Taiwan’s Ministry of Education (MOE) on Friday announced that the monthly child-rearing allowance for children aged 2 to under 5 will be increased to NT$5,000 (US$169) starting August.
According to the ministry, the increase is part of the Executive Yuan’s 2021 initiative to address the “alarming decline” in Taiwan’s birth rate.
The initiative is planned for 2021-2024 and seeks to reduce the burden of raising children through affordable education and care services, by lowering tuition fees and increasing the child-rearing allowance.
As a part of the initiative, the government’s child-rearing allowance for children from 2 to under 5 years of age is being increased in two phases.
The first phase was in August 2021, where the payment was increased from NT$2,500 to NT$3,500.
The second raise will take effect in August and increase the amount from NT$3,500 to NT$5,000, the MOE said.
According to the ministry, to qualify for the subsidy, parents must provide proof that they have a combined income that is taxed at less than 20 percent, and will raise a child or children on their own without government aid such as public childcare centers.
When both requirements are met, parents are eligible to receive a monthly payment of NT$5,000 for their first child, NT$6,000 for a second child, and a monthly payment of NT$7,000 for any additional children.
Educational subsidies will also be increased for children 2-6 years old who attend public and nonprofit or quasi-public preschools, where tuition fees will be capped at NT$1,000, NT$2,000 and NT$3,000, respectively, with further cuts for second and third children and above, according to information provided by the Executive Yuan.
Moreover, tuition will be waived for children from low-income and middle-low-income households.
Parents can visit the official MOE website or the Early Childhood Educare website to find out more about what they are eligible to receive, or register for the subsidies to which they are entitled.
Parents can also call the Early Childhood Educare hotline at 0800-205105 to ask for help in working out what entitlements they are eligible to claim.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel