Child-care benefit payments to foreigners in Lithuania rise sharply, audit finds

The amount of child-care benefits paid to foreign nationals in Lithuania has surged dramatically in recent years, outpacing the growth in the total number of recipients. This trend was revealed by a financial audit of the 2025 state social fund reports conducted by the State Audit Office. Auditors also highlighted concerns that "Sodra," the Lithuanian social insurance institution, currently lacks adequate measures to verify whether equivalent benefits for the same child are being claimed or paid in other countries. While the overall number of child-care benefit recipients in Lithuania has decreased from 58,000 to 47,700 over three years, the number of foreign citizens receiving these benefits has climbed by 64%, from 1,113 to 1,824 individuals. Consequently, their share among all recipients has grown from approximately 2% to about 4%. The funds allocated for these benefits have also increased, with payments to foreign citizens rising by nearly 79% over two years, from 4.4 million euros to 7.94 million euros. The most significant increases have been observed among citizens of certain Central Asian countries. For instance, the number of Tajikistani citizens receiving child-care benefits in Lithuania rose from 15 to 257 over two years, while the number of Uzbekistani citizens increased from 22 to 146. A notable number of recipients, 21, were also recorded among Indian citizens in 2025, a group not registered in 2023. Ukrainian citizens receiving benefits also saw an increase, with their numbers rising from 272 to 556, and the amount paid to them reaching 2.3 million euros. In contrast, recipients from European Union and European Economic Area countries, as well as Switzerland, remained a small group and slightly decreased during the period. The audit also noted an increase in payments for children not registered in Lithuania's population register, with the number of such recipients growing from 46 to 651, and the amount paid reaching 1.22 million euros. While this does not automatically indicate violations, as legally employed foreigners may receive benefits even if their families reside abroad, auditors pointed to a high risk of double payments, especially with non-EU countries not integrated into data exchange systems.