Family allowances in Malta
Malta pays a universal Children’s Allowance of €96 to €1,870/year per child by income, plus In-Work Benefit and an 18-week maternity leave (14 mandatory + 4 optional). Free public nurseries since 2014 for working parents (Free Childcare Scheme).
Means-tested Children’s Allowance €96–1,870/year/child, In-Work Benefit for low-income working families, Free Childcare Scheme since 2014 (free for working parents), 18-week maternity leave (14 mandatory + 4 optional), Foster Care Allowance for placed children.
Children’s Allowance
Universal benefit paid by the Department of Social Security:
- 1 child: Income ≤ €26,048: €850/year ; Income > €26,048: €250/year flat
- 2 children: €1,100 to €1,700/year (by income)
- 3 children: €1,540 to €1,870/year
- 4+ children: €1,870/year
- Bi-monthly payment
- Paid until age 16 (21 if studying)
In-Work Benefit
Allowance for low/middle-income working families:
- Couple: up to €1,800/year per child (by income up to €35,000)
- Single-parent family: up to €1,400/year per child (by income up to €23,000)
- Conditions: income from activity (employee or self-employed)
- Quarterly payment
Maternity Benefit
Maternity benefit paid by Department of Social Security:
- For insured women: 14 weeks at 100% of salary (employer) + 4 weeks at fixed benefit (~€225/week)
- For housewives or self-employed: Maternity Benefit of 13 weeks at €96.03/week
- Maternity Leave Benefit bonus: €460 flat at birth
Paternity Leave (2024 reform)
Following EU Directive 2019/1158:
- 10 working days at 100% of salary (previously: 1 working day)
- + Parental Leave: 4 months (2 transferable) at flat-rate benefit (~€225/week) for 2 months out of 4
- Reform in force in 2022 to align with EU directive
Free Childcare Scheme (since 2014)
Iconic programme introduced in 2014:
- Free nurseries for working parents (at least 1 parent in activity)
- For children 0–3 (until compulsory school entry at 3)
- Covers enrolment + monthly fees in accredited nursery
- ~12,000 child beneficiaries/year
- Major impact on female employment rate (rose from 41% in 2014 to 70% in 2023)
Foster Care Allowance
- ~€110/week for child in foster care
- Paid by Foundation for Social Welfare Services
- Stackable with Children’s Allowance
Public and private nurseries
Extensive nursery network thanks to Free Childcare Scheme:
- Public and accredited private fully covered by State for working parents
- Pre-school compulsory from age 3 (free in public)
- Childcare After School Programme for 6–12 (modest fee, ~€1–3/hour)
How Illizeo helps on the HR side
Illizeo is not a consulting firm or a paying body. However, our HR layer manages all of an employee’s family variables: family composition (dependent children, ages), supporting documents, event declarations (birth, adoption), leave workflows (maternity, paternity, parental) with key date calculations, and automatic feed to your payroll software.
Official sources
Manage the HR side of family allowances
From birth declarations to parental leave calculation, Illizeo centralises variables and feeds your payroll automatically.
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