๐ Your privacy on Claude
You can sign up for Claude with an invented or impersonal email address โ this is perfectly fine. You don't need to enter or upload any personal information. Even without real data, you can use all the exercises and prompts in this course โ simply replace the placeholders with fictional examples. Your privacy comes first.
Basics
| Type | Who pays whom? |
|---|---|
| Child maintenance (Kindesunterhalt) | Parent to child โ until completion of first training (often until age 25) |
| Spousal maintenance (Ehegattenunterhalt) | Ex-spouse โ after divorce or separation |
๐ก Important for young adults (18โ25)
- Even as an adult, you are entitled to maintenance if you are in training.
- Care leavers: the right to maintenance from parents still applies.
- As an adult child, you claim maintenance directly from your parents.
Claiming maintenance
Check entitlement to maintenance
[Please reply in English using simple, plain language. Avoid jargon โ if you use technical terms, explain them immediately.] I am [age] years old and am completing training as [profession]. My father / mother is not paying maintenance. As an adult child, am I still entitled to maintenance? How can I claim it?
Payment demand letter
[Please reply in English using simple, plain language. Avoid jargon โ if you use technical terms, explain them immediately.] My parent has stopped paying maintenance. Outstanding amount: [X] francs (since [month/year]) Please write a formal payment demand letter in German. Parent's name: [Name], My name: [Name]
If you have to pay maintenance yourself
๐ก Your minimum subsistence is protected
- You never have to pay so much that you cannot live yourself.
- If your income decreases: request a reduction immediately.
- Not paying without notification can have criminal consequences.
Request a reduction in maintenance
[Please reply in English using simple, plain language. Avoid jargon โ if you use technical terms, explain them immediately.] I am obliged to pay [X] francs per month in maintenance. My situation has changed: [E.g.: I lost my job / I am ill] Can I request a reduction? How do I proceed?
What to do if maintenance is not paid?
| Step | What happens? |
|---|---|
| 1. Formal reminder (Mahnung) | Payment request with deadline |
| 2. Debt enforcement (Betreibung) | Contact the enforcement office |
| 3. Collection assistance (Inkassohilfe) | Canton pays in advance and collects the money itself |
| 4. Wage garnishment | Court can order deductions directly from the employer |
| 5. Criminal complaint | Art. 217 StGB โ failure to pay maintenance is a criminal offence |
๐ก Collection assistance โ Canton Basel
- Apply at the social services office (Sozialdienst) of your municipality.
- The state pays you the maintenance in advance and handles the collection for you.
โ Module 12 completed
Well done! Click ยซNextยป to go to the next module.