Prague – As of Monday evening, the authorities had received about 92,000 requests for a one-time contribution of 5,000 crowns for almost 150,000 children. Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL) said this on Nova TV. The submission of applications was accompanied by difficulties, which, according to the minister, were resolved by 5:00 p.m. The app had outages during the day. Logging in via electronic identity took longer due to the rush, the system capacity was insufficient. Queues also formed in some Czech Points, where people can apply for a dose in person. The leadership of the ministry expects great interest in the coming days as well.

With a one-time contribution of 5,000 crowns, the government wants to mitigate the effects of rising prices on families. The benefit is for children who were not yet 18 years old on August 1, or who will be born before the end of the year. It can be obtained by families with last year’s gross income of up to one million crowns. Households with child benefits receive it automatically, others must apply.

“As of this evening, we have received 92,000 applications for almost 150,000 children,” said Jurečka around 8:00 p.m. on Nova. The spokeswoman for the Ministry of Labor, Eva Davidová, previously stated that online applications prevailed over applications via Czech Points.

The ministry launched the web application for submitting applications on a trial basis over the weekend, when over 20,000 applications arrived. The system is in full operation from today. The online form can only be filled out with an electronic identity, i.e. with a bank identity. It was identity verification that caused difficulties, the capacity was not enough. Jurečka already said this morning on Czech TV that the delay in receiving applications is due to problems in communication between the servers, it takes several minutes for verification, and the problem did not arise on the part of his office. The spokeswoman then clarified that the ministries of labor and the interior discussed the solution and agreed on the procedure. “We started to regulate the number of requests,” added Davidová.

In the evening, Jurečka added that the system has been running at full capacity since around 5:00 p.m. and should continue to function that way in the following days.

Part of the data is already listed in the online application. People must then enter the address of their actual residence. They will choose the method of delivery of money and communication with the office. They fill in the names and social security numbers of their children and information about their partner, or tick that they are single. At the end, they will confirm sworn statements about income and household members. In Czech Point, the identity card and birth numbers of the children should be sufficient to submit the application. Foster parents or other caregivers should provide documents that confirm the relationship with the child. It needs a custody decision. Copies can also be uploaded to the online application. In case of alternating care, one of the parents should apply.

According to Jurečka, the authorities will try to process requests and send money as soon as possible. Deputy Minister for Information Technology Karel Trpkoš told journalists last week that the allowance will begin to be paid at the end of the month at the earliest. According to the law, people should receive the benefit no later than the end of the following month after the application is approved. “There is no need to rush, even if you apply at the end of this week, the money will arrive before the start of the school year,” it saidMinistry to applicants. Great interest is expected in the coming days as well, said the spokeswoman.

Member of Parliament and shadow minister of labor of the ANO movement Aleš Juchelkacalled the system’s troubles a nuisance. According to Alena Schillerová , head of the ANO parliamentary clubhelp comes late and the government is unable to set up the system. According to Michal Bláha , the deputy prime minister’s advisor for digitizationin the morning, the citizen’s electronic identity system was subjected to a hundred times greater load than it is designed for. Bláha said that Schillerová, as a former finance minister, blocked the transition to a more powerful version and released the money only last fall.

A child with permanent residence and residence in the Czech Republic is entitled to 5,000 crowns. Parents must live with the child and pay the expenses. Foreigners who live and work in the Czech Republic for a long time can also receive the allowance. Foster parents, spouses or partners of parents, as well as widowers and widowers of parents can draw it. Earnings from employment and business, alimony, severance pay, compensation for wages or salaries, bonuses, insurance benefits, benefits, pensions, rents or other income that is taxed in the Czech Republic are included in the million income. Any winnings will not be taken into account. According to Jurečka, the authorities will check the income data from the social administration’s data on levies and the tax authorities’ data. If false information is given, people risk punishment, Jurečka said.

According to the ministry, 1.1 million households are entitled to the benefit. About 1.6 million children could receive it. Of these, roughly 240,000 receive child benefits. Expenditures should amount to about 7.8 billion crowns. Some experts on social issues criticize the post. According to them, it is too flat. They also point out that one-time support will not do much for struggling families. They recommended an increase in child allowances and housing allowances. Some critics also talk about bribing voters before the autumn elections. Jurečka rejects this. According to him, it is not about general help even for people with a higher income, but about help for parents with an income up to the average wage.

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