Increase, reduction, withdrawal and refund of the allowance

If the parental allowance is increased or reduced for certain reasons, it is paid at the new amount as of the calendar month in which the change occurred.

If the reasons why payment of the parental allowance was reduced to 50 % cease to exist, the allowance is increased as of the calendar month following the month in which the child begins compulsory education, but no earlier than 3 months following the month in which the allowance was reduced.

The parental allowance is withdrawn as of the calendar month following a month for which the parental allowance has been paid:

• if the facts determining that there was a valid claim to the parental allowance change or cease to exist;
• if the parental allowance has been unduly paid;
• if the beneficiary so requests;
• if the parental allowance is provided by a competent institution of a Member State in the same amount or in an amount greater than EUR 199.60;
• if the competent institution of a Member State does not grant the parental allowance on the grounds that the person entitled to it has not claimed it.

If the parental allowance was unduly paid or paid in an amount higher than that to which the beneficiary was entitled:

• the beneficiary must repay the parental allowance or part thereof for the period for which it was unduly or excessively paid;
• the right to the refund of the parental allowance expires 1 year after the day on which the payer discovers this fact, but no later than 3 years from the date of the last undue payment of the parental allowance;
• the amount to be repaid may be deducted from the beneficiary’s currently paid parental allowance or a subsequently granted parental allowance, from his or her wages, salary, or other remuneration for work, from compensation in lieu of such consideration, from compensation for on-call duty or other stand-by duty, from the supplement for stand-by duty, from social insurance benefits, from annuities from old‐ age pension saving schemes, and from social security benefits up to the amount which cannot be affected by the enforcement of a decision under a special regulation. The parental allowance cannot be affected by the enforcement of a decision under a special regulation, except for the enforcement of a decision on a fine under a special regulation.