government, states and municipalities, with each contributing 40 percent and 30 percent, respectively.