This is because child support payments are made for the previous month. Payments for June are made in July, so the maximum possible amount will still be 133.20 euros. Increased payments will reach recipients in August – then up to 185 euros per child will be paid for July.
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On average, about 17 thousand people receive child support payments every month.
State aid when a child does not receive awarded maintenance
Child support payment is state aid for a child when one parent fails to comply with a court decision and does not pay the awarded maintenance for more than a month.
First, you need to contact a bailiff regarding debt recovery. When the bailiff initiates enforcement proceedings or refuses to do so because the person obliged to pay maintenance lives abroad, you can apply to “Sodra” for child support payments after one month.
The application can be submitted by logging into your personal “Sodra” account, at any customer service department, or by mail. A separate application is submitted for each child.
Who can receive the payment?
The following can apply for child support payments:
- one of the parents with whom the child lives according to a court decision or parental agreement;
- the child’s guardian or caregiver;
- an adult child with a determined participation level of 0–25%, if the disability was determined before adulthood.
A child who is a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania has the right to the payment, even if their declared place of residence is abroad. If a foreigner or a stateless person applies for the payment, the applicant or the child must permanently reside and have declared their place of residence in Lithuania. The payment can be transferred to the applicant’s or child’s bank account in Lithuania or abroad.
Maximum payment amount increased from July
Until the end of June this year, the maximum possible child support payment was 133.20 euros per month per child – this constituted 1.8 basic social benefits (BSI). Payments of this amount for the previous month will be disbursed in July.
From July 1, 2026, a new procedure came into force – the maximum payment was increased to 2.5 BSI. Therefore, for July, the maximum possible amount will be 185 euros per child. It will be disbursed in August.
Approximately 2 million euros are allocated for these payments per month. Over 23.4 million euros were disbursed in 2025, and about 12 million euros in the first half of this year.
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Sodra recovers disbursed funds from debtors
Child support payments disbursed by the state are not a gift to debtors. “Sodra” recovers them from parents who fail to comply with court decisions regarding child support.
Currently, there are about 30.7 thousand people in Lithuania with child support payment debts. Their total debt amounts to 188 million euros. Among the debtors is also a person who fails to fulfill the obligation to support eight of their children.
“Sodra” informs both the payment recipient and the person who does not pay alimony about the allocated and disbursed payment. Debtors are first sent reminders to voluntarily cover the debt. It is also possible to conclude an agreement and repay the debt in installments. If the reminders are not responded to, “Sodra” applies compulsory recovery measures – issues payment orders to banks, directs recovery to wages, pensions, scholarships, or other income, and, if necessary, transfers the debt for recovery to bailiffs.
It is important to report if alimony is being paid again
While child support payments are being made, one of the parents or the guardian must inform “Sodra” if they receive funds for child support from the debtor, their employer, a bailiff, or other persons. This must be reported within 3 working days of receiving the money, but no later than the last day of the current month.
If the debtor starts regularly paying the full court-ordered maintenance, the payment of child support from the state budget is terminated.
If the payment recipient fails to report the received funds or reports too late, it may turn out that they received an overpayment. In such a case, the overpayment of the benefit will need to be returned to “Sodra”.
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