Significant life changes can be equal parts exciting and daunting. Nowhere is this more true than with starting a family. As I soon learned it myself, it came with its own bureaucratic minefield, one of which was claiming Eltnergeld, parental benefits in Germany.
With so much to prepare, 9 months can fly by faster than you can say Lebensabschnittsgefährte. In this busy time, it’s only natural for your thoughts to turn to finances: How will I support my family with our increased expenses? How much time can I afford to take off work? Am I entitled to parental benefits in Germany?
The good news is that Germany offers a number of flexible Elterngeld packages so that new parents can support their families. The bad news is that, as with everything in Germany, receiving parental benefits involves paperwork, waiting times and a comprehensive knowledge of your rights.
This article will outline the various benefits packages available in Germany, and how you can claim them based on my own personal experience and additional research.
Am I entitled to claim parental benefits in Germany?
To be eligible for Elterngeld, parents must fulfil a specific set of criteria as defined by the German parental benefits act (§ 1 Abs. 1 des Bundeselterngeld- und Elternzeitgesetzes (BEEG)):
- You must be currently residing in Germany and/or have a valid residency permit in the form of a Visa or Aufenthaltstitel if applicable. You are also eligible if your job is located in Germany and you live in another EU country/Switzerland.
- Your kid must live in the same household as you.
- Parents must work under 32 hours a week for the duration of their claim.
- Single parents earning over 250,000€ and couples earning over 500,000€ a year are not eligible for Elterngeld.
The rules vary slightly for self-employed parents, and this is also determined on a case-by-case basis. Permitting they do not work more than 30 hours a week, self-employed parents can apply for Elterngeld, however eligibility for Elternzeit is dependent on their work contract. If the mother is self-employed, her eligibility for Mutterschaftsgeld is decided by her health insurance.
How much can I expect to receive?
As reference, you can expect between 65% to 100% of your net income. However, it’s limited to a minimum of 300€ and a maximum of 1800€ per month in most cases.
- The amount of Elterngeld you receive is determined on a case-by-case basis, and is dependent on several factors, including the size of your family, your work schedule, and how much Elternzeit you claim.
- Employed parents can calculate how much they will receive based on net income for the 12 months prior to birth or prior to the start of maternity leave.
- For self-employed parents or couples with a mixed income, Elterngeld calculations are based on net profits from the previous fiscal year. That means that if your baby was born in 2023, your 2022 profits will be used as the basis for this calculation.
- If you haven’t had any income in the months prior to the birth of the child, you will receive the minimum legal amount: 300€.
However, exceptions may apply in certain circumstances, such as if the mother experienced a pregnancy-related illness or if the parents claimed Elterngeld during that previous year. There are several online services you can use to get a good idea of how much you’ll receive; we recommend this Elterngeld Rechner, which takes a wide variety of factors into account to calculate a reliable estimation.
Tips to get more
With a bit of planning, you can make use of tax classes to increase the amount of Elterngeld you will receive. It’s explained in this guide about tax classes in Germany.
What are the key terms that I need to know?
When applying for parental benefits in Germany, you’ll notice the same key terms cropping up again and again, so it’s wise to familiarise yourself with these concepts to give yourself a head start before starting the application process.
Elterngeld
Elterngeld in Germany is a form of governmental financial aid that aims to support new parents who are reducing their weekly working hours in order to raise their child(ren) at home. There are two different types of Elterngeld, which we’ll get into a little later, but essentially, all new parents working under 30 hours a week are entitled to claim Elterngeld for up to the first 14 months of their baby’s life.
Mutterschaftsgeld
Specifically designed to assist expecting mothers, Mutterschaftsgeld is a system provided by the mother’s employer and healthcare provider for up to 8 weeks, beginning 6 weeks prior to your due date up until 8 weeks after the birth. Unlike Elterngeld, Mutterschaftsgeld provides the mother with 100% of her usual salary. New mothers should note that it’s not possible to claim both Mutterschaftsgeld with Elterngeld simultaneously. Additionally, claiming Mutterschaftsgeld reduces your eligibility to Elterngeld to a maximum of 12 months.
Elternzeit
In most cases, new parents can take up to 24 months of parental leave, known in Germany as Elternzeit. During this time, parents can only work a maximum of 30 hours per week, allowing them to spend more time with their family. These 24 months can be shared between parents, and can also be divided into 3 separate periods up until the child reaches their ninth birthday. The notice period for Elternzeit changes over time. For the first 3 years of the child’s life, parents need only register for Elternzeit 7 weeks in advance; between the ages of 3 and 9, parents must apply 13 weeks in advance. In urgent circumstances, employers have the right to refuse the third period of parental leave if it is requested after the third year of the child’s life.
What’s the difference between Elterngeld Basis and Elterngeld Plus?
Now that we have an overview of the core concepts, it’s time to get into the nitty gritty. Let’s start with Elterngeld. The German government offers two distinct forms of Elterngeld: Elterngeld Basis and Elterngeld Plus. These benefit schemes can also be combined and shared between two parents for maximum flexibility. Here’s everything that you need to know at a glance.
Elterngeld Basis
Parents can claim Elterngeld Basis any time from the birth of their child up to 14 months after their child’s birth. In a two-parent household, each parent can claim anywhere between 2 months and 12 months of Elterngeld Basis, adding up to a maximum of 14 months altogether. For example, parents can claim up to 7 months of Elterngeld Basis each, or one parent could claim 2 months while the other takes 12. Single parents are entitled to claim Elterngeld Basis for up to 14 months.
The amount of money you are entitled to is dependent on your income prior to the birth of their child and how many hours you work per week after the birth. But if you’re not planning to work at all while claiming Elterngeld Basis, you can usually expect to receive roughly two-thirds of your average net income prior to your child’s birth, starting at €300 and capped at €1800.
Elterngeld Plus: spreading benefits over a longer time for greater flexibility
Elterngeld Plus is a longer-term subsidiary income, which is ideally suited to parents who return to work for up to 30 hours a week within the first year of their child’s life. This enables parents to spread their benefit payments over a longer period, providing extra flexibility. In short, you are receiving half the amount per month, but twice as long (same for bonuses). This would be ideal for parents working part-time for example.
The idea is to provide a smoother transition back into the working world or enabling parents to work part-time in the first months.
Couples are eligible to receive Elterngeld Plus for up to 28 months after their child’s birth, sharing a minimum of 4 months and a maximum of 24 months per parent. Again, single parents can claim this benefit for the full 28 months.
Once again, Elterngeld Plus is calculated based on your net income in the preceding year. For those who choose not to work, this will usually come out at roughly one-third of your average monthly income, or a minimum of €150 and a maximum of €900 per month.
You can mix and match both
It’s helpful to know that you can combine Elterngeld Basis and Elterngeld Plus in any way that fits your lifestyle. Under this system, 2 months of Elterngeld Plus is equivalent to 1 month of Elterngeld Basis. If you do choose this route, bear in mind that parents cannot claim more than the equivalent of 14 months of Elterngeld Basis. Please also note that claiming Mutterschaftsgeld overrides up to 2 months of Elterngeld Basis, reducing the overall eligibility to a maximum of 12 months.

Other bonuses and benefits
Geschwisterbonus: Families with another child under the age of three – or two more children under the age of six – are entitled to a “sibling bonus” of an additional 10% on top of their Elterngeld, or an extra €75, whichever is greater.
Mehrlingszuschlag: Parents expecting multiple children i.e. twins or triplets, are entitled to claim an extra €300 per child.
Partnerschaftsbonus: Couples are entitled to claim an extra 4 months of Elterngeld Plus if they simultaneously reduce their working hours for a minimum of 2-4 consecutive months, with flexible opt-out and short-term extension. And if you don’t have the necessary working hours in individual months or have to work more, you don’t have to worry about the entire partnership bonus – as it was the case before.
How I do I apply for Elterngeld in Germany?
Since you can only apply for Elterngeld after the birth of your child, there’s a few things you can do in advance to ensure the application process goes as smoothly as possible. If possible, it’s wise to put a bit of money to one side during the pregnancy as the application process can take several weeks to finalise. The authorities can then pay up to 3 months of Elterngeld allowance retrospectively from the date of application.
You can download Elterngeld application forms and fill them out in advance. This is a relatively simple form that requires details about your family status, citizenship, and health insurance, as well as proof of income from each parent. Please note that each Bundesland provide different forms for the application. You can find the ones relevant for you on this page. Alternatively, you can also fill out the application form online if you head to ElternDigital, where you can also access a wide range of services and helpful tips. This portal is valid for the whole of Germany.
Going digital or not, the application requires several other documents, so it’s helpful to assemble these prior to the birth to ensure your Elterngeld payments aren’t delayed. Those are:
- Your Elterngeld application form
- A copy of your ID card or passport.
- Your Meldebescheinigung and if applicable, your residency permit
- The original copy of your child’s birth certificate. You were probably provided an extra copy for that purpose.
- Proof of income for the 12 months prior to maternity leave or prior to the birth of the child. Employed parents may submit their payslips, bank statements, and/or work contracts as proof of income, while self-employed parents should submit their income tax assessment from the previous fiscal year. In theory, that’s enough, but more on that later.
- Where applicable, confirmation of Mutterschaftsgeld benefits paid by the mother’s health insurance provider
- Confirmation of any Mutterschaftsgeld paid by the mother’s employer
- Evidence of any previous claims to maternity benefits
- Elternzeit confirmation signed by the parents’ employers
- If you plan to work during your parental leave, confirmation of your working hours and expected income. Employed parents receive this from their employer, while self-employed parents must provide their own declaration.
Once your child has been born, head down to your local Elterngeldstelle. The sooner you do this, the sooner your Elterngeld payments can begin. Provided you’ve submitted all the documents correctly, you shouldn’t have to wait more than 3 months. I personally had to wait 2 months.
My experience applying: so many documents!
At the time of the application, I was employed and freelancing on the side, my wife is a freelancer too. Even though official requirements were mentioning to submit proof of income for the past year, that was not enough! The Elterngeldstelle required that we submitted an estimate of what we will earn in the months to come as well, while receiving Elterngeld. You can’t imagine how much more complicated this got.
My wife’s income and mine vary a lot as freelancer and we had to prove it with a lot of different documents, because we have a lot of different clients. In addition to that, I had to send each of the payslips I received at work for the past 12 months!
In total, we sent 60+ documents/sheets of paper to the Elterngeldstelle. Yes, 6-0, 60!
I pity the worker who had to process our case. This is by far the most non-nonsensical the German administration got in my time in Germany. And to think that the Finanzamt already has all this information, why can’t they talk to one another? (Ah yes, the good ol’ Datenschutz obsession).

Working & receiving parental benefits in Germany
It might be conter-intuitive but it is possible to receive Elterngeld and work at the same time (even if parental benefits in Germany are meant to offset any loss of income from working less.)
As mentioned above, you do not necessarily need to take parental leave (Elternzeit) to get Elterngeld. Working less than 32 hours per week (1 day off a week) is the only requirement.
Changing parental benefits after initial application
The first parental allowance application submitted must cover the entire period of parental allowance payment. Your decisions from the application for parental allowance are generally binding.
However, you can move the benefits around in different months, but only for future periods for which no parental allowance has been paid. A simple written notice to your family office is enough to make a change request.
Some exceptions can apply if one or both partners experience unexpected hardships that lead to sudden changes.
FAQ
Unemployed parents are eligible to apply for Elterngeld if they worked at any time during the 12 months prior to the birth of their child. The amount received in benefits is then dependent on the parent’s net income during this period. If there was no income at all during that period, you will receive the minium legal amount of 300€.
Recipients of Arbeitslosengeld can simultaneously claim up to €300 of Elterngeld. Alternatively, they can pause Arbeitslosengeld payments all together for the duration of while receiving Elterngeld. In some cases, Arbeitslosengeld II payments will be credited towards Elterngeld benefits in order to ensure the recipient gets the full amount of benefits to which they are entitled. This means that unemployment benefits could decrease in order to claim Elterngeld in its entirety.
It’s complicated. You could also be eligible for parental benefits in Germany if you live and work abroad with a German contract. You can also benefit from it if you live in the EU or Switzerland and work in Germany. More detailed info in this leaflet.
Yes, however, your foreign income is only taken into account for the amount of the parental allowance if you had to pay taxes on this income in a state of the European Union (EU) or in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
If you have not paid taxers in any of these countries, you can still receive parental allowance, but only the minimum amount.
Even though the parental benefits in Germany are provided at state level, with state funds, application is managed locally. If you don’t know which office to go to, you can find a comprehensive list here.
Each Bundesland have their own forms, you can find the one relevant to you here.
If they were already German residents before 31/12/2020, UK nationals are entitled to the same rights as EU citizens and will be considered the same way.
If they moved to Germany from 01/01/2021 on, they will be handled as any other third-party country, which means that you will first need a residence permit in Germany, and you won’t be able to use your income from the UK to get benefits.
Parental allowance is paid out on a monthly basis on the first of the month for the following month of life of your child. If this day falls on a weekend or a public holiday, the payment is delayed until the next working day.
It is not necessary to take parental leave. The only requirement on that front is that the applicant should work less than 32 hours per week.
I hope this starter guide helped you on your way to claiming parental benefits in Germany. Feel free to ask questions and improve on it as well. Good luck! 🙂
Hi!
thanks for all these useful info!
Our due date is mid Nov, I am planning on being on Elternzeit from 1st January for 12 Months. Will my Elterngeld paid from 1st of every month starting January or is it always calculated from the birth date of the child i.e. 15th of every month? (meaning I’d have a gap in between?)
Hey Mustafa. It depends on when the baby is born, and which office processes your case. In theory, parental allowance is always paid out in advance for the current month. This means that you receive the money at the beginning of a month of parental allowance and not at the end.
But that is based on the months of your baby’s life. For example, if your child was born on the 20th of a month, you may always receive your parental allowance around the 20th of the month. Some other offices just pay it on the first of the month. Look at this table for more details per region. Congrats with the baby & good luck with it all!
Thanks for the helpful article.
For the Elterngeld Plus, we can work a maximum of 30 hours a week. How many hours minimum we can work?
Thanks a lot for the help.
Hi. Thank you for the so helpful article. I am a full-time employee for 3 years for the same employer. I am planning to apply for Elterngeld Plus. I see that I can work a maximum of 30 hours per week. I have the following questions.
– How many hours per week can I work minimum?
– Can the employer refuse Elterngeld Plus request?
– In the Elterngeld Plus period, do I need to work for the same employer? Or can I work as a freelancer? or for a different company?
– Can I resign from my current job during the Elterngeld Basic or Elterngeld Plus period?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Hey Yunus.
1- Couldn’t find any source that states the minimum.
2- No, it’s a right. (source)
3- Elterngeld Plus is related to employees, with a specific employer. If you change employer during that time, you Elternzeit ends but you have that right with the new employer (Source).
4- Yes, see about the consequences above.
Thanks a lot for the answers. It seems the minimum hours per week is 15. The following is stated in the first link you shared. “The employee must work at least 15 and may work a maximum of 30 hours per week (§ 15 Para. 7 BEEG).”.
I did overlook this. Well spotted!
I am so much grateful for your articles! They have helped us a lot since my husband and I moved to Germany.
I have a couple of questions about Elternzeit, if you can help!
We are both EU citizens, in Germany for 5 years so most these documents should be “easy” to get.
1. If only I apply for Elternzeit/geld then do I also need to provide papers and income of my husband? you mentioned that both you and your wife had to so I’m wondering if they are looking at the whole family income, not only the parent who requests the benefit.
2. Do we also need to present Marriage certificate or our birth certificates (like we have to for registering the baby)?
Thank you and all the best!
Hello Dimi. 1- Yes, you need to provide information about both of you. 2. That won’t be necessary. Good luck with it all!
Hello,
my wife and I live in Germany. I work full time and she is currently unemployed. We are expecting a baby soon. My wife wants to give birth to the baby in our home country (fly there in the 6th month of pregnancy) and move back to Germany two months after delivery.
What do I have to do to receive parental allowance? My wife wants to receive the basic parental allowance for 8 months and I for 4 months. Can we apply for parental allowance only after we have come to Germany and registered our child here? How can we register a child that was born abroad?
Hey Ali. It sure does makes things more complicated. As soon as you come back to Germany, you will need to register your baby. For this, it would be advisable to get an international birth certificate from India as the Standesamt will not get you a German one (source). Registration otherwise happens at the Bürgeramt where the child needs be included in the Melderegister, like a first Anmeldung. You can apply for Elterngeld but you will have to prove that you are indeed permanently settled in Germany (source). Good luck with it all.
Thank you for this article it is very helpful to get a brief idea of the process. I have a peculiar situation and i have a question: Currently i am working in Germany for past 5 years with German Residence permit, my wife is in India and does not have German residence permit we are expecting baby due in two months and baby is expected to born in India in this case am i eligible for Parental allowance ?
Hey Raj. That’s a great question. I will edit the post to reply to this as well: as a rule, the kind also needs to be a German resident because they need to live in the same household as yours (source for good measure). There are some exceptions but I don’t see anything applying to your case.
Hi Raj,
My case is also almost similar. Can you please help me know this? Did you receive Elternzeit and Elterngeld while you had the delivery of your baby in India? How does that work?
Thanks in advance.
Smita
Hello,
I would like to know one thing please if you can help.
I m USA citizen but hokd German residency too. I will give birth to ny child in the USA.
I lived in Germany from 2020 and still registered here and have worked since last year as an employee.
Will i be eligible for elterngeld if my child is born in usa? Or does the child have to be registered in Germany and only then i can get elterngeld ? Please help me in this regard.
I m already recieving mutterschaftgeld
Hello Mehrab. You are eligible to Elterngeld if the kid lives in your household and if you are a German resident. Their birthplace is not relevant, but it might make birth registration in Germany more difficult.
Thanks very much for this helpful post. I had a question based on this sentence you wrote – “”Additionally, claiming Mutterschaftsgeld reduces your eligibility to Elterngeld to a maximum of 12 months.” – if I take Mutterschaftsgeld for the first two months of having the baby then can I take 12 months of Elterngeld and my husband take 2 months (totalling 14 months) or do we automatically lose these 2 months.
Hey Gabs. The partner bonus is not impacted by Mutterschaftsgeld.
Hi,
Thank you because I learned so much from this page from you. I just have a question. I am living more than 5 years here in Germany as a nurse and I already have a permanent residency card. My wife is now pregnant with our twins and she is currently living with my 6-year old daughter in the Philippines. I would like yo be with her when she delivers for our twins and I want to take care of them personally. I just want to know if I am entitled to Elterngeld. Thank you so much in advance
Hello Henry. This source tells me that it would not be possible because your children are not German residents and don’t live with you unfortunately. Sorry about that.
Hi. I’m employed full time. Since we moved to Germany 6 years ago, my wife has been “stay at home”. In this case can she apply for Elterngeld while I continue to work?
Hey Andre. Yes, but she might only get the minimum.
I moved to Germany on 1-May-22 and started working here from Day 1. Prior to that, I was working in India. I am expecting baby in July-22, which means I would have received salary in Germany only for 2 months prior to child’s birth. Will my parental allowance be calculated on average of last 12 months? or average of last 2 months?
Hey Mahaboob. Congrats on the baby. That’s an excellent question. I had to research a bit. You can find the answer in this thread. It seems that the Elterngeldstelle might want to see proof of income for the 10 months prior to your move to Germany as well.
Thanks for the response Bastien.
That is good to hear, but my only concern is the thread talks about Switzerland which is part of EU. But i was working in a non-EU . Can I visit the Parental office in Berlin and inquire about this before hand? I don’t see a way to book appointment for this, can i just walk-in?
Hey Mahaboob. Switzerland is not EU. I’d first give a call to your local Elterngeldstelle if I were you, with the help of a German-speaking friend.
Thank you very much for this detailed and useful guide! It really gives parents-to -be a very good overview to the complex German bureaucracy. I just have a question regarding the first FAQ.
You have mentioned that “Recipients of Arbeitslosengeld can simultaneously claim up to €300 of Elterngeld. Alternatively, they can pause Arbeitslosengeld payments all together for the duration of while receiving Elterngeld”, and according to this, I would like to ask, whether I can resume receiving Arbeitslosengeld after I stop receiving Elterngeld?
I take my own situation for example here. I have a limited working contract till the end of July this year, so in theory, I will start receiving Arbeitslosengeld I for 9 months from August. My baby is expected to be born in October, so I also plan to apply for Elterngeld after his birth. I will stop Arbeitslosengeld I payment while start receiving Elterngeld from October for 10 months. In this case, can I resume receiving my rest of 7 months of Arbeitslosengeld I after my Elterngeld period is end?
I hope my description is clear enough. Thanks a lot for your time!
Hey Juo. Yes, it is a possibility, especially you baby comes not long after you become unemployed. Anyway, if you take Elternzeit, this may mean that you are not available to find a job anyway, depending on what you decide. You can discuss this openly with your Berater/in at the Agentur für Arbeit. Good luck and congratulations!
I have recently delivered baby and have few questions:
1) Where i can find the Application form for Elterngeld?
2) What are the supporting documents I need to attach along with Elterngeld Form?
3) Where i need to send the Documents?
4) We are a couple, my husband is working and I am a housewife. So,I am planning to be
the elterngeld applicant,So do I need to have a Bank account for that?
5) I have already applied for Kindergeld,are there any other child benefit facilities that I
might be missing or should be aware of as I am new in Germany,Please guide.
Hey PRanoti. Congrats on the baby!. 1-3): All info contained in the post. 4)No, you can fill in the banking details of your husband if you wish. 5) That would be the main ones. Others are available but it’s on a case by case basis, can’t guide you on this.
Thanks for all the info! Here a very specific question! I have an Anmeldung in Germany and have been living here from july 2020, so I should be safe according to your explanation but just in case I would like to explain the situation … I work (from Germany) for an NGO based in the UK since December 2020. Initially, my contract was based in the UK -from November 2020 to November 2021 – and during this period my salary, social security contributions and income taxes were paid in the UK. In December 2021, my employer changed my contract modality and gave me a new contract, based in Germany this time. From this month onwards, my salary, social security contributions and income taxes were paid in Germany. Along with the new contract, my employer also initiated a process to transfer all my social security contributions paid in the UK (from November 2020 to November 2021) to Germany. So, I will soon have all my social security contributions in Germany.
In view of this situation, I wonder if you are aware of how my elterngeld might be calculated. I am planning to apply for the elternegel from April 2022 to November 2022, so I wonder if my elterngeld will consider the salaries paid in the UK as the contributions are being moved to Germany, or if I will only receive a pro-rata elterngeld calculated as 65% of the salaries paid in Germany – December 2021 to March 2022.
I would very much appreciate if you could kindly advise me on this matter!
Thanks!
Hey Enzo. A very good and specific question. I think it might be best to ask the Eltergeldstelle directly on this one. I could only make an educated guess here, and lean towards the second option you describe, after reading this source. I would not know if the fact that you are transferring social contributions to Germany would change that.
I have a quick question. I am not sure about how I will organize my elterzeit (if I will work part time or not and from when) but my partner already knows. Can I send the Elterngeld application with the information of my partner and stating I will be 100% back to work after Mutterschutz and then change this and ask for Elterngeld if I need to ask for Elternzeit. Thanks!
Hey Valeria. Congrats on the baby. Check this post. It contains details about what can be changed after the initial application. It seems that only a change of plan about the distribution of Elternzeit is possible. There are some exceptions when going for Elterngeld Plus. Parental benefit months that have been applied for more than 3 months ago can no longer be changed. This also applies to months already paid out. I hope this helps.
Hi there, thanks for this article. I have a question which I would really appreciate an answer to. Can I still claim income based Elterngeld if I was working in another country as a freelancer? I moved to Germany in 2021 when my baby was 3 months old. Before that I was a freelancer in India for one year and prior to that, I had a job in the United States. Now can I claim Elterngeld based on my income in India / US or should I go for the basic 300 Euro?
Hey Megan. This page of the Familienportal addresses the issue. It states that only income from an EU state, Lichtenstein, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland would be taken into account. For any other country, that would not be possible, leaving you only with the minimum amount.
Bastien you deserve a medal for this really well written piece. Thanks.
At your service!
Hi Bastien,
Thank you for the helpful article.
I have a hypothetical query, if I am on unlimited work contract but in elternzeit (without pay) since August, 2021 (I took the one year remaining for elternzeit for my 3 year old); and if I was to have another child while in elternzeit for my first one, how does the elterngeld work, do I receive the basic €300 or is the income from before August 2021 considered?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Soma
Hey Soma. Interesting premise & congratulations on your child (children?). After looking at this whole chapter (page 44) that talks about how to calculate Elterngeld, I’d lean towards this: your income won’t be calculated on what you earned before the first child. But I’m still not sure! You could ask confirmation here with a little help of DeepL if you need.
Good morning Bastien!
Thank you for your prompt response with helpful suggestion.
Wish you well.
Kind regards,
Soma
Hey Bastien,
By when after the birth of a child one should apply for elterngeld? How much retrospectively amount will be paid then?
Also, do you have any blog description details if a child is born outside germany for a non EU citizens (Husband – EU blue card, Wife- not working ) ?
Hey there. As mentioned in the post, there is no deadline after the birth of the child. However, authorities will only pay 3 months retrospectively. Regarding your second question, there is no clear answer to this as each case is approved, case by case. It is advisable to talk to your Elterngeldstelle before your send an application to talk about situation. More info about that here in German. With a little bit of GoogleTranslate, should not be an issue.
I am in following situation: Soon after my maternity Period of 6+8 weeks, I want to take my remaining vacations (18 days) after finishing my maternity Period and then begin Elternzeit. Should I skip elterngeld for the following month of my child’s life (For the time when I will use my leaves)? or is it not possible at all ?
Hey Sajal. I think it is a possible scenario yes, if I understood you correctly. In doubt, you can always call your local Elterngeldstelle to ask about it.
Thank you for this article! Anyway I have a question: currently I am a freelancer, but I will start with a full-time job (regularly employed) in May. I asked for Elterngeld Basis for December 2020 and July 2021, but I want to change July 2021 with March 2021 (I didn’ work in March – no invoices and no incoming payments).
Is it possible to ask for such retroactive change? If yes, what documents/proofs are requested?
Thanks in advance 🙂
Hey Andrea. That is a good question. I found this good source detailing what changes can be made. It states that in general, no changes can be made to application that was made more than 3 months ago. However, there are exceptions, which you can check on the page too. To apply for a change, a simple letter stating the time period change is enough. No further document is needed it seems.
Dear Bastien, many thanks for your useful suggestion!!!
Thank you for this article!
Anyway I have a question: if the mother never worked, but she lives in Germany, can she apply for the elterngeld?
Hey Salvatore. Yes, she can. She will receive the so called “Mindestbetrag”, which is minimum a person can receive. In 2021, it’s 300€. (source)
About to apply for Elterngeld, thank you so much for this – huge help!
Greetings from Dajana and John!
Hey Dajana. You are very welcome 🙂
Any advice around potential disadvantages if choosing to take Elternzeit and Elterngeld differently to your baby’s birth months (Lebensmonate) For example, baby is born on 17.7. But Dad wants to take leave from 20.2 until 19.4 the following year. Would he get less Elterngeld or income from his employer for Feb or April?
Hey Dom. From my understanding, I don’t see any issues there. Just be aware of deadlines related to Elterngeld Basis and/or Plus.