Child maintenance: the child's needs, the parents' means

Article 276 of the Civil Code obliges both parents to maintain the child. Article 285 sets the contribution according to the child's needs and the parents' situation. It covers the cost of care while the child is a minor, not only direct expenses. The duty does not disappear because the parents separate or were never married. The court or the child-protection authority may set it. A private agreement binds the authorities only if it meets these criteria.