Greek nursery vouchers rise 10% for 2026–27 and income limits go up by €2,000: amounts, who qualifies, the second call
A joint ministerial decision published on 23 October 2026 raises Greece's nursery vouchers by 10% and lifts the nursery income limits by €2,000. The income test stays, but three-child families can now take the reduced voucher whatever they earn.
8We read 8 sources, all in Greek, 2 of them official documents, including the full text of the decision in the Government Gazette and the 46-page ΕΕΤΑΑ call, so you can read this in 7 minutes. What we checked ↓
Does this affect you?
- Families already holding a 2026–27 nursery voucher from the July 2026 call
- The voucher rises by 10% automatically, whether or not it has been activated. A reduced voucher switches to a full one if the family is now under the higher full-voucher limits. 12
- Families with up to two children and 2025 income just above the July limits
- The full-voucher limit rises from €27,000 to €29,000 and the reduced-voucher limit from €35,000 to €37,000. Families without a voucher who now qualify can apply in the second call. 123
- Families with three children
- The full-voucher limit rises from €30,000 to €32,000. Above that, children can now get the reduced voucher (€2,396) with no income limit, where the July ceiling was €38,000. 123
- Parents using after-school centres (ΚΔΑΠ and ΚΔΑΠ ΑμεΑ)
- Nothing changes: the amounts stay at €1,330 and €5,000, and the full-voucher income limits for ΚΔΑΠ stay at €27,000 to €36,000. Under the July call, ΚΔΑΠ ΑμεΑ places have no income test. 13
What to do If you already have a 2026–27 voucher, you need do nothing, because the rise is automatic. If you do not, there is nothing to submit yet: the second call has no dates, so watch ΕΕΤΑΑ's site and make sure you have Taxisnet codes and a processed 2025 tax return for both partners. 1235
Where it stands
Checked 27 October 2026- Joint ministerial decision signed by six members of the government 116 Oct 2026
- Published in the Government Gazette as ΦΕΚ Β΄ 6419 and in force 123 Oct 2026
- ΕΕΤΑΑ posts the decision on a page headed "issue of a second call" (our translation) 526 Oct 2026
- Second call for 2026–27 opens 15Not scheduled · next
- Last day to activate a 2026–27 voucher under the July call rules 3Second working day of May 2027
At a glance
- Greece's nursery vouchers for 2026–27 rise 10%: an infant place with meals goes from €3,239 to €3,563 a year, and the reduced voucher from €2,178 to €2,396. After-school centres (ΚΔΑΠ) are not raised. 1
- Full-voucher income limits for nurseries rise by €2,000, to €29,000 for families with up to two children and €38,000 for five or more. Three-child families can take the reduced voucher with no income limit. 12
- Vouchers from the July 2026 call rise automatically, with no new application. ΕΕΤΑΑ will open a second call for families newly covered, but no dates had been set by 27 October 2026. 125
Greece's state-funded nursery vouchers are worth 10% more in the 2026–27 school year, and the income limits for a full nursery voucher are €2,000 higher.12 The changes come from a joint ministerial decision (κοινή υπουργική απόφαση, koini ypourgiki apofasi, or ΚΥΑ), no. 168039 ΕΞ 2026, published in the Government Gazette (Φύλλο Εφημερίδας της Κυβερνήσεως, Fyllo Efimeridas tis Kyverniseos, or ΦΕΚ, the official journal in which laws and decisions take effect) as ΦΕΚ Β΄ 6419 on 23 October 2026.1 Six members of the government signed the decision on 16 October 2026, and it took effect on publication.1
The voucher programme is run by ΕΕΤΑΑ (Ελληνική Εταιρεία Τοπικής Ανάπτυξης και Αυτοδιοίκησης, Elliniki Etaireia Topikis Anaptyxis kai Aftodioikisis, the Hellenic Company for Local Development and Local Government), which both the decision and the application call name as the body that carries it out.13 The lead ministry is the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family (Υπουργείο Κοινωνικής Συνοχής και Οικογένειας, Ypourgeio Koinonikis Synochis kai Oikogeneias).12 The programme is co-financed by the European Social Fund+ under ΕΣΠΑ, Greece's 2021–2027 Partnership Agreement for EU funds, and by national resources.13
The income test has not been scrapped.1 Aftodioikisi.gr, a news site covering local government, headlined the decision as a "removal of income criteria" (in our translation), but full vouchers still have income limits of €29,000 to €38,000.61 Only one group loses its ceiling: three-child families, whose children can now take the lower-value, "reduced" voucher whatever they earn, as families with four or more children already could.123
How much is a nursery voucher worth in 2026–27?
The decision replaces the table of annual amounts in the programme's rules.1 Every nursery figure rises; the two after-school categories do not.1
| Place | Ages | Before (July 2026) | 2026–27 now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant place (A1, or B1 in an integrated-care nursery), with meals | A1: 2 months to 2½; B1: 8 months to 2½ | €3,239 | €3,563 13 |
| Infant place (A1/B1), without meals | as above | €2,612 | €2,873 13 |
| Toddler place (A2/B2), with meals | 2½ to 4 | €2,612 | €2,873 13 |
| Toddler place (A2/B2), without meals | 2½ to 4 | €1,985 | €2,184 13 |
| Place for a child with a disability in an integrated-care nursery (B3), meals and transport included | 2½ to 6½ | €5,500 | €6,050 13 |
| Reduced-value voucher (row E, any A1, A2, B1 or B2 place) | as the place | €2,178 | €2,396 13 |
| After-school centre (ΚΔΑΠ) | 5 to 12 | €1,330 | €1,330, unchanged 13 |
| After-school centre for people with disabilities (ΚΔΑΠ ΑμεΑ) | children, teenagers and adults | €5,000 | €5,000, unchanged 13 |
An integrated-care nursery is a Βρεφονηπιακός Σταθμός Ολοκληρωμένης Φροντίδας (Vrefonipiakos Stathmos Olokliromenis Frontidas, or Β.Σ.Ο.Φ.), which can take children with disabilities.3 A ΚΔΑΠ is a Κέντρο Δημιουργικής Απασχόλησης Παιδιών (Kentro Dimiourgikis Apascholisis Paidion), a centre for creative activities for school-age children.3
By our calculation, each new nursery figure is the old one multiplied by 1.10 and rounded to the nearest euro: for example, €3,239 × 1.1 = €3,562.90, which becomes €3,563.1 By our calculation, the top voucher of €3,563, spread over the programme's maximum of 11 months, is worth about €324 a month.13
The amounts assume an eight-hour day.3 If a nursery is licensed for fewer hours, the voucher is cut in proportion, so a six-hour nursery gets six-eighths of the full value.3 The full monthly instalment is paid only if the child attends at least 10 days in the month.3
I already have a voucher. Do I need to apply again?
No: vouchers issued in the July 2026 call are paid at the new, 10% higher value automatically.12 This applies whether or not the voucher has already been activated at a nursery.1 A reduced voucher switches automatically to a full voucher if the family's 2025 income is now under the higher full-voucher limits.12
Families already holding a 2026–27 nursery voucher from the July 2026 call do not need to apply again: the 10% rise is applied automatically.12
Parents who already received a voucher in the July call are excluded from applying again in the second call.1
What are the new income limits?
The limits use total family income for tax year 2025: declared income plus separately taxed amounts (field Δ.1 of the tax assessment) for the applicant, the other partner and any children who file a tax return.3
| Children in the family | Full voucher, nurseries: before → now | Reduced voucher: before → now |
|---|---|---|
| Up to two | €27,000 → €29,000 31 | €35,000 → €37,000 31 |
| Three | €30,000 → €32,000 31 | €38,000 → no limit 31 |
| Four | €33,000 → €35,000 31 | no limit → no limit 31 |
| Five or more | €36,000 → €38,000 31 | no limit → no limit 31 |
2025 family income up to €27,00029,000 for up to two children, €30,00032,000 for three, €33,00035,000 for four and €36,00038,000 for five or more. 31
Families with four or more children already had the reduced voucher without an income limit under the July 2026 call.32 In July 2026, Parapolitika.gr reported that large families could get vouchers regardless of income, without saying that this applied only to the reduced voucher.83
The after-school centres keep the July limits of €27,000 to €36,000 for a full voucher.1 Under the July call, there is no income test for disability places in integrated-care nurseries (B3) or for ΚΔΑΠ ΑμεΑ.3 There is also no income test when the application is for a child or person with a disability, and only for them, or when the applicant personally has a disability above 67%.3
Who can apply?
A parent, a person given custody by a court, a court-appointed guardian or a registered foster parent can apply, with one application per child.3 The conditions in Article 2 of the call do not include a work requirement; an unemployed parent instead earns extra points.3
Every applicant must have personal Taxisnet codes (the tax authority's online login) and a processed tax return for 2025, both for themselves and for the other partner.3 Applications are made online only, through ΕΕΤΑΑ's platform at eetaa.gr, and the other partner must give consent with their own Taxisnet login.3
Citizens of countries outside the EU must upload a family-status certificate or an equivalent official document issued after 1 June 2025, plus a residence permit in force or proof that they have applied to renew it.3 People with asylum upload a family-status document (for example from the UN refugee agency) and a copy of their asylum card.3 Documents issued outside Greece need the original and a Greek translation from an embassy, a consulate, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or an accredited lawyer.3
Children without a disability born in 2022 cannot take part, because they enter compulsory pre-school education.3 Read our guide to private nursery age limits alongside this one.
How are applicants ranked?
Vouchers go to applicants in order of points until the budget runs out.3 Income points are 90 − (E − Π) / 500, where E is total family income and Π is €500 for each child up to age 12 and for each child or person with a disability over 12; a negative result counts as zero.3 By our calculation, a family with two children under 12 and €25,000 of income would score 90 − (25,000 − 1,000) / 500 = 42 income points.3
Families then add social points.3
- 50 points for a single-parent family.3
- 50 points for a family with three or more children.3
- 30 points if one or both parents are unemployed with a valid unemployment card.3
- 30 points for a parent with a disability of 35% or more.3
- 30 points for a sibling with a disability of 35% or more.3
When is the second call, and who is it for?
ΕΕΤΑΑ will issue a second call for 2026–27 under the new criteria.15 No dates for the second call had been published by 27 October 2026; ΕΕΤΑΑ's page of 26 October 2026 posts only the decision itself.5 The ministry says the second call is for families who are covered by the new conditions and have not already received a voucher.2
The decision says the second call follows the same procedure and other conditions as the programme's existing rules.1 Vouchers awarded in the second call are paid only from the ministry's own budget.1 The documents do not say how many extra children the second call will fund.125
When does the school year run, and when must a voucher be used?
The 2026–27 programme covers the school year from 1 September 2026 to 31 July 2027, for a maximum of 11 months.3 To use a voucher, a parent prints it, chooses a participating nursery, signs a standard contract and authorises ΕΕΤΑΑ online to pay the nursery.3 Under the July call, enrolment for a given month closes on the second working day of that month.3 July-call vouchers can be activated until the second working day of May 2027.3
How much is Greece spending on the vouchers?
The July call put the total 2026–27 budget at €393,560,450: €218,837,971 from the co-financed public investment programme and €174,722,479 from the ministry's regular budget.31 The decision says the October amendment results in €36,614,629 of spending for the 2026–27 cycle, an amount it describes as already budgeted for that cycle.1 In the first round, ΕΕΤΑΑ received 199,138 valid applications and awarded 158,009 vouchers across all categories, including after-school centres, with final results on 17 August 2026.47
What should parents do now?
Families who already have a 2026–27 voucher do not need to do anything.12 Families who now fall within the limits cannot apply yet, because the second call has no dates.5 In the meantime, both partners should check that they have Taxisnet codes and a processed 2025 tax return, which every applicant needs.3
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What we checked
Highlights from our fact-check against the original Greek documents. Every claim in the article went through the same check.
- Got it wrong
Aftodioikisi.gr's headline says the decision brings a "removal of income criteria" (in our translation) 6
The decision keeps income limits for the full voucher (€29,000 to €38,000) and for the reduced voucher for families with up to two children (€37,000). Only three-child families gain anything new: they can now take the reduced voucher with no income limit, as larger families already could. Aftodioikisi's own article text says this correctly; the headline overstates it. 16
- Not in the document
In July 2026, Parapolitika.gr reported that large families would get nursery vouchers regardless of income 8
The July call gave families with four or more children a voucher without income criteria only at the reduced value (€2,178), and only for places A1, A2, B1 and B2. 3
- Confirmed
The ministry says the top voucher rises from €3,239 to €3,563 and the reduced voucher from €2,178 to €2,396 2
The new table in article 6 of the decision gives exactly these figures for 2026–27, for infant places with meals and for row E. After-school centres stay at €1,330 and €5,000. 1
- Confirmed
The ministry says the rise applies automatically to existing vouchers, with no new application 2
New paragraph 6 of article 6 says vouchers already issued under the July call, activated or not, are paid at the raised value automatically. 1
What we don't know yet
- When the second call for 2026–27 opens and how long it stays open. The decision, the ministry's release and ΕΕΤΑΑ's page of 26 October 2026 give no dates.
- Exactly who can apply in the second call: whether families rejected or ranked too low in July can apply again, and whether families who missed the July call can.
- Whether second-call applicants can get a full voucher, or only the reduced one. The decision points to both sets of rules but says the cost falls only on the ministry's reduced-voucher budget line.
- How many extra children the second call will fund. The only published figure is the €36,614,629 cost of the whole amendment.
- Whether the 10% rise is backdated to September 2026. The decision took effect on 23 October 2026 and does not say from which month the higher value is paid.
- Whether private nurseries will pass the rise on to parents or raise their fees. The documents do not cover top-up fees.
- Whether second-call vouchers follow the same activation rules as July vouchers, including the deadline of the second working day of May 2027.
- Whether the programme's age bands (A1 up to 2½ years, A2 from 2½ to 4) will change after the October 2026 decision on private nursery age limits.
«Τα παιδιά τρίτεκνων και πολύτεκνων οικογενειών (τρία (3) παιδιά και άνω) συμμετέχουν στις δομές αυτές χωρίς εισοδηματικά κριτήρια.»
Children of three-child and large families (three or more children) take part in these centres without income criteria. (Our note: "these centres" are the reduced-value voucher places A1, A2, B1 and B2.) (in our translation)
«… για λήψη πλήρους αξίας τοποθέτησης, σύμφωνα με τα οριζόμενα στην παρ. 1 του άρθρου 6, έχουν διά των νόμιμων εκπροσώπων τους παιδιά/άτομα με αναπηρία οικογενειών, των οποίων το οικογενειακό ετήσιο εισόδημα φορολογικού έτους 2025 δεν υπερβαίνει το ποσό των 38.000€ κατά τις ακόλουθες διακρίσεις: - Έως 29.000€ έως δύο (2) παιδιά. - Έως 32.000€ για τρία (3) παιδιά. - Έως 35.000€ για τέσσερα (4) παιδιά. - Έως 38.000€ από πέντε (5) παιδιά και άνω.»
… to receive the full value of a place, as set out in article 6(1), children/persons with disabilities have the right, through their legal representatives, if they belong to families whose annual family income for tax year 2025 does not exceed €38,000, broken down as follows: up to €29,000 for up to two children; up to €32,000 for three children; up to €35,000 for four children; up to €38,000 for five or more children. (in our translation)
«… γίνεται αυτοδίκαια στο ύψος της ετήσιας αξίας συμμετοχής, ανά κατηγορία θέσης, όπως προκύπτει μετά την αύξηση του ποσοστού 10% …»
… is made automatically at the annual participation value, per place category, as it results after the 10% increase … (in our translation)
Sources
- Εθνικό Τυπογραφείο (Government Gazette, ΦΕΚ Β΄ 6419) · Αριθμ. 168039 ΕΞ 2026: Τροποποίηση της υπό στοιχεία 134947/ΕΞ2025/29.07.2025 κοινής υπουργικής απόφασης «Σύστημα Διαχείρισης, Αξιολόγησης, Παρακολούθησης και Ελέγχου - Διαδικασία Εφαρμογής της Δράσης «Προώθηση και υποστήριξη παιδιών για την ένταξή τους στην προσχολική εκπαίδευση…»» · 23 October 2026 · in Greek · Open ↗ · Archived copy
Passage we quote: Article 1, point Γ (new article 8, paragraph A.1, case β.ii)
«Τα παιδιά τρίτεκνων και πολύτεκνων οικογενειών (τρία (3) παιδιά και άνω) συμμετέχουν στις δομές αυτές χωρίς εισοδηματικά κριτήρια.»
Children of three-child and large families (three or more children) take part in these centres without income criteria. (Our note: "these centres" are the reduced-value voucher places A1, A2, B1 and B2.) (in our translation)
Passage we quote: Article 1, point Β (new article 8, paragraph A.1, case α.ii)
«… για λήψη πλήρους αξίας τοποθέτησης, σύμφωνα με τα οριζόμενα στην παρ. 1 του άρθρου 6, έχουν διά των νόμιμων εκπροσώπων τους παιδιά/άτομα με αναπηρία οικογενειών, των οποίων το οικογενειακό ετήσιο εισόδημα φορολογικού έτους 2025 δεν υπερβαίνει το ποσό των 38.000€ κατά τις ακόλουθες διακρίσεις: - Έως 29.000€ έως δύο (2) παιδιά. - Έως 32.000€ για τρία (3) παιδιά. - Έως 35.000€ για τέσσερα (4) παιδιά. - Έως 38.000€ από πέντε (5) παιδιά και άνω.»
… to receive the full value of a place, as set out in article 6(1), children/persons with disabilities have the right, through their legal representatives, if they belong to families whose annual family income for tax year 2025 does not exceed €38,000, broken down as follows: up to €29,000 for up to two children; up to €32,000 for three children; up to €35,000 for four children; up to €38,000 for five or more children. (in our translation)
Passage we quote: Article 1, point Α (new article 6, paragraph 6)
«… γίνεται αυτοδίκαια στο ύψος της ετήσιας αξίας συμμετοχής, ανά κατηγορία θέσης, όπως προκύπτει μετά την αύξηση του ποσοστού 10% …»
… is made automatically at the annual participation value, per place category, as it results after the 10% increase … (in our translation)
- Υπουργείο Κοινωνικής Συνοχής και Οικογένειας (Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family) · Δόμνα Μιχαηλίδου: «Αυξάνουμε κατά 10% την αξία των vouchers για τους βρεφονηπιακούς και παιδικούς σταθμούς – Χωρίς εισοδηματικό όριο πλέον και οι τρίτεκνες οικογένειες για τα vouchers μειωμένης αξίας» · 26 October 2026 · in Greek · Open ↗ · Archived copy
- ΕΕΤΑΑ, via Diavgeia (ΑΔΑ ΕΕΡΘ465ΖΩ5-ΞΕΙ) · Πρόσκληση εκδήλωσης ενδιαφέροντος προς ενδιαφερομένους για υποβολή αιτήσεων συμμετοχής … Περιόδου 2026-2027, Αρ.Πρωτ. 30306 · 17 July 2026 · in Greek · Open ↗ · Archived copy
- ΕΕΤΑΑ · Ανακοινώνονται τα οριστικά αποτελέσματα για βρεφικούς, παιδικούς και βρεφονηπιακούς σταθμούς, ΚΔΑΠ και ΚΔΑΠ ΑμεΑ για την περίοδο 2026-2027 · 17 August 2026 · in Greek · Open ↗
- ΕΕΤΑΑ · Τροποποίηση ΚΥΑ βρεφονηπιακών – παιδικών σταθμών, έκδοση Β' πρόσκλησης · 26 October 2026 · in Greek · Open ↗
- Aftodioikisi.gr · Παιδικοί σταθμοί: Αυξήση voucher και απαλοιφή εισοδηματικών κριτηρίων -Ποιους αφορά (ΦΕΚ) · 26 October 2026 · in Greek · Open ↗ · Archived copy
- Taxheaven · Vouchers βρεφονηπιακών και παιδικών σταθμών - Ανακοινώθηκαν τα οριστικά αποτελέσματα · 18 August 2026 · in Greek · Open ↗ · Archived copy
- Parapolitika.gr · Voucher για παιδικούς σταθμούς: Αλλάζουν τα εισοδηματικά κριτήρια, καταργούνται για τις πολύτεκνες οικογένειες - Τι προβλέπει η νέα ΚΥΑ · 17 July 2026 · in Greek · Open ↗ · Archived copy
Every figure in the text links to its source. Our own calculations are marked as such. Translations from Greek are ours. Archived copies are snapshots saved on the Internet Archive when we published.
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