A
First count in what you can claim: the national childcare subsidy is 3600 yuan per child per year, paid until age 3
Value for cost Very high
In plain termsIf your child was born on or after January 1, 2025, and is not yet 3 years old, you can claim this money. One of the parents applies where the child's household registration is. It is 3600 yuan per child per year, paid until the child turns 3. This money is not subject to individual income tax. When you apply for assistance such as the minimum living allowance (dibao, 低保), it is also not counted as part of your household's income.
- Cost
- No money. Apply where the child's household registration (hukou) is; one trip and it is done.
No money
Done in passing
No willpower
Benefit size large
- Benefit
- A plan issued by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council provides that infants and young children born from January 1, 2025 onward and under 3 years of age receive the subsidy at “3600 yuan per child per year.” It is claimed by one of the child's parents or another guardian. The subsidy is “exempt from individual income tax.” When eligibility for assistance such as dibao is determined, it is “not counted as household or individual income”
- Evidence grade
- A
- Notes
- This is the uniform national minimum. Some provinces and cities have their own local subsidies on top, which you can claim together with this one. Over three years it adds up to 10800 yuan, only a very small part of what raising a child costs, so do not treat it as a basis for deciding whether to have a child
A
Maternity leave is 98 days; the maternity allowance is paid by the maternity insurance fund based on the employer's average monthly wage for its employees in the previous year
Value for cost Very high
In plain termsHaving a baby gives you at least 98 days of maternity leave, of which you can take 15 days before the birth. A difficult birth adds another 15 days. For each additional baby born, another 15 days are also added. The money paid during this time is called the maternity allowance, and it comes from the maternity insurance fund. If your employer did not enroll you in maternity insurance, the employer pays it itself.
- Cost
- No money. Your employer files the claim; you do not have to go anywhere yourself.
No money
Done in passing
No willpower
Benefit size large
- Benefit
- The number of days of maternity leave is set by the State Council. “Female employees who give birth are entitled to 98 days of maternity leave, of which 15 days may be taken before the birth; in a difficult birth, maternity leave is increased by 15 days; in a multiple birth, maternity leave is increased by 15 days for every 1 additional infant born.” The money you receive during maternity leave is called the maternity allowance. If you are already enrolled in maternity insurance, it is “paid by the maternity insurance fund at the standard of the employer's average monthly wage for its employees in the previous year.” If you are not enrolled, the employer pays it to you at the standard of your wage before maternity leave
- Evidence grade
- A
- Notes
- 98 days is the national minimum. Provincial population and family planning regulations commonly add another 60 days or more of reward leave for childbirth, bringing the total to usually 158 days or more. Which party pays the wages during the reward leave differs from province to province
A
Know this: you cannot have your pay cut or be dismissed because of pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding
Value for cost Very high
In plain termsDuring pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, it is illegal for your employer to cut your pay or dismiss you, and the employer is fined 1000 to 5000 yuan per person. If your child is under one year old, you get 1 hour a day for breastfeeding, and your employer also cannot have you work overtime or night shifts. For how to claim compensation, see Section 19.
- Cost
- No money
No money
Done in passing
No willpower
Benefit size large
- Benefit
- The State Council provides: “An employer must not reduce a female employee's wages, dismiss her, or terminate her employment or appointment contract because of pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.” During these three periods the employer cannot cut your pay, and cannot dismiss you or end your contract. If you are breastfeeding an infant under 1 year old, you get 1 hour of breastfeeding time each day. The employer also must not arrange for you to work extended hours and must not arrange night shifts for you. An employer that violates any of the above is fined not less than 1000 yuan and not more than 5000 yuan per person
- Evidence grade
- A
- Notes
- If you really are dismissed illegally, the route to claim compensation is in Section 19. The key evidence is written notices of a job transfer or pay cut, and chat records; keep both of these
C
Count the time cost of raising a child by “whose time gets taken up,” not by “how hard it is”
Value for cost Standard
In plain termsConvert the hours spent looking after the child each day and the number of times you are woken at night into time. Then multiply by the hourly wage of the person doing this work. The number you get is usually far larger than the money spent on formula and diapers. So it is best to agree on who does what before the child is born.
- Cost
- No money; what it costs is time. Before the child turns 3, someone's time is basically taken up all day. The hard part is that it is like this every day; you cannot just grit your teeth for a few days and get through it.
No money
Time every day
Lots of willpower
Benefit size large
- Benefit
- Convert the time spent looking after the child each day and the number of times you are woken at night into hours. Then multiply by the hourly wage of the person doing this work. The figure you get is usually far larger than the money spent on formula and diapers. Looking after the child, cooking, getting up at night: although no one pays for this work, it is entered as a cost in the same way. The method is the same one Section 10 uses for housework. First agree on the division of work, then decide whether to have a child
- Evidence grade
- C
- Notes
- The numbers do not need to be very precise. What helps is the two of you discussing the division of work over the same sheet before the child is born, so you do not end up fighting about it afterward
- Sources
- 作者经验，无直接文献；口径见第 10 节
C
Count the money in three stages: age 0 to 3, compulsory education, and after compulsory education
Value for cost Standard
In plain termsFrom age 0 to 3, the money goes mainly on how the child is cared for: by you, by grandparents, or by someone you hire. From primary school through middle school, it goes mainly on housing and extracurriculars. After that, it goes mainly on the path to further education. The three stages spend money in completely different ways, and lumping them together only produces a frightening total.
- Cost
- There is no fixed amount; it varies enormously by city and by how the child is cared for. The hard part is calming down and working out the three stages separately, rather than pulling one number out of thin air.
Real money
A few hours
Some willpower
Benefit size large
- Benefit
- From age 0 to 3, the big item is the form of care: you care for the child yourself, grandparents do, or you hire someone. In the compulsory-education stage (primary school through middle school), the big items are housing and extracurricular spending. After that, the big item is the path to further education. Where the money goes is completely different in these three stages; lump them together and all you get is a frightening total
- Evidence grade
- C
- Notes
- First count in the money you are sure to get, such as the childcare subsidy, the maternity allowance and medical insurance (医保) reimbursements, and then see how much is still missing. Do not base the decision on the figures that circulate online about “how many tens of thousands of yuan it takes to raise a child.” It is unclear what those figures measure; you do not know what they counted and what they left out
- Sources
- 作者经验，无直接文献
C
Having a child for your elders, for your marriage, or for your old age: keep a separate account for each
Value for cost Standard
In plain termsOther people wanting you to have a child can count as one of your considerations. But the time and the money are entered in your own accounts. “Raising children to provide for old age” needs an account of its own, because it bets on another person's financial capacity and willingness twenty years from now. Write down the consequences of not having a child as well, and compare the two sides.
- Cost
- No money; what it costs is one serious conversation. The hard part is saying things openly instead of talking around them.
No money
Done in passing
Some willpower
Benefit size medium
- Benefit
- The reasoning is the same as in Section 10. Other people's expectations can count as one of your considerations. But the costs are entered in your own accounts, not in theirs. “Raising children to provide for old age” especially needs an account of its own, because it assumes another person's financial capacity and willingness twenty years from now
- Evidence grade
- C
- Notes
- Write down “the consequences of not having a child” as well, and set them side by side with “the consequences of having a child” to compare
- Sources
- 作者经验，无直接文献；同类分析见第 10 节
