Income Criteria for Advance Child Support Payments to Be Completely Abolished from the 29th of Next Month

200,000 Won Per Month, Regardless of Income

Starting from September 29 next month, the income criteria for the advance child support payment system will be completely abolished. As a result, single-parent families who are unable to receive child support will be able to receive a maximum of 200,000 won per month for each minor child from the government in advance, regardless of their income level, provided they meet the qualifying requirements.

On September 21, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced that it would abolish the requirement for household income to be at or below 150% of the median income for advance child support payments starting from October 29.

Until now, only single-parent families with household income at or below 150% of the median level could apply. Going forward, anyone who meets the requirements related to child support claims and unpaid support, regardless of income, will be eligible to apply for advance payments.

The advance child support payment system allows the government to pay child support first to minor children in single-parent families where support payments are not received, and then recover the funds from the obligor. The program was introduced in July of last year to reduce support gaps and to help promote the stable growth of children.

As of August this year, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has supported around 8188 households and 12,924 minor children with approximately 23.1 billion won.

To apply for advance child support, the applicant must have a child support claim, and the monthly average child support received over the previous three months or for three consecutive periods must be less than the amount of the advance payment. In addition, legal or debt collection support must have been requested from the Child Support Agency, or other procedures to secure the child support payment must be underway or completed.

Once approved as a recipient, the applicant can receive advance child support of up to 200,000 won per month for each minor child until the child reaches adulthood.

Single-parent child support claimants who were previously ineligible due to income standards can now apply regardless of income by submitting an application through the Child Support Agency website or by mail.

The abolition of the income requirement will apply starting from the October advance payment, which will be determined after the law takes effect on October 29.

Minister Won Minkyoung stated, "With the abolition of the income requirement for the advance child support payment system from October 29, more single-parent families can now receive government support. Since child support is a fundamental right necessary for the survival and growth of children, we will proactively promote the policy to ensure no family misses out due to lack of information and will also strengthen measures for enforcing child support obligors' responsibilities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.