What is the minimum child maintenance?
The minimum is a quarter of the minimum wage — BGN 303.25 a month. The Family Code sets the minimum maintenance for one child at one quarter of the national minimum wage. From 1 January 2026 the minimum wage is BGN 1,213, which makes the minimum maintenance BGN 303.25 (≈€155) a month. That is the floor, not the usual figure: the court sets maintenance according to the needs of the child and the means of the paying parent, and on a higher income awards considerably more. Maintenance is owed by the parent who does not raise the child — whether or not they have income, work or property. The amount can be varied by a fresh case if the child's needs or the parent's income change.
📋 The rules
- Minimum: a quarter of the minimum wage
- With the wage at BGN 1,213 (2026): BGN 303.25 (≈€155)
- The court weighs the child's needs and the parent's means
- It is owed even where the parent has no income
- The amount is varied by a fresh case if circumstances change
🔓 Exceptions
- Maintenance runs to 18, and for students to 20 in secondary and 25 in higher education
- Maintenance for the past is awarded for at most 1 year back
- Where the debtor does not pay, the state may cover maintenance up to a set amount and recover it
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Failing to pay court-ordered maintenance is not merely a debt — it is a crime. Under the Criminal Code, a parent who culpably fails to pay maintenance for two or more monthly instalments incurs criminal liability. Separately, the debt is enforced by an enforcement agent: attachment of wages and accounts, a charge over property — and for maintenance, the attachment of wages ranks ahead of other creditors. Where the debtor does not pay, the state may cover the maintenance up to a set amount and then recover it from them with interest. Non-payment also weighs against a parent in any later dispute over parental rights.
📎 Official sources
❓ Frequently asked
What is the minimum maintenance for 2026?
A quarter of the minimum wage. With the wage at BGN 1,213 from 1 January 2026, that comes to BGN 303.25 (≈€155) a month for one child.
Is maintenance owed if the parent has no job?
Yes. The duty does not fall away for want of income — the law proceeds on the basis that a parent must find the means. The minimum is owed in every case.
Can the amount be increased?
Yes, by a fresh case where the child's needs or the parent's means have changed. Maintenance is not adjusted automatically when the minimum wage rises.
How long is maintenance owed?
Until the child turns 18, and for students until 20 in secondary and 25 in higher education, provided this does not place undue hardship on the paying parent.
What happens if it is not paid?
Failing to pay two or more monthly instalments is a crime under the Criminal Code. Separately the debt is enforced by an enforcement agent, with attachment of wages and accounts.
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