Elterngeld in Germany: Parental Allowance 2026

Elterngeld in Germany, the parental allowance, is the state benefit that replaces part of your income when you reduce or stop working to care for a new baby. It is paid to mothers and fathers, to employees and the self-employed, and to foreign parents who live here and meet the residence rules. This guide explains the three types, how the amount is calculated, the reduced income limit for births from April 2025, how parents split the months, what happens to your job and your health insurance, and how to apply.

Quick answer: how Elterngeld works

Basiselterngeld, ElterngeldPlus and Partnerschaftsbonus

Germany has three forms of Elterngeld. You can mix them from month to month, which is what makes the system flexible but also confusing.

Basiselterngeld can be drawn until the child completes its 14th month. Two months of ElterngeldPlus replace one month of Basiselterngeld, and ElterngeldPlus can run until the 32nd month if one parent takes it in consecutive months from the 15th month on. For the Partnerschaftsbonus, each parent gets up to four extra months, claimed together, in consecutive months and for at least two months.

Hours are averaged over each month of the child's life, so plan them with your employer first.

How much Elterngeld you get

The rate: 65% to 67% of your net income

The base rate is 67% of the income from work you had before the birth, taken as net income after taxes, social contributions and a work-related allowance. Two rules adjust the rate:

• Higher earners: If your net income was above €1,200 a month, the rate falls by 0.1 percentage points for every €2 above that, down to a floor of 65%.
• Lower earners: If your net income was below €1,000 a month, the rate rises by 0.1 percentage points for every €2 below that, up to 100%.

Net income is only counted up to €2,770 a month. That is why the benefit stops at €1,800 a month for full months without work income. The minimum is €300 a month, even if you did not work before the birth.

These examples are our own calculations from the statutory formula and ignore the work-related allowance and special cases. Your official amount comes from the Elterngeldstelle. To estimate your net income, see our net salary calculator guide.

Bonuses: The Geschwisterbonus adds 10%, at least €75 a month, if your household has two children under 3 or three or more under 6 (age limit 14 for a child with a disability). For twins or more, Elterngeld rises by €300 for the second and each further child, halved for ElterngeldPlus. If you work part time while receiving Elterngeld, that income is taken into account, so use the Familienportal calculator for an estimate.

The income limit for births from April 2025

The limit depends on the date of birth, not on the date you apply, and has been lowered twice.

The limit is based on your taxable income (zu versteuerndes Einkommen) in the last completed calendar year before the birth. It is not your gross salary. The Family Ministry gives an example in which €175,000 of taxable income corresponds to roughly €207,000 gross for a couple without children, so deductions matter. If two parents are entitled, their incomes are added together and tested against the single limit. The figure appears in your tax assessment, so keep it at hand and read our tax return guide if you have not filed yet.

Who is eligible, including foreigners

You qualify if you live in Germany, share a household with your child, care for and raise the child yourself and work no more than 32 hours a week. Your taxable income must also be under the limit above. Both mothers and fathers can claim.

EU citizens with free movement rights follow the general rules.

Parents from outside the EU

For non-EU citizens, German law adds a residence-status test (§1 (7) BEEG). You qualify, among other cases, if you hold:

• a settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) or an EU long-term residence permit,
• an EU Blue Card, an ICT card or a residence permit that allows gainful employment for at least six months, with some exceptions for specific permit types.

Some other permits qualify only under additional conditions, such as being employed, being on parental leave or having stayed lawfully for a minimum period. If you hold a Blue Card, you are normally covered, as described in our EU Blue Card guide. If your permit is a student or job-seeker permit, ask the Elterngeldstelle early, because the answer depends on the exact permit and its wording. Your registration at your address is also needed, see the Anmeldung guide.

Months and how parents split them

Together, the parents are entitled to 12 months of Basiselterngeld. If the income of one parent falls in at least two months, there are two extra partner months, so 14 in total. One parent can take at most 12 months of Basiselterngeld. A parent only gets Elterngeld if they claim it for at least two months.

Rules on simultaneous months

For births from 1 April 2024, both parents can receive Basiselterngeld at the same time for one month at most, and only in one of the first twelve months of the child's life. There are exceptions for premature babies, multiple births and certain cases of disability. ElterngeldPlus is not restricted in the same way, and it can be received alongside the other parent's Elterngeld. From the 13th month, one parent can draw Basiselterngeld only if the other parent receives neither Elterngeld nor ElterngeldPlus in that time.

For children born early, the entitlement is longer: 13 months for a birth at least six weeks early, up to 16 months at least 16 weeks early.

Elterngeld vs Elternzeit: money vs job protection

During Elternzeit your employer may not terminate your employment. The protection starts when you request the leave, but no earlier than eight weeks before it begins (14 weeks if the leave falls between the child's third and eighth birthdays). In special cases the state labour authority can declare a dismissal permissible. You may work up to 32 hours a week on average during Elternzeit.

You can receive Elterngeld without taking Elternzeit, for example if you are self-employed. Ask HR or your works council before you send the notice, and see our find a job in Germany guide for the wider employment context.

Mutterschaftsgeld and how it interacts with Elterngeld

Mothers may not work in the last six weeks before birth (unless they agree) or for eight weeks after, twelve for premature or multiple births.

• Mutterschaftsgeld is paid for this protection period. Members of a public health insurer receive it from their insurer. Employed women who are not members of a public health insurer, for example those with private health insurance or family insurance, can receive Mutterschaftsgeld from the Federal Office for Social Security (Bundesamt für Soziale Sicherung), capped at a total of €210.
• Offset against Elterngeld: Maternity benefits for the same child are counted against Elterngeld in full. The months of the protection period therefore use up Basiselterngeld months for the mother, even if the Mutterschaftsgeld covers the money.
• Employer top-up: Ask your HR department whether your employer adds to Mutterschaftsgeld in your case, because this is regulated separately.

If illness around the birth also affects your income, see our sick pay in Germany guide.

Self-employed parents

• Only profit counts, from self-employment, a trade business or agriculture and forestry.
• The Elterngeldstelle uses the last completed tax assessment period before the birth, which is normally the previous calendar year. Your latest tax assessment (Steuerbescheid) is the usual proof.
• A loss in one type of income is not offset against profit from another. That type of income counts as zero.
• During the benefit you may keep working up to 32 hours a week.

If your last tax return is late, the application can stall, so file it first. Our tax return guide and the start a business guide explain the basics, and the freelancer health insurance guide covers what to check with your insurer.

How to apply: ElterngeldDigital and the state offices

1. Wait for the birth. You can apply only after the child is born.
2. Find the right Elterngeldstelle. It is the one responsible for your child's place of residence. Each state sets up its own office.
3. Apply online or on paper. All states offer a digital application, and many use the ElterngeldDigital assistant. The law requires an application in writing, which states which type you claim for each month.
4. Add your documents. Expect to need the birth certificate, payslips from the assessment period and, for the self-employed, your tax assessment. Foreign parents should also have their residence permit ready. Your Elterngeldstelle publishes the exact list.
5. Get the other parent to sign. If both parents are entitled, the other parent also signs to confirm they know of the application. Signatures are not needed if a single parent has sole custody.

Health insurance during parental leave and for your baby

Public health insurance

If you are a member of a public health insurer, your membership continues during Elterngeld and Elternzeit (§192 SGB V). While you receive Elterngeld, you are exempt from contributions on that benefit (§224 SGB V). Contributions on other income, for instance from part-time work, are handled as normal. If you are a voluntary member, which is common for higher earners, ask your insurer what you will pay during Elterngeld and during any unpaid Elternzeit afterwards, because other income can still be assessed. See our public health insurance guide for how the system works.

Private health insurance

If you have private health insurance, your premiums continue during parental leave as your contract provides, and the contribution relief described above does not apply. If your pay drops, the premium becomes a bigger share of your budget, so calculate it before you plan your months. Ask both your employer and your insurer how your premium is handled during leave. Our private health insurance guide explains the rules, and our public vs private comparison helps you weigh the system for a growing family. Independent consultants at MyHealthcareBroker can compare insurers for you in English, and check prices for your family. Prices change, so check current prices before you decide.

Insurance for your baby

• Public system: Children of members are generally covered through family insurance (Familienversicherung) up to age 18, and longer in some cases (23 if not employed, 25 in school or training). There is an exception: if the parents are married (or registered partners), the other parent is not publicly insured and earns regularly more than one twelfth of the annual income threshold and more than the member, the child is not covered through family insurance (§10 SGB V).
• Private system: A child needs its own tariff. Ask your insurer early how and from when a newborn can be added.

Long-term care cover follows your health insurance, see our long-term care insurance guide. One more warning from the Family Ministry: changing your Elterngeld application retroactively can affect your health insurance cover, so check with your insurer before you amend it.

Tax on Elterngeld and what else it affects

Elterngeld is listed in §32b EStG among benefits that are taken into account when your tax rate is set (Progressionsvorbehalt), so it can raise the rate on your other income. A tax return can then lead to extra tax, see our tax return guide. Parental leave can also leave gaps in your pension record.

FAQ

Sources

Figures checked on 16 October 2026. Always confirm your own case with the Elterngeldstelle of your state.

• Rates, minimum €300, maximum €1,800, €2,770 cap: §2 BEEG
• Eligibility, €175,000 limit and residence status for non-EU citizens: §1 BEEG
• Limits by date of birth (€300,000, €200,000, €175,000) and the one-month rule for simultaneous Basiselterngeld: Federal Family Ministry, new rules for births from 1 April 2024 and 2025
• Months, partner months, premature births, simultaneous months: §4 BEEG
• ElterngeldPlus: §4a BEEG; Partnerschaftsbonus (24 to 32 hours, up to four months): §4b BEEG
• Geschwisterbonus (10%, at least €75) and Mehrlingszuschlag (€300): §2a BEEG
• Net income calculation: §2c BEEG
• Application, written form and three-month back payment: §7 BEEG
• Elternzeit: §15 BEEG; protection against dismissal: §18 BEEG
• Practical answers (ElterngeldPlus €150 to €900, self-employed, offset of maternity benefits, how to apply): Familienportal des Bundes, Elterngeld FAQ
• Maternity protection periods: §3 MuSchG; Mutterschaftsgeld (€210 cap for those not publicly insured): §19 MuSchG
• Health insurance: §192 SGB V, §224 SGB V, §10 SGB V
• Progressionsvorbehalt: §32b EStG