What parental allowance is
Parental allowance supports parents who care for their child themselves after the birth and therefore work less or not at all.
- Parental allowance can also be an option without previous income.
Basic requirements
- You care for and raise your child yourself.
- You live with your child in one household.
- You have your residence or habitual abode in Germany.
- During the period you work at most 32 hours per week.
Other citizenship
With a citizenship outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, your concrete residence title usually matters.
- So check whether your residence title entitles you to parental allowance.
How high is parental allowance?
Basic parental allowance is between €300 and €1,800 per month and depends on your income before the birth.
- ElterngeldPlus is between €150 and €900, but is paid for longer.
- The exact amount depends on your personal situation.
Income limit
For births from 1 April 2025, parental allowance is generally excluded if taxable income in the calendar year before the birth exceeds €175,000. Couples' incomes are added together.
- What counts is the income in the relevant period before the birth.
Basic, Plus and partnership bonus
You can choose between basic parental allowance and ElterngeldPlus and combine both.
- If both parents work part-time at the same time, an additional partnership bonus can be possible.
Plan the months well
How you split the parental allowance months between both parents affects duration and amount. Plan this together before applying.
Apply in good time
Parental allowance can be paid for at most 3 of the child's life-months before the life-month in which the application arrives. Life-months start on the day of the month the child was born, not the first day of a calendar month. Apply soon after the birth.
- Do not wait until all documents are perfect. Clarify open points with the parental allowance office.
Parental leave is something different
Parental leave is the unpaid release from work, parental allowance is the payment. You have to apply for both separately.
- You register parental leave with your employer and parental allowance with the parental allowance office.
What you can do now
- Find the responsible parental allowance office.
- Compare the variants with the calculator.
- Agree the split of months with the other parent.
- Submit the application and hand in documents later if needed.
- Register parental leave separately with your employer.
Terms on this page
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This is orientation, not legal advice. Please check the details at the official source.
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