Christodoulides announces expansion of child benefit: 17,000 more families to become eligible

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides announced on 6 September the expansion of eligibility for child benefit: around 17,000 more families and more than 23,000 children will qualify for the payment. The announcement was made on the first day of the new school year.

The changes concern the income threshold. For families with three dependent children, the threshold has been raised to €90,000, and for families with four children — to €100,000. For families with five or more children, income criteria have not applied since 2025.

At the same time, the subsidy for preschool education is being expanded: it will now cover children up to the age of 4 years and 4 months. This measure will benefit around 2,000 families and approximately 2,800 children.

The government explains the revision of the criteria by pointing to a flaw in the previous system: a slight increase in income could completely deprive a family of the payment, even though its financial situation had barely changed.

“Through our actions, we are supporting families and the middle class and changing our country,” Christodoulides said. According to him, the aim of the measures is to increase households’ disposable income and return the results of economic growth to society.