Calculate Child Budget

Service Surcharges

The 'Calculate Child Budget' algorithm uses child budget rules to calculate the right to and the amount of the child budget. This is done with data on and from the applicant, benefits partner and data from the Social Insurance Bank.

Last change on 19th of July 2024, at 14:22 (CET) | Publication Standard 1.0

• Publication category: Impactful algorithms
• Impact assessment: DPIA
• Status: In use

General information

Theme

Social Security

Begin date

11-2011

Contact information

[e-mail]

Link to publication website

https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/nl/kindgebonden-budget/kindgebonden-budget

Responsible use

Goal and impact

It is the task of the Benefits Agency to ensure that citizens who already receive another allowance do not have to take actions to get the child-related budget to which they are entitled. In addition, citizens who do not (yet) have another allowance can apply for child budget themselves. The goal of the algorithm is:

• Fast, efficient and consistent granting of entitlement to the child budget;
• That the applicant can immediately view the latest version of the calculation of the child budget.

The algorithm assesses the application for the child budget. The algorithm determines whether there is entitlement and how high the allowance will be. Throughout the year, an advance is given. After the end of the year, based on the income and assets data, the supplement is finally calculated. If the algorithm fails to perform the assessment automatically, the algorithm may ask for help from an official.

Considerations

The advantage of using an algorithm:

• Efficiency and speed: the algorithm works automatically. This allows the Benefits Agency to efficiently process millions of child-related budget applications quickly;
• Consistency: the algorithm ensures an approach that is always the same which reduces the chance of errors and/or discrepancies;
• Traceability: by using the algorithm, the allowance calculation is automatically recorded, making it possible to better track and control the decision-making process.

An official will manually review the application in case of missing data, technical errors or as part of an audit.

Human intervention

An official will manually review the application if there are missing data, technical errors or selected supervision by an official. If necessary, the applicant will be contacted to get the missing data. This new data is again given to the algorithm so that the algorithm can complete the assessment automatically. If necessary, an official can also manually check the child budget.

Risk management

• Risk management and safeguards

For algorithm development, the Surcharge Service has created conditions: a quality framework. This contains rules and agreements that are followed when developing the algorithm. The conditions come from the National Audit Office and are guiding. The algorithm has determined the business rules through laws and regulations. These business rules are constantly tested and maintained so that we remain compliant with laws and regulations and political wishes. If something changes in an algorithm, Dienst Toeslagen checks whether it still meets the quality requirements.

• Equality, non-discrimination and privacy

When using data, Dienst Toeslagen complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (AVG). The AVG prescribes that no more data may be used than necessary. This is called data minimisation. The Benefits Agency regularly examines whether the data used are still necessary and may therefore be used. If this is not the case, the algorithm is adjusted and data are also no longer used.

• Profiling

The algorithm only uses data listed under the data heading. The use of data is monitored to prevent profiling that is not allowed.

• Right of access

Citizens have the right to see the information collected about them. They can also make a request to have this information amended.

Legal basis

The legal basis and the use and collection of data is regulated by the General Income-related Schemes Act (Awir) and the Child Budget Act. For more information see https://wetten.overheid.nl.

Impact assessment

Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA)

Operations

Data

The use of data is tested against the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). When applying for and calculating a child budget, the following data are required:

• the applicant's personal data;
• the personal details of any partner;
• the children for whom the applicant receives child allowance and their personal details;
• the (estimated) income and assets per member of the household (applicant and partner if any);
• treatment type (international priority right) per child;
• country of residence of the child.

Links to data sources

Zie 'Wie gebruikt mijn gegevens' in het Besluitenregister voor een detail overzicht van de gegevens die voor het kindgebonden budget gebruikt worden: https://wiegebruiktmijngegevens.nl/besluit/13146001

Technical design

The Child Budget Act stipulates that citizens can apply for and change child budget if there is reason to do so. The Social Insurance Bank (SVB) informs Toeslagen which citizens are entitled to child allowance. For citizens who already have a current benefit at that time, the Supplementary Benefits Service automatically determines the right and amount of the child budget and informs the citizen by sending a decision and starting the payment. If no other Toeslag is running, Dienst Toeslagen only stores this data. These citizens can apply for child budget themselves. During the application process, on the basis of the data received from the SVB and the Awir, a check is carried out immediately to see whether the applicant is entitled to child budget.

Where relevant, changes in entitlement to child benefit are passed on by the SVB so that the correct entitlement and level of child budget can continue to be determined. For example, in case of additional children, change in priority right of payment and/or lapse of entitlement to child benefit.

In addition, reasonableness checks are applied to protect both citizens and the administrator from unintentional errors and their possible consequences.

In some situations, the application cannot be fully assessed automatically. Then an official does the processing of the application manually (see human intervention).