- The Marriage Grant is a long-standing benefit in the social It was introduced in 1956 and was initially paid out to the bride only. Both spouses became eligible to the grant in 1987 and in 2025 the marriage rate was increased to €500. It is yearly increased in line with the percentage rise in the national minimum wage.
- Malta is among few European countries which award a Childbirth Bonus to support families with costs associated with having a baby. It isaimed at easing financial pressures on families, besides encouraging population growth. The bonus was introduced at €300 for newborn babies in 2020. Following various increases since then, the bonus in 2026stands at €1,000 for the first born, €1,500 for the second born and €2,000 for the third child and over.
- The minimum annual rate of Children’s Allowance was increased in 2013 from €350 to €450 for each child. At the same time, heads of housheolds on minimum wage became eligible to the highest rate of Children’s Allowance.
- The rates of Children’s Allowance payable to means-tested families were increased in 2019. Further changes were introduced in 2025 to the assessment mechanism used to determine payable allowance rates. These revisions exempted not only the payment of national insurance contributions but also household income tax, enabling families to qualify for higher Children’s Allowance rates.
- In 2026, the means-test threshold was raised from €27,434 to €30,000, resulting in an increase of up to €167 in the payable rates. The maximum yearly rate now stands at €1,419.
- The Children’s Allowance scheme was strengthened in 2021 with the introduction of an additional supplement for all children under sixteen (16) years of age. Means-tested families received a supplement of €70 per child, while families above the means-test threshold received €50 per child. This supplement was increased by €90 in 2023 for both categories. In 2024, it rose by a further €250, reaching €390 and €410 respectively. The same €250 increase was applied in 2025, bringing the payable rates to €640 and €660 per child.
- In 2026, the means-tested supplement was increased again, reaching €910 per child.
- A special yearly allowance was introduced in 2024 for parents of children aged between 16 and 23 years in full-time post-secondary education in public and private institutions. The yearly allowance of €500 is paid over a span of three years.
- Parents who are constrained to cease work to care for children suffering from rare ailments qualify up to eight (8) years of credits in their National Insurance contributions. The concession which became effective in 2020 is intended to ward parents off gaps in their contribution record and thus minimize the prospect of having a reduced retirement pension.
- Foster parents and residential homes raising children in their care are annually supported through the payment of a Foster Care Allowance. The allowance has been enhanced over the years and through the latest increase of €520 in 2026 it now stands at €6,760 per each child in care.
- Foster care parents who choose to adopt children in their care in 2023 were given the right to retain the Foster Care Allowance but at a tapered rate over a period of 4 years, or until the child reaches 21 years, whichever comes first. In the first year of adoption the payment rate is reduced to 80% of the allowance. in the second year it is set at 60%, followed by 40% in the third year and 20% in the fourth year.
- Orphan’s Allowance extended to orphans in employment. (2018)
- The Disabled Child Allowance payable to parents of children suffering from some form of physical or mental disability was increased in 2025 for the fourth time since 2014 to reach €35 weekly.
- Adoptive parents are awarded a grant to defray incurred expenses in their quest to adopt children from abroad. The maximum amount in 2026 was increased by €2,000 to €12,000, Couples adopting Maltese children are given similar support, but with a maximum capping of €2,000, of which €500 are paid as a one-off grant.
- Self-occupied women are entitled to the payment of Maternity Benefit rate at a rate equivalent of the National Minimum Wage. Maternity Leave entitlement has been extended by a further two (2) weeks to eighteen (18) (2013)
- Maternity Benefit and Maternity Leave Benefit were extended to adoptive parents in 2015.
- Employed women undergoing IVF treatment are allowed additional leave per IVF cycle. They are allowed up to 60 hours and their husbands or partners are allowed another 40 hours. As from 2025 the same concession was given to prospective self-employed women undergoing IVF treatment. They are awarded an IVF Leave Benefit up to a maximum of 60 hours at the national minimum wage hourly rate for every IVF procedure. If husband or partner is also self-employed, he would be entitled to the payment of up to 40 hours leave at the same rate.
- Fathers or equivalent second parents in employment are entitled to paternity leave of ten (10) working days on the birth or adoption of a child. The right to paternity leave in 2025 has been extended to self-employed fathers or equivalent parents through the provision of a Paternity Leave Benefit. The benefit will be paid at the same rate of Maternity Leave Benefit, based on the national minimum wage, paid to self-occupied
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