Parental Allowance options

Parental Allowance helps families towards financial security after the birth of a child. You can choose from several Parental Allowance options: Basic Parental Allowance, Parental Allowance Plus and Partnership Bonus. 

Couples can split 14 months of Basic Parental Allowance, calculated from the date of birth, between themselves. Each parent can apply for between 2 and 12 months. Both parents can concurrently draw Basic Parental Allowance for one month. They must do so within 12 months of the child’s birth.

You can trade each month of Basic Parental Allowance for two months of Parental Allowance Plus. If you do so, you can receive Parental Allowance for twice as long. From the first month from the date of birth, you can combine Basic Parental Allowance and Parental Allowance Plus and so receive Parental Allowance concurrently with the other parent for more than one month. 

For example: a mother gets the Basic Parental Allowance during months 1 to 8 after her child’s birth. At the same time, the father draws Basic Parental Allowance in month 1 and Parental Allowance Plus in months 2 and 3. In months 7 to 9, both parents receive Parental Allowance Plus concurrently. Subsequently, only the father receives Parental Allowance Plus in months 10 to 15. This arrangement fully exhausts the parents’ claim to 14 months of Basic Parental Allowance.

Parental Allowance rates

If you receive Parental Allowance, the amount varies with your pre-birth income. In most cases, it is 65 percent of net income. Basic Parental Allowance varies between a minimum of 300 and a maximum of 1,800 euros per month. Amounts increase if you have another young child or multiple babies. 

If you do not return to work after your child’s birth, Parental Allowance Plus amounts to half the Basic Parental Allowance. Amounts vary between 150 and 900 euros per month. On the other hand, you can receive Parental Allowance Plus for twice as long as Basic Parental Allowance.

You can use the Elterngeldrechner to get a rough idea of how much Parental Allowance you might receive. 

Parental Allowance and part-time work

If you work part-time, you can additionally draw Parental Allowance.

You can work up to 32 hours per week while in receipt of Parental Allowance. If you work part-time after the birth, this affects the amount of Parental Allowance. This is because the Parental Allowance is calculated based on the difference between your income before and after the child’s birth. For parents who work part-time after their child’s birth, Parental Allowance Plus can be especially worthwhile. 

For example: Your pre-birth income was 2,000 euros net per month. After the birth, you return to work on a part-time basis and earn 1,200 euros net per month. This makes a difference in income of 800 euros per month. This amount is the basis for calculating the amount of Parental Allowance. In our example, Parental Allowance amounts to 65 percent of the income difference of 800 euros, i.e. 520 euros per month. 

In our example, the rate of Parental Allowance Plus is also 520 euros per month and so equals that of Basic Parental Allowance. However, it can be drawn for twice as long. So, if you opt for Parental Allowance Plus while working part time, you can receive as much as twice the amount you would choosing the Basic Parental Allowance. 

Partnership Bonus

Using the Partnership Bonus, you get between 2 and 4 extra months of Parental Allowance Plus.

You can work up to 32 hours per week while in receipt of Parental Allowance. If you and your partner concurrently work part-time between 24 and 32 hours a week, you get the Partnership Bonus. The bonus comprises 2, 3 or 4 additional Parental Allowance Plus months per parent. You are eligible for the Partnership Bonus even if you are a single parent working part time. 

You can combine Basic Parental Allowance, Parental Allowance Plus and the Partnership Bonus. For example: The mother gets Basic Parental Allowance during the first four months, starting on the date of the child's birth, the father receives it in months 5 and 6. Both parents receive Parental Allowance Plus in months 7 to 14 from the child’s date of birth. From months 15 to 18, they both work between 24 and 32 hours a week, taking advantage of the Partnership Bonus.

Apply for Parental Allowance

In many Federal Länder, you can apply for Parental Allowance online.

You can apply at a Parental Allowance Office called Elterngeldstelle. Please make sure this is the local Elterngeldstelle for your child’s place of residence. You can use this form to find your Elterngeldstelle.

In many Federal Länder, you can also apply for Parental Allowance online using the online service www.elterngeld-digital.de. The application assistant will take you through the application step by step, explain any technical terms and answer frequently asked questions.

All families receive child benefit (Kindergeld), regardless of their income. It is generally paid for all children up to the age of 18. If your child is unemployed, child benefit is paid until they turn 21. If your child is undertaking vocational training, you will receive child benefit until they reach the age of 25.

You must submit your child benefit application in writing. The agency responsible is normally the Federal Employment Agency’s Family Benefits Office (Familienkasse).

The monthly child benefit rate is 255 euros per child. Under certain circumstances, child benefit can also be paid for children who are foreign nationals.

Further detailed information on the individual benefits and assistance available can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs and the Familienportal. You can also use the online tool provided by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs. This allows you to enter a few details and find out which family benefits you may be eligible to receive.

The child supplement is paid to parents who would earn enough for just themselves, but whose income is not or is only barely enough to cover all the family’s needs. The child supplement amounts to a maximum of 297 euros per month per child. It is paid for each unmarried child under 25 years of age if the following conditions are met: You receive child benefit for the child concerned. Your income does not fall below a certain minimum income threshold. This minimum gross income threshold is 900 euros for couples and 600 euros for single parents.

Additionally, you may also be eligible to receive the child supplement if the total amount of income from gainful employment, the child supplement and housing allowance is no more than 100 euros below the entitlement threshold according to the Social Code II (SGB II). Your children’s income, for instance child maintenance or advance maintenance payments, is only counted toward the child supplement to 45 percent. It is also worth applying if you are a single parent and are on a low income.

In addition to the child supplement, you can also receive education and participation benefits, such as free communal lunch at school and in child daycare facilities as well as a school supplies package amounting to 195 euros.

Moreover, recipients of the child supplement or housing benefit are exempt from child daycare fees. Applications for child supplement are to be made in writing, to the Federal Employment Agency’s Family Benefits Office. You may also check whether you are eligible for the child supplement by using the KiZ-Lotse of the Family Benefits Office. Visit www.kiz-digital.de to complete your application online.

Further details on the individual benefits and services are also available in the Familienportal (Family Portal) of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs. Please also use the online infotool of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs. By providing a few details, you can find out which family benefits you may be eligible to receive. 

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Jasmin is expecting a baby – a little miracle. The pregnancy, birth and Paul’s first months are a very special time in her life. During that period, Jasmin and her child need special protection, protection for working mothers. It protects the health of Paul and Jasmin during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Furthermore, it enables Jasmin to carry on working before and after the statutory period of maternity leave and gives her special protection against dismissal. What is more, it safeguards her income during the time that she is not allowed to work. Students, schoolgirls and those taking part in the Federal Voluntary Service are also entitled to this protection.

Especially during the first three months of pregnancy, pregnant women and their unborn children face risks. The earlier Jasmin informs her employer of her pregnancy, the easier it is for them to ensure effective protection. Situations, materials or objects which pose a risk to the health of Jasmin or Paul must be avoided/removed by her employer. A risk assessment therefore has to be carried out in advance to identify hazards.

In a personal conversation, Jasmin and her employer can ensure that she has the right working conditions during her pregnancy. She is entitled to such a conversation. If Jasmin is not allowed to perform certain tasks on health grounds, she can get a certificate from her doctor. Before she is prohibited from working, Jasmin’s employer must examine whether her working conditions can be adapted to comply with the regulations for working mothers. Alternatively, Jasmin can perhaps continue to work in another work environment.

Questions on the protection for working mothers can also be answered by the supervisory body responsible for the company. If Jasmin’s employer cannot eliminate risks to the health of Jasmin or Paul by taking precautionary measures, then she is not allowed to work there. However, she should only be prohibited from working to the extent necessary to protect her health and that of Paul. A ban can be limited to certain activities or working hours.

The period during which Jasmin no longer has to work begins six weeks before the estimated due date. This due date is determined by a doctor or midwife. If little Paul is born earlier than expected, Jasmin’s maternity protection is extended by the number of days of leave not taken before the birth. Because Jasmin has statutory health insurance, she receives maternity benefit (Mutterschaftsgeld) and a top-up payment from her employer (Arbeitgeberzuschuss) during the statutory period of maternity leave. Taken together, these benefits usually equal average earnings during the last three months before the birth. If Jasmin wants, she can continue working during the six weeks leading up to the birth.

After the birth, however, there is a period of eight weeks during which she is not allowed to work. In certain cases, for example multiple or premature births, mothers are not permitted to work for 12 weeks after the birth. During this time, too, a mother receives maternity benefit and a top-up payment from her employer. In the case of a child with a disability, the mother can apply to extend post-natal leave to up to 12 weeks. Under statutory health insurance, Jasmin is entitled to midwifery care. Furthermore, after the statutory period of maternity leave, she can receive parental allowance and take parental leave.

Even after returning to her company, Jasmin’s workplace must comply with the regulations under the Act on the Protection of Working Mothers. If she breastfeeds little Paul, her employer must adapt her working conditions so that Jasmin and Paul’s health is not put at risk. If that is not possible, Jasmin must be released from work and instead receives maternity pay (Mutterschutzlohn). Up until Paul’s first birthday, Jasmin is also entitled to paid breaks to breastfeed him. You can find more useful information in our brochure (Leitfaden zum Mutterschutz).

A maintenance advance (Unterhaltsvorschuss) is provided if your child is not receiving maintenance payments. It is paid until the child’s 18th birthday at the latest. The monthly advance is 227 euros per month for children up to the age of 5 and 299 euros for children aged 6 to 11. The single parent’s income is irrelevant in this context.

Children aged 12 to 17 are entitled to a maintenance advance if they are not dependent on benefits under Book II of the Social Code, or you as a single parent have gross monthly earnings of at least 600 euros while receiving such benefits. If these conditions are met, you will receive a monthly maintenance advance of 394 euros.

Applications for a maintenance advance must be submitted in writing, normally to the local youth welfare office (Jugendamt). In certain circumstances, children who are foreign nationals can also receive a maintenance advance.

Further detailed information on the individual benefits and assistance available can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs and the Familienportal.

Income is untaxable up to a child’s minimum subsistence level and this principle is ensured either through child benefit or tax allowances for children (Freibeträge für Kinder). Until a child turns 18, all parents are entitled to child allowances without conditions. After the child’s 18th birthday, the allowances may under certain circumstances continue until the child turns 25, for example if your child is undertaking vocational training. For 2025, the tax-free child allowance is 6.672 euros.

Each parent is entitled to half of this amount. Single parents, under certain circumstances, are entitled to the full child allowance.

There is also an additional tax allowance for childcare, education or vocational training needs. This allowance amounts to 2,928 euros. Once again, both parents are generally entitled to half of this amount. If you are bringing up a minor on your own, you can apply to have the other parent’s share transferred to you.

Granting the tax allowances for children lies within the responsibility of the tax office. When assessing income tax, it checks which option is most favorable. If child benefit amounts to less than the tax relief provided by the tax allowances for children, these allowances, less the child benefit you have already received, are deducted from your taxable income.

Further detailed information on the individual benefits and assistance available can be found on the websites of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs and the Familienportal (family portal). 

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Single parents receive special treatment with regard to income tax. They benefit from the tax relief for single parents. This constitutes an additional tax allowance of 4,260 euros per year. Starting with the second child, the amount of tax relief increases by 240 euros for each additional child.

The tax relief is automatically applied via filing status II, the tax filing status for single parents. The increases for further children are, upon request, added to your wage-tax card as a tax allowance by the local Tax Office. If the tax allowance was not taken into account in the income tax deduction, tax relief is granted via the income tax return.

Further detailed information on the individual benefits and assistance available can be found on the websites of the Ministry for Family Affairs and the Familienportal (family portal).