Hungary will introduce HUF 100,000, or around EUR 281, in school-starting support for children from families in need, Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on Facebook.
The measure is intended to ease the financial burden of the new school year, including the cost of school bags, stationery, shoes and other basic items. According to Magyar, hundreds of thousands of parents in Hungary are worried about how they will cover the expenses linked to the start of the academic year.
Magyar said the government did not want to wait another year before launching the scheme, even though building a new support system is a complex task. For this reason, eligibility will be linked to existing categories where the Hungarian state has already established that a family or child is in need of assistance.
Who will receive the school-starting support?
According to the announcement, every school-age child receiving regular child protection benefit will automatically be entitled to the HUF 100,000 school-starting support.
The scheme will also cover children who receive an increased family allowance because of a long-term illness or severe disability. Children with special educational needs will also be eligible, as will young people taking part in Hungary’s Dobbantó Programme and Workshop School training.
For international readers, the Dobbantó Programme and Workshop School pathway are Hungarian vocational and catch-up education formats designed to help young people who have struggled in mainstream education gain skills and improve their chances in the labour market.
Children growing up in single-parent families will also be included. In addition, children living in child protection institutions or with foster parents will be entitled to the support.
Payments will arrive in two parts
The first instalment, HUF 50,000, or around EUR 140, will be transferred by the Hungarian State Treasury by 24 August. This timing is intended to help families before the start of the school year, when household spending often rises sharply.
The second HUF 50,000, also around EUR 140, will be provided in November in the form of a voucher. According to Magyar, the voucher may only be used for expenses related to the child’s schooling.
The support will be tax-free and cannot be seized through debt enforcement procedures, the prime minister said. The Tisza Party’s calculations suggest that around 400,000 children may benefit from the measure.
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Why the measure matters in Hungary
Back-to-school expenses are a recurring problem for lower-income families in Hungary. Although textbooks are provided free of charge to pupils in public education, families still have to pay for many other items, including exercise books, writing tools, sports equipment, clothing and shoes.
The new school-starting support is therefore presented by the government as a targeted social measure rather than a universal family benefit. By linking eligibility to existing welfare and education categories, the cabinet aims to reach children already identified by the state as vulnerable or disadvantaged.
The total value of the support would be significant if all estimated eligible children receive the full amount. Based on the reported figure of 400,000 children, the programme would amount to roughly HUF 40 billion, or about EUR 112 million.
Government says existing records will speed up support
Magyar said the government chose existing eligibility categories because the state already holds the necessary information in these cases. This should make it easier to identify beneficiaries and distribute the first instalment before the beginning of the academic year.
The announcement follows earlier government preparations for the school-starting support scheme. The measure was previously described as a way to reduce inequality and help families most exposed to the financial pressure of September.
Further technical details may still be needed on how families will receive the November voucher and exactly what purchases will qualify as school-related expenses. However, the core eligibility rules have now been outlined, giving families several weeks to prepare before the first payments are due.
For affected households, the measure could provide immediate relief at one of the most expensive points of the year. Its practical impact will depend on how quickly the Hungarian State Treasury can process payments and how clearly the voucher rules are communicated before November.
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