Where a parent is obliged to pay maintenance for two or more children — whether from the same relationship or different ones — Belarusian law sets specific amounts, procedures and rules that differ in important ways from single-child cases. This page explains how maintenance for multiple children works, how it can be agreed voluntarily, and what happens when circumstances change.
Voluntary maintenance arrangements
The amount of maintenance for minor children and disabled adult children may be determined voluntarily through a Children’s Agreement, a Maintenance Payment Agreement or a prenuptial agreement. All three instruments must be notarised to be legally binding and enforceable.
A Maintenance Payment Agreement is concluded in writing between the parent obliged to pay and the person receiving the payments. It is enforceable in the same way as a court order — meaning if the paying parent stops paying, enforcement proceedings may be initiated directly without returning to court.
Important: a voluntary agreement may not contain provisions that reduce maintenance below the amounts the recipient could obtain through court proceedings. The statutory minimums apply as a floor regardless of what the agreement says.
Under a voluntary agreement, maintenance may be paid in any of the following forms:
- as a percentage of the paying parent’s earnings and other income;
- as a fixed sum paid periodically (monthly);
- as a fixed sum paid in a single lump sum;
- by transferring property into the child’s ownership.
If the agreement provides for the transfer of immovable property to the child, state registration with the relevant property registration authority is required.
A voluntary agreement cannot be concluded if maintenance is already being paid under a court order, a prenuptial agreement or a Children’s Agreement that already addresses maintenance — unless the existing order is varied or terminated first.
Court-ordered maintenance: standard amounts
Where no agreement exists and the parents are not voluntarily maintaining their children, maintenance is recovered through court proceedings. The standard rates under Art. 92 of the KoBS are:
| Number of children | Percentage of income per month |
|---|---|
| 1 child | 25% |
| 2 children | 33% |
| 3 or more children | 50% |
These percentages apply to all earnings and other income of the paying parent.
Minimum maintenance amounts
Regardless of actual income, working parents are subject to a mandatory minimum monthly maintenance amount, calculated as a percentage of the per capita subsistence budget (БПМ). From 1 February 2026 the БПМ is 496.96 BYN:
| Number of children | Minimum per month |
|---|---|
| 1 child | 50% БПМ = ~248.48 BYN |
| 2 children | 75% БПМ = ~372.72 BYN |
| 3 or more children | 100% БПМ = ~496.96 BYN |
The БПМ is reviewed quarterly. These minimums apply even where the paying parent works part-time or has low declared income.
Maximum deductions from income
Maintenance for minor children may be withheld at up to 70% of the paying parent’s net income (after tax and social security contributions) where maintenance obligations are combined with other deductions. The standard cap for all deductions combined is 50%, but this is raised to 70% specifically for cases involving child maintenance.
If voluntary deductions from salary combined with court-ordered deductions would exceed 50% of net income, the matter must be resolved by the court. Both the applicant and the recipient are notified in this case.
A person who has submitted a voluntary deduction application may change the amount or withdraw the application at any time.
Children with different mothers — multiple maintenance orders
If a parent has been ordered by multiple court decisions to pay maintenance for children from different mothers, and the total of all orders exceeds the statutory maximum percentage, the paying parent may file a claim against each recipient to reduce their individual order proportionally.
If the original maintenance orders were expressed as a share of income, any reduction must also be expressed as a share — not as a fixed sum.
A parent paying maintenance for one or more children has the right to apply for a reductionin the amount if they have other minor children who, after paying the existing maintenance, would be materially worse off than the children receiving it.
Where children remain with different parents
If, following a divorce or separation, children from the same family are placed with different parents — some with the mother, some with the father — maintenance is not calculated in the usual way. Instead, the court awards a fixed monthly sum from the wealthier parent to the less well-off one, taking into account the financial and marital circumstances of both.
Order proceedings vs full claim proceedings
Order proceedings are the simplified route — the court issues a maintenance order without a hearing, summoning neither party. This is available where maintenance is not linked to establishing paternity or maternity and there is no need to involve third parties. The court order itself serves as the enforcement document.
Full claim proceedings apply in all other cases — where an agreement has not been reached, where paternity is in dispute, where the order procedure is not available, or where a fixed sum rather than a percentage is sought.
Changing the maintenance amount
Either party may apply to court to vary the maintenance amount if their circumstances change materially. Common grounds include: a significant change in the paying parent’s income; the birth of additional children to whom the paying parent also owes maintenance; a change in the child’s needs; or a change in the financial circumstances of the receiving parent.
Frequently asked questions
If I have two children from different relationships, is the 33% split between them or paid for each? The 33% applies to the total number of children you are currently obliged to maintain — it is not paid separately to each. If you have one child from one relationship and one from another, the total maintenance for both is 33% of your income, divided between the two mothers proportionally or as ordered by the court.
Can I reduce maintenance for my first child if I now have a second child from a new relationship?
Yes — this is one of the most common grounds for a reduction application. The court assesses whether paying the existing maintenance at the current rate would leave your newer child financially worse off. If so, the court will reduce the existing order to achieve a fair balance.
What if I agree to transfer an apartment to my child instead of paying monthly maintenance?
This is legally possible under a notarised Maintenance Agreement. The transfer must be registered with the property registration authority. The agreement must ensure that the value of the property transferred is not less than what the child would receive through court-ordered payments. We strongly recommend legal advice before entering into this type of arrangement.
Can maintenance be expressed as a fixed sum rather than a percentage?
Yes — the court may award a fixed monthly sum where the paying parent has irregular or variable income, receives income partly in kind, or where percentage-based calculation would produce an unreasonably low or high result.
Can maintenance be paid as a lump sum?
Yes — under a voluntary Maintenance Agreement. A lump sum payment is not available through court proceedings, only through a notarised agreement.
From our practice
Reduction of maintenance — second family, financial imbalance. A father came to us after his income had not changed but he now had two young children from a new marriage. He was paying 33% of his income in maintenance for two children from his first marriage. We filed a claim for reduction, presenting evidence that after paying the existing maintenance, his new children were receiving materially less support than the children from the first marriage. The court reduced the existing orders to 25% in total, bringing the financial treatment of both families into balance.
Multiple orders exceeding statutory maximum — coordination across three cases. A client was subject to three separate maintenance orders for children from three different relationships, with the combined total exceeding 50% of his income. We filed coordinated reduction claims in each of the three cases simultaneously, arguing for proportional reductions that brought the total within the statutory 50% limit. All three courts accepted the claims. The amounts were expressed as revised percentages of income across all three orders.
Fixed sum order — self-employed parent with variable income. A mother sought maintenance from a father who operated as a sole trader with highly variable monthly income. Percentage-based maintenance produced unpredictable results. We applied for a fixed monthly maintenance order set at a level reflecting the father’s average income over the preceding twelve months. The court granted the fixed sum order, providing the child with stable and predictable monthly support.
How we can help
Our advocates have over 10 years of experience in maintenance cases in Belarus, including multi-child and multi-relationship cases and cross-border enforcement. We advise in English and Russian and can assist remotely.
📧 [email protected] 📞 +375 29 142 27 19
