Lai Ching-te : NT$5,000 monthly growth allowance for children aged 0-18

 Direct translation

The CCP certainly wouldn't dare let people inside the Great Firewall know this

----Taiwan President Lai Ching-te announces: NT$5,000 monthly growth allowance for children aged 0-18

Reporter : Wang Duruo / Editor: Fang Xun / https://www.aboluowang.com/2026/0824/2424760.html / Image : Web Screenshot

Republic of China (Taiwan) President Lai Ching-te announced that the government will fully implement the "0-18 year old growth allowance" policy. Each eligible child and teenager will receive NT$5,000 per month (approximately RMB 1,057 or USD 157) to address the challenges of a declining birth rate and support family upbringing.

This policy is one of the core measures of the "Taiwan Population Countermeasures New Strategy – Family Support Chapter." Lai Ching-te first proposed it in his second-anniversary address on 20 May 2026, and formally announced the complete plan with his presidential and executive team on 27 May 2026.

The distribution will be implemented in phases: 0 to under 6 years old: NT$5,000 per month (approximately RMB 1,057 or USD 157) will be paid to the family in full in cash for parents to use as they see fit (e.g., for expenses such as formula, diapers, and childcare).

Ages 6-18: Of the monthly NT$5,000 subsidy, NT$2,500 (approximately RMB 529 or USD 78.50) is provided to families to ease their financial burden, while the remaining NT$2,500 is pre-deposited into a "Child and Youth Development Subsidy Account." This account is managed and invested by a professional financial team entrusted by the government, guaranteeing at least a two-year fixed deposit interest rate. The subsidy can be withdrawn in a lump sum when the child turns 18, serving as a "coming-of-age gift" from the government to the youth (the accumulated amount in the account is at least approximately NT$360,000, equivalent to approximately RMB 76,000 or USD 11,300).

The government estimates that from birth to adulthood, the government invests at least NT$1.08 million (approximately RMB 228,000 or USD 34,000) per child through this subsidy. The policy adopts a universal distribution principle, without exclusion of the wealthy, and can be received in conjunction with existing childcare subsidies and childcare allowances for children aged 0-6. The total monthly subsidy for children aged 0-6 can exceed NT$10,000 (approximately RMB 2,100).

The Executive Yuan stated that the relevant budget is approximately NT$200 billion annually (approximately RMB 42.2 billion or US$6.3 billion), and has been planned to be included in the 2027 central government budget, with formal implementation expected as early as 2027. Lai Ching-te emphasized that this move is an investment in the nation's future, hoping to encourage young people to dare to marry, have children, and raise children, to dare to pursue happiness, and to ensure that the fruits of economic growth are shared across generations.