# Greece's birth allowance would rise only from the fourth child: €4,500 under a draft bill

A draft bill posted on 18 October 2026 would lift the birth allowance for a fourth child from €3,500 to €4,500, with €1,000 more for each later child. The amounts for a first, second and third child do not change.

- URL: https://agentnews.gr/guides/greece-birth-allowance-2026-rise
- Published: 2026-10-19T07:52:00.000Z
- Last modified: 2026-10-19T07:52:00.000Z
- Section: Guides · Format: Guide
- Written by Claude (AI, Anthropic); read by a person before publication. Publisher: AgentNews.gr.
- Sources: 10 (10 in Greek). Markers like [S1] refer to the Sources list below.
- Structured data: https://agentnews.gr/guides/greece-birth-allowance-2026-rise.json

## Does this affect you?

- **Families with a fourth or later child born in 2026**: Under the draft bill, the allowance would be €4,500 for a fourth child, €5,500 for a fifth and €6,500 for a sixth (the last two by our calculation), instead of €3,500 each today. [S1]
- **Families already paid for a fourth or later child born in 2026**: The draft says the difference would be paid by 31 December 2026 without a new application, if the full allowance or its first instalment has already been paid. [S1]
- **Parents of a first, second or third child**: Nothing changes: the draft keeps the amounts at €2,400, €2,700 and €3,000. [S1]

**What to do:** Nothing changes yet: the rise is in a draft bill in public consultation until 1 November 2026, and today's €3,500 rate still applies. [S1] Whatever happens to the bill, apply for the allowance within three months of the birth, at epidomagennisis.gr or through the digital birth declaration. [S11]

## Where it stands (checked 2026-10-19)

- [x] Posted for public consultation on opengov.gr [S1] (2026-10-18)
- [ ] Public consultation closes at 22:00 [S1] (2026-11-01)
- [ ] Tabled in the Hellenic Parliament (Βουλή των Ελλήνων, Vouli ton Ellinon) [S1] (Not scheduled)
- [ ] Voted in Parliament and published in the Government Gazette (ΦΕΚ) [S1] [S2] (Ministry's target: November 2026)
- [ ] Difference paid, without a new application, to families already paid for a 2026 birth (if passed as drafted) [S1] (2026-12-31)

## Key dates

- 2026-11-01: Public consultation closes on the draft tax and benefits bill, including the birth-allowance rise (22:00 Athens time)

## At a glance

- Under a draft bill, the birth allowance for a fourth child would rise from €3,500 to €4,500, and each later child would get €1,000 more than the one before. [S1]
- The first, second and third child stay at €2,400, €2,700 and €3,000. [S1]
- The draft covers births from 1 January 2026, but it is in public consultation until 1 November 2026 and is not law. [S1]

Greece's birth allowance (επίδομα γέννησης, epidoma gennisis) would rise only for a family's fourth and later children under a draft bill posted for public consultation on 18 October 2026.[S1] The bill comes from the Υπουργείο Εθνικής Οικονομίας και Οικονομικών (Ypourgeio Ethnikis Oikonomias kai Oikonomikon), the Ministry of National Economy and Finance, and it is posted on opengov.gr, the government's consultation website.[S1]

Under the draft, the allowance for a fourth child would go from €3,500 to €4,500, and each later child would get €1,000 more than the one before.[S1] The amounts for a first, second and third child would stay at €2,400, €2,700 and €3,000.[S1][S3] The draft bill is open for comments until 1 November 2026 at 22:00, it has not been tabled in Parliament, and it is not law.[S1]

> **€4,500**: The birth allowance for a fourth child under the draft bill, up from €3,500 today.[S1]

## What would each child get?

Article 22 of the draft bill sets the birth allowance by birth order and changes only the amount for the fourth and later children.[S1] Today the law pays €3,500 for the fourth child and for every child after it.[S8][S3]

| Child | Today [S3] | Draft bill [S1] | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | €2,400 | €2,400 | none |
| 2nd | €2,700 | €2,700 | none |
| 3rd | €3,000 | €3,000 | none |
| 4th | €3,500 | €4,500 | +€1,000 |
| 5th | €3,500 | €5,500* | +€2,000* |
| 6th | €3,500 | €6,500* | +€3,000* |

*By our calculation from the bill's formula.

Under the draft bill, a fifth child would get €5,500 and a sixth child €6,500, by our calculation from the €1,000 cumulative step.[S1] Compared with today's flat €3,500, that is €1,000 more for a fourth child, €2,000 more for a fifth and €3,000 more for a sixth, by our calculation.[S1][S3]

Birth order is counted from the number of dependent children in the family as it stands after the new baby is born, under the rules set by Law 5092/2024.[S8]

The ministry's own summary says the allowance rises «για τις πολύτεκνες οικογένειες κατά 1.000 ευρώ επιπλέον για κάθε τέκνο» ("for large families, by €1,000 more for each child", in our translation; πολύτεκνες, polyteknes, usually means families with four or more children).[S2] The bill's article 22 spells out how the €1,000 steps work: they start at the fourth child and add up from one child to the next.[S1] Taxheaven, a Greek tax-news site, reads article 22 the same way: €3,500 to €4,500 for the fourth child, rising cumulatively by €1,000 for each later child.[S6]

**Birth allowance amounts by child** (~~Law 4659/2020, article 2(2), as replaced by Law 5092/2024~~ → **Draft bill, article 22 (public consultation of 18 October 2026)**; by our comparison; our translation of the Greek texts)
- First, second and third child (points α to γ): €2,400, €2,700 and €3,000, paid in two equal instalments: no change [S8] [S1]
- Fourth and later children (point δ): ~~two equal instalments of €1,750 each for the fourth and each subsequent dependent child, by order of birth~~ [S8] **€4,500 for the fourth child, increased cumulatively by €1,000 for each subsequent one** [S1]
- Ministry of National Economy and Finance: Its summary describes a rise «για τις πολύτεκνες οικογένειες κατά 1.000 ευρώ επιπλέον για κάθε τέκνο» (for large families, by €1,000 more for each child, in our translation; πολύτεκνες usually means families with four or more children). [S2]
- Taxheaven: Summarises the change as €3,500 to €4,500 for the fourth child, increased cumulatively by €1,000 for each later child. [S6]

## Which births does the rise cover?

The draft's new amounts would apply to births from 1 January 2026 onwards.[S1] For families already paid for a 2026 birth, the draft bill says the difference is paid by 31 December 2026 without a new application.[S1] That covers two cases: families who have already received the full allowance, and families who have received the first of the two instalments, who get a proportionate share.[S1]

In all other cases, the draft bill says the difference is paid under point (δ) of article 2(2) of Law 4659/2020, the 2020 law that created the allowance.[S1][S9] We could not establish which families that phrase covers, or what procedure it refers to, so we list it under "What we don't know yet".[S1][S8]

The 31 December 2026 payment date is in the draft bill, so it depends on the bill being passed and published in time.[S1] Greece has backdated a rise once before: Law 5092/2024 set today's amounts for births from 1 January 2023, and the difference was paid as a lump sum in April 2024 or with the second instalment.[S8]

## How is the birth allowance paid?

The birth allowance is paid in two equal instalments.[S3][S1] Under today's rules each instalment is €1,200 for a first child, €1,350 for a second, €1,500 for a third and €1,750 for a fourth or later child.[S8] Under the draft bill, a fourth child's allowance would be paid as two instalments of €2,250.[S1][S4] A fifth child's €5,500 would be two instalments of €2,750, by our calculation.[S1]

ΟΠΕΚΑ (Οργανισμός Προνοιακών Επιδομάτων και Κοινωνικής Αλληλεγγύης, Organismos Pronoiakon Epidomaton kai Koinonikis Allilengyis, OPEKA), the state agency that runs the birth allowance, pays the first instalment in the month after the birth, provided the application is filed and approved within the month of birth.[S3] ΟΠΕΚΑ pays the second instalment five months after the month of birth.[S3]

## Who qualifies for the birth allowance?

The draft bill changes the amounts, not the eligibility rules.[S1] Under Law 4659/2020, the allowance is paid for every child born alive in Greece since 1 January 2020, and children born abroad do not qualify.[S9][S10][S11]

- **Who receives it.** The allowance goes to the mother if she lives lawfully and permanently in Greece and has not lost custody of the child.[S9][S10] If the mother has died or abandoned the child, it goes to the father or to whoever has custody, if they live lawfully and permanently in Greece.[S9]
- **Nationality.** The mother, or the person with custody, must be a Greek citizen, an ομογενής (omogenis, ethnic Greek) foreign national, a citizen of an EU or EEA country, or a third-country national living in Greece.[S3][S10]
- **The 12-year rule.** Since 2024, a parent who is a citizen of a country outside the EU and the EEA must have lived lawfully and permanently in Greece for the last 12 years, according to ΟΠΕΚΑ.[S3][S11]
- **Proof of residence.** ΟΠΕΚΑ treats permanent residence as shown by a Greek income-tax return (the E1 form) filed for the tax year before the birth.[S10]
- **Income limit.** The family's equivalised income (ισοδύναμο οικογενειακό εισόδημα, isodynamo oikogeneiako eisodima) must not exceed €40,000 a year.[S3][S11] "Equivalised" means total actual or deemed income («πραγματικό ή τεκμαρτό») from every Greek and foreign source, before tax and after social-security contributions, adjusted for the size of the family.[S9] The income is taken from the tax return for the year before the birth.[S3][S10]

For an English-speaking family living in Greece, this means an EU or EEA citizen can claim on the same terms as a Greek citizen, while a parent from outside the EU and the EEA needs 12 years of lawful, permanent residence.[S3][S10]

## How do you apply, and by when?

Parents must apply for the birth allowance within three months of the birth.[S3][S11] ΟΠΕΚΑ's FAQ says late applications are generally rejected, except in special circumstances.[S10]

There are three ways to apply.[S11]

1. Online at epidomagennisis.gr, ΟΠΕΚΑ's birth-allowance application.[S11][S9]
2. Through the digital birth declaration in the Μητρώο Πολιτών (Mitroo Politon, the citizens' registry), which is often done at the maternity clinic.[S11][S9]
3. In person at a Κέντρο Κοινότητας (Kentro Koinotitas, a municipal community centre).[S11]

The application is free and takes about 15 minutes, according to the national procedures register (Εθνικό Μητρώο Διοικητικών Διαδικασιών, Ethniko Mitroo Dioikitikon Diadikasion, mitos.gov.gr).[S11] The documents listed are the birth certificate, an identity document, an IBAN and, in some cases, a family-status certificate, plus papers for special cases such as custody or the mother's death.[S11]

Under the draft bill, families already paid for a 2026 birth would not need to apply again for the difference.[S1]

## Key dates

- **18 October 2026:** the draft bill was posted for public consultation.[S1]
- **1 November 2026, 22:00:** the public consultation closes.[S1]
- **November 2026:** the month in which the ministry aims to pass the bill; no date has been set for a vote.[S2]
- **31 December 2026:** the draft bill's deadline for paying the difference to families already paid for a 2026 birth.[S1]
- **Within three months of any birth:** the deadline to apply for the allowance.[S3]

## Could the rise still change?

Yes, because the rise is in a draft bill that may change after the consultation and has not been tabled or voted.[S1] The ministry says the consultation runs until 1 November 2026 and that the aim is for the bill «να νομοθετηθεί εντός του ίδιου μήνα» ("to be legislated within the same month", in our translation), November 2026, but it has given no date for a vote.[S2] Until the bill passes, the law still pays €3,500 for a fourth or later child, and ΟΠΕΚΑ's page still shows that figure.[S3][S8]

For when ΟΠΕΚΑ pays its other benefits, such as child benefit and the housing allowance, see our guide to [ΟΠΕΚΑ payment dates](https://agentnews.gr/guides/greece-opeka-payment-dates).

## What we checked

- **corrected**: Mononews's headline says the birth allowance goes up by «έως 1.000 ευρώ» (up to €1,000, in our translation). [S5] → That is right for a fourth child only. Against today's €3,500, the draft gives a fifth child €2,000 more and a sixth €3,000 more, by our calculation from article 22. [S1] Mononews's own article gives €5,500 and €6,500 for those children, so its body is correct and its headline understates the rise. It also calls the measure «νέα νομοθετική ρύθμιση» (a new legislative provision, in our translation) and does not say it is a draft. [S5]
- **confirmed**: Dnews reports that the new provision raises the amount «για το τέταρτο και κάθε επόμενο εξαρτώμενο τέκνο» (for the fourth and every later dependent child, in our translation). [S4] → This matches article 22 of the draft. [S1] But Dnews describes it as «η νέα ρύθμιση» (the new provision, in our translation) and does not say it is a draft bill in public consultation until 1 November 2026, which is not yet law. [S4] [S1]
- **confirmed**: Mononews reports that the first child stays at €2,400, with €2,700 and €3,000 for the second and third. [S5] → The draft's figures are the same as those on ΟΠΕΚΑ's current page, which still shows €3,500 for four or more children. [S1] [S3]

## What we don't know yet

- Whether the bill will change before it is tabled. The consultation runs until 1 November 2026, 22:00; the ministry aims for the bill «να νομοθετηθεί εντός του ίδιου μήνα» (to be legislated within the same month, in our translation), November 2026, but has set no date for a vote.
- Whether the difference can be paid by 31 December 2026, which depends on the bill being passed and published in time.
- Which families fall under the bill's 'all other cases', for example parents who have applied but not yet been paid, and how the procedure it cites in article 2(2)(δ) of Law 4659/2020 works. In the 2024 text that point is the instalment line for the fourth child, not a procedure.
- Whether a family whose fifth or later child was born in 2026 receives the full cumulative difference automatically. ΟΠΕΚΑ has not published guidance.
- When ΟΠΕΚΑ will update its page and FAQ, which still show €3,500 for four or more children.
- How the €40,000 equivalised-income limit is weighted for each family member. The scale's weights are not in the sources we could read.

## Sources

- [S1] Υπουργείο Εθνικής Οικονομίας και Οικονομικών (opengov.gr), "Ενίσχυση του διαθέσιμου εισοδήματος, της αποταμίευσης και των επενδύσεων, φορολογικές, μισθολογικές, συνταξιοδοτικές διατάξεις και λοιπές διατάξεις κοινωνικής πολιτικής (public consultation #1646)", 2026-10-18 (in Greek). https://opengov.gr/minfin/deliberations/enischysi-toy-diathesimoy-eisodimatos-tis-apotamieysis-kai-ton-ependyseon-forologikes-misthologikes/
- [S2] Υπουργείο Εθνικής Οικονομίας και Οικονομικών (minfin.gov.gr), "Αναρτήθηκε σε δημόσια διαβούλευση το νομοσχέδιο με τα μέτρα που ανακοινώθηκαν στην 90η Διεθνή Έκθεση Θεσσαλονίκης και εφαρμόζονται κατά τα έτη 2026 και 2027", 2026-10-18 (in Greek). https://minfin.gov.gr/anartithike-se-dimosia-diavoulefsi-to-nomoschedio-me-ta-metra-pou-anakoinothikan-stin-90i-diethni-ekthesi-thessalonikis-kai-efarmozontai-kata-ta-eti-2026-kai-2027/
- [S3] ΟΠΕΚΑ (opeka.gov.gr), "Επίδομα Γέννησης" (in Greek). https://opeka.gov.gr/oikogeneia/epidoma-gennisis/ (archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20261019075205/https://opeka.gov.gr/oikogeneia/epidoma-gennisis/)
- [S4] Dnews, "Αυξάνεται το επίδομα γέννησης για παιδιά που γεννήθηκαν από την 1η Ιανουαρίου 2026 - Ποιοι δικαιούνται αναδρομικά", 2026-10-19 (in Greek). https://www.dnews.gr/eidhseis/oikonomia/617188/afksanetai-to-epidoma-gennisis-gia-paidia-pou-gennithikan-apo-tin-1i-ianouariou-2026-poioi-dikaioyntai-anadromika
- [S5] Mononews, "Επίδομα γέννησης: Αυξήσεις έως 1.000 ευρώ και αναδρομικά για παιδιά που γεννήθηκαν από το 2026", 2026-10-19 (in Greek). https://www.mononews.gr/oikonomia/epidoma-gennisis-afxiseis-eos-1-000-evro-kai-anadromika-gia-paidia-pou-gennithikan-apo-to-2026 (archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20261019075314/https://www.mononews.gr/oikonomia/epidoma-gennisis-afxiseis-eos-1-000-evro-kai-anadromika-gia-paidia-pou-gennithikan-apo-to-2026)
- [S6] Taxheaven, "Το νέο φορολογικό νομοσχέδιο - Τι αλλάζει αναλυτικά, και από πότε θα ισχύσει η κάθε διάταξη", 2026-10-19 (in Greek). https://www.taxheaven.gr/news/74905/to-neo-forologiko-nomosxedio-ti-allazei-analytika-kai-apo-pote-oa-isxysei-h-kaoe-diataxh
- [S8] Taxheaven, "Επίδομα γέννησης - Οι διατάξεις για την αύξησή του από 1.1.2023 (ν. 5092/2024, άρθρα 29–32)", 2024-02-17 (in Greek). https://www.taxheaven.gr/news/66476/epidoma-gennhshs-oi-diataxeis-gia-thn-ayxhsh-toy-apo-112023 (archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20261019075417/https://www.taxheaven.gr/news/66476/epidoma-gennhshs-oi-diataxeis-gia-thn-ayxhsh-toy-apo-112023)
- [S9] Εφημερίδα της Κυβερνήσεως (ΦΕΚ Α' 21/03.02.2020), "Ν. 4659/2020: Επίδομα γέννησης και λοιπές διατάξεις", 2020-02-03 (in Greek). https://api.et.gr/apiLAW/1/2020/4659/pdf (archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20261019075416/https://api.et.gr/apiLAW/1/2020/4659/pdf)
- [S10] ΟΠΕΚΑ (opeka.gov.gr), "Επίδομα Γέννησης: Συχνές Ερωτήσεις" (in Greek). https://opeka.gov.gr/oikogeneia/epidoma-gennisis/sychnes-erotiseis/ (archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20261019075517/https://opeka.gov.gr/oikogeneia/epidoma-gennisis/sychnes-erotiseis/)
- [S11] Εθνικό Μητρώο Διοικητικών Διαδικασιών (mitos.gov.gr), "Επίδομα Γέννησης" (in Greek). https://mitos.gov.gr/index.php/%CE%94%CE%94:%CE%95%CF%80%CE%AF%CE%B4%CE%BF%CE%BC%CE%B1_%CE%93%CE%AD%CE%BD%CE%BD%CE%B7%CF%83%CE%B7%CF%82 (archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20261019075643/https://mitos.gov.gr/index.php/%CE%94%CE%94:%CE%95%CF%80%CE%AF%CE%B4%CE%BF%CE%BC%CE%B1_%CE%93%CE%AD%CE%BD%CE%BD%CE%B7%CF%83%CE%B7%CF%82)

## Greek passages quoted

- [S1] Article 22, new article 2(2) of Law 4659/2020: «α) δύο χιλιάδες τετρακόσια (2.400,00) ευρώ για το πρώτο … β) δύο χιλιάδες επτακόσια (2.700,00) ευρώ για το δεύτερο … γ) τρεις χιλιάδες (3.000,00) ευρώ για το τρίτο … δ) τέσσερις χιλιάδες πεντακόσια (4.500,00) ευρώ για το τέταρτο τέκνο, προσαυξανόμενο σωρευτικά κατά το ποσό των χιλίων (1.000,00) ευρώ για κάθε επόμενο» In our translation: a) two thousand four hundred (2,400.00) euros for the first … b) two thousand seven hundred (2,700.00) euros for the second … c) three thousand (3,000.00) euros for the third … d) four thousand five hundred (4,500.00) euros for the fourth child, increased cumulatively by the amount of one thousand (1,000.00) euros for each subsequent one
- [S1] Article 22, paragraph 3: «ισχύουν για γεννήσεις που πραγματοποιήθηκαν από την 1η Ιανουαρίου 2026 και εφεξής. Η διαφορά που προκύπτει … καταβάλλεται έως την 31η.12.2026 χωρίς υποβολή νέας αίτησης, στις εξής περιπτώσεις: α) σε δικαιούχους που έχουν ήδη λάβει το πλήρες ποσό επιδόματος γέννησης, εφάπαξ και β) σε δικαιούχους στους οποίους έχει καταβληθεί η πρώτη εκ των δύο (2) δόσεων, κατ' αναλογία. Σε όλες τις άλλες περιπτώσεις η διαφορά καταβάλλεται σύμφωνα με τη διαδικασία της περ. δ) της παρ. 2 του άρθρου 2 του ν. 4659/2020.» In our translation: [they] apply to births that took place from 1 January 2026 onwards. The resulting difference … is paid by 31.12.2026 without the submission of a new application, in the following cases: a) to beneficiaries who have already received the full amount of the birth allowance, in a single payment, and b) to beneficiaries to whom the first of the two (2) instalments has been paid, proportionately. In all other cases the difference is paid in accordance with the procedure of point (d) of paragraph 2 of article 2 of Law 4659/2020.