Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - Many civil servants in North Rhine-Westphalia with children will receive a sometimes lavish additional payment in the coming days. According to the Düsseldorf Ministry of Finance on Tuesday, the state has increased the family supplements from December 1, 2022. For the months of January to November of this year there should be a one-off payment with the next transfer. The amount depends on various factors, including the so-called rent level in which the main residence of the person concerned is located. The "Rheinische Post" had previously reported on it.
For rent level VI, which applies in Cologne and Düsseldorf, for example, the surcharge is 413.56 euros for one child to be taken into account and 924.63 euros for two children for each month for which the conditions for payment have been met. In some cases, this can add up to low five-digit sums.
According to the ministry, the background is a decision by the Federal Constitutional Court, according to which the salary should be at least 15 percent above the basic security, social assistance. For NRW, this resulted in "a need for adjustment, especially for families with children in municipalities with particularly high rents".
Poverty researcher Christoph Butterwegge told the "Rheinische Post" in view of these payments: "If the state already grants officials with children according to the alimony principle in places with high housing costs, it should also apply this principle to other families: Then there would be child benefit or If the family lives in a place with high housing costs, there is more money for a possible basic child security."
