Schooltoeslag (school allowance)
The schooltoeslag is annual financial support for families with school-age children on a low income. It is one of the allowances included in the Vlaams Groeipakket (Flemish Growth Package).
Conditions
- Stap 1
Your child has Belgian nationality
- Stap 2
Your child attends school
- Stap 3
Your child is not older than 22
- Stap 4
Your household income is not too high for the number of children in your household
You may receive a schooltoeslag if your household income is not too high in relation to the number of children in your household (household size).
Do you have a foster child?Your household income
- Do you live alone? Only your income is taken into account.
- Do you live with your partner? Both incomes are taken into account.
More information: Calculation of household income (in Dutch)
Size of your household
expressed in ‘points’We also take into account the number of children in your household. A points system is used for this purpose.
The more points your household has, the higher your income may be while still qualifying for the schooltoeslag.
More information: Calculation of household size and income thresholds for the schooltoeslag (in Dutch)
Amount
The amount of the schooltoeslag is not the same for everyone. It depends on:
The amount varies depending on the type of education your child attends:
- nursery education
- primary education
- secondary education
- dual learning
- basisverpleegkunde
The amount is often higher if your child is a boarding pupil.
A boarding pupil:
- stays at a boarding school or in student accommodation
- or stays at a multifunctional centre (MFC)
Your child must stay there for part of the school year.
Contact your payment provider (in Dutch) for the conditions.
The pupil’s circumstances determine whose income is used to calculate the schooltoeslag.
There are four possible situations:
You may receive a schooltoeslag if your household income is not too high in relation to the number of children in your household.
The larger your household, the higher your income may be while still qualifying.
- Do you live alone? Only your income is taken into account.
- Do you live with your partner? Both of your incomes are taken into account.
More information: Calculation of household income (in Dutch)
for very low incomes
How much is the schooltoeslag?
The exact amount depends on all the factors listed above. Your payment provider automatically calculates the correct amount for your circumstances.
The following formula is used:
Amount of schooltoeslag you receive
EQUALS
the volledige toeslag (full allowance) × [(maximum income threshold MINUS household income) DIVIDED BY (maximum income threshold MINUS minimum income threshold)]
Procedure
You receive the schooltoeslag automatically if you are entitled to it, once the payment provider has all the information required.
Your payment provider uses information held by public authorities, such as:
- your child’s school enrolment
- your tax information
- other information from government databases required to assess your entitlement.
Is any information still missing? You will receive a letter asking you to provide additional information. Provide this information promptly and in full so that the payment provider can continue assessing your entitlement.
Your payment provider pays the schooltoeslag to the same person and in the same way as the Vlaams Groeipakket.
Payment
You receive the schooltoeslag between the end of August and December.
The payment dates for 2026 are:
- 26 August 2026
- 23 September 2026
- 28 October 2026
- 25 November 2026
You do not always receive the schooltoeslag for all your children at the same time. Some information may still be missing. Your payment provider may then ask you to provide additional information.
Have you not received a schooltoeslag or a letter from your payment provider by the end of December? Check whether you meet all the conditions.
Do you think you are entitled to it? Contact your payment provider.
Repaying the schooltoeslag
In some cases, you may have to repay all or part of a schooltoeslag you have already received.
The most common reasons are:
- Your child leaves or changes schools during the school year
- your child is not enrolled up to and including the final school day of the academic year
- your child changes programme or school
- Your child does not attend school sufficiently
- your child has too many unauthorised absences
- Your circumstances change
- your household income turns out to be higher than initially estimated
- we receive new or corrected information
- Other reasons
- not all information was available when the initial calculation was made
- an error was made in the calculation
Have you received a letter saying that you must repay an amount? Contact your payment provider if:
- you believe an error has been made
- you have questions
- you are unable to repay the full amount in one payment.