Get cash for having kids
Categories: Money & work
How much did you get paid when you had your last child? $500, $8,000, $40,000? For most of us, the answer to that questions is "absolutely nothing," but if you live in Japan, it's a different story.
Due to the country's aging and dwindling population, many companies have started offering financial incentives to those who want to have children -- everything from $500 for a first child, to $40,000 for a fifth. Plus, many employers are encouraging employees to take more time off work to be with their families, or work from home when they need to -- anything to make it easier for young couples to have children.
It all started a few years ago, when local governments started giving out cash in response to young people's claims that having kids was too expensive. Now that corporations are on board, the funds have skyrocketed.
I know it's a little creepy to get cash for your kid, but I don't care. This is a fantastic idea, and I think it should be implemented as a show of support for parents worldwide. Now, where is my money?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
M4Mommy 6-08-2007 @ 8:28PM
we have that here in the US. Its called WELFARE.
Oh sorry,, very un PC of me.. *ahem* Workfare.
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Dhalver Xeno 6-09-2007 @ 8:13AM
In Canada the mother and father get a combined total of 50 weeks off from work as well as 55% of their salary up to a maximum of $40,000 a year -- tax free.
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ninainindia 6-09-2007 @ 6:21PM
In the Netherlands you receive a quarterly allowance for each child untill he/she turns 18. The amount changes with the number of children you have but the standard amounts per child are:
0 - 5 years old €187,42
6 - 11 years old €227,58
12 - 18 years old €267,74
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Max 6-09-2007 @ 9:54PM
mothers get $4,133 per baby in Australia, indexed to inflation:
http://www.familyassist.gov.au/Internet/FAO/fao1.nsf/content/payments-maternity_payment
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SKL 6-09-2007 @ 10:12PM
In the US we have child tax credits (I think they are refundable but I'm not sure) and various deductions and a lot lower taxes than the countries mentioned above. For those who don't earn enough money to pay taxes under our "progressive" tax system, there are various free services / discounts as well as welfare payments.
But I think the difference from Japan is, these come from the government, not employers. I haven't heard of any employers giving people $$ for having children. If anything, they give us grief.
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Wendy 6-10-2007 @ 12:16AM
As someone who both lives in Japan and utilzed this system with the birth of my first child, I think its important to note the following things about these payment before decrying them as "welfare."
(1) The standard government payouts are around $3000 (at Y120/US$) per child, payable upon proof of birth to either the National Health Insurance office or the company by which the father or mother is employed. This money covers expenses for the birth, which are paid *entirely out of pocket* (with the exception of two free maternity checkups) until after the baby is born. Japanese health insurance does not recognize normal births as a sickness, thus the requirement that a patient pays out of pocket.
Hospitals essentially set their fees at $3000 per normal birth or a little higher, with regular monthly pre-natal visits running about $70-$80/visit or higher. So, please remember that these payments in effect represent a reimbursment for funds already spent. A C-Section or other medically-related services are covered at 70% by most health care plans. It should be noted that Japan has a nationalized health care system in which participation is mandatory. Very few people come out ahead from the government payments alone.
(2) Japan's population is already declining. The birthrate for 2006 was 1.3 children per woman, a slight increase from the 1.26 in 2005 but still well below replacement rate. Japan's population will dip below 100 million (currently at about 160 million) in 2050. Add to this the fact that Japan has negligible immigration (a policy that is unlikely to change), and you see why these policies are necessary - especially with an ever-growing burden to support a rapidly aging society in the world's longest lived nation!
(3) The $40,000 per fifth child is one example of ONE company's rather over-the-top policy. True, companies are beefing up their payments, but altogether it would be silly to think that many people would take advantage of this. More people are, however, having third children.
Hope this brings some perspective.
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Tamyu 6-10-2007 @ 5:08AM
We got the $3000 for my son`s birth, $5000 from my husband`s company, $150 in additional pay each month from the company, and $75 from the city.
We route the $75/month from the city directly into my son`s savings account for the future.
I think we also received several cash gifts from co-workers, etc.
Sorry Wendy, but if you`re paying $70 to $80 per prenatal visit, you must have been going to the most expensive clinic you could find. The average is a much more reasonable $30 to $40. I had complications galore, and the highest I ever paid was $43.
Participation in the national health care in Japan is *not* mandatory. You can opt out if you feel the desire. It`s obviously not all that common to do so, as there really are no benefits to leaving the plan. (Which I have to say is excellent.) You can also join insurance plans to cover anything over the $3000 given by the government. We pay $10 a month into mine, and they paid for the full sum of my emergency c-section - the $3000 we got to keep.
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Heather 6-11-2007 @ 5:54PM
Quebec has that as well. The rest of Canada doesn't. I have heard quite a few countries are doing this. I wish Ontario would.
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Rika 6-15-2007 @ 10:40PM
Hmm...funny my walmart insurance covered 80% of my birth costs. anything I had to pay was applied to my deductable, which is only $350. All of my visits had a co-pay of $20 bucks. The only thing it didn't cover was the preventative shot for my negative blood type. So all in all it cost us about $1500 total, including the shot that wasn't coverd. And anyone with a full time job makes to much money for welfare. back to the original topic...this is a great idea for declining populations
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Belinda 6-19-2007 @ 11:10PM
You don't get "welfare" for having kids in the US! Only people who know how to play the system do!!!! I have a two year old and a baby on the way, if we get medicaid I will be surprised!!!! I only "qualified" for food stamps the month I was out of work and I recieved notice in last Nov that as of Oct 31 my daughter no longer had insurance (medicaid, or "Famis Plus") because we made "too much money". Funny thing is we barely make it from pay check to pay check and they are telling me that I can afford insurance! I am sorry, if I pay for insurance I can't afford the ROOF over our heads! Lets not FORGET the DEDUCTABLES!! The insurance Wal-Mart offers you have to MEET the deductable before they will help with the visits, okay lets start with the fact that the LOWEST deductable is $5,000!!!! I DON'T HAVE THAT!!!!!
Yet I watch people come in with expencive clothes, hairdos, and jewelery (the most EXPENCIVE piece jewlery I own is $20 and these people are wearing HUNDREDS of dollars in jewelery!!!!) and buys their CRAB LEGS and SHRIMP with FOOD STAMPS and buys their BIG SCREEN TVs with WELFARE money!!!!!! All I need is for my little girl to have insurance so I can take her to the doctor when she gets sick and I can't get that!!!!
I think it is weird that they are paying people to have kids, but whatever they FEEL they NEED to do it to "SAVE" their "RACE". Then whatever!!!
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