The Agency for the Insurance of Workers' Claims paid 4,056,042 euros in temporary maintenance for 3,342 children on behalf of parents who failed to pay, according to the Agency's annual report for 2025.
The Agency took over the payment of maintenance on behalf of parents avoiding this obligation under the new Law on Temporary Maintenance, which came into force last year. The right is exercised through the child's legal representative and continues until the obligor begins to fulfil their obligation regularly.
A child acquires the right to temporary maintenance if the obligor pays less than the legally determined amount or fails to fulfil the obligation, in whole or in part, for more than a month since it became enforceable.
Recovery from defaulting parents remains negligible. Last year, the Agency recorded claims of 4,129,628 euros based on paid maintenance, but only 1,765 euros in principal was returned to the state budget. By the end of the year, the state was claiming 4,054,276 euros in principal and 73,586 euros in interest from defaulting parents.
The Agency's primary task remains the protection of workers whose employers have entered bankruptcy proceedings or have frozen bank accounts. On this basis, 3,336,960 euros in claims were paid for 816 workers across 62 bankrupt debtors last year, with 2,236,614 euros returned to the budget from the bankruptcy estate.
Just over half of this amount, 50.79 per cent, relates to unpaid wages, compensation for unused annual leave and sick leave borne by the employer, while 40.83 per cent relates to severance pay and awarded damages for workplace injuries or occupational diseases. The Agency also paid 1,672,468 euros for 750 workers of employers with frozen accounts.
