The child maintenance must be updated periodically. As a general rule, the update is annual.
The updating criterion must be provided for in the parental responsibility agreement, in the case of child support, or in the court ruling if parental responsibilities have been defined in court proceedings.
The most commonly used criterion is inflation for the year prior to the update.
According to the INE’s preliminary estimate for last year’s inflation rate, alimony payments in 2023 will undergo a 7.8% increase.
If the INE’s estimate is confirmed, a maintenance allowance worth €100.00 in 2022 will become €107.80 in 2023.
To calculate the value of the new alimony you should multiply the current child maintenance amount by 1.078, as in the following example:
€200 x 1.078 = €215,60
In cases where the child maintenance is updated by reference to criteria other than inflation, the applicable criterion should be used.