Parental allowance & Parental allowance plus

For children born after 01.07.2007 the new parental allowance is available. This parental allowance can be claimed by parents, who:

• take care of their child themselves
• don’t work more than an average of 30 hours per week
• share a household with their children
• who’s place of residence or main residence is in Germany

The parental allowance must be applied for in written form. Entitled to claim it are: employees, public servants, self-employed or unemployed parents, studying parents or parents in job training. The application forms are handed out to parents after birth by the hospital staff and are available at the parenting allowance offices in the local community administrations. Everyone with a child fulfilling the above mentioned criteria has a claim receive parental allowance, their work or social situation are irrelevant.

Benefits:

• The parental allowance is 67% of the last net income of the parent. The maximum amount is 1.800€ per month, though. The minimum amount is 300€ per month.
• If your net income is lower than 1.000€, the parental allowance can be raised from 67% to 100%, depending on how far below 1.000€ your net income is.
• One parent can claim a maximum of 12 month support. 2 more month can be claimed if your earned income is not available to you during that time. Together both parents can claim up to 14 month of parental allowance. Should both parents wish to make a claim, the supporting period will be adjusted accordingly.
• Single parents receive 14 month of support to make up for the lacking of a second income, but only if worktime of before the child’s birth is reduced after the child’s birth.
• Parents who are unemployed before birth receive the minimum amount of 300€ (students, housewives, house husbands, lowest earners).

Parental allowance plus

Parents, who’s child was born after or on the 01.07.2015, and who want to work part time after the child’s birth, will receive parental allowance for a longer period and can make better use of their parental allowance budget. The parental allowance plus, just like the regular parental allowance, is making up for 65% to 100% of the missing income. The maximum amount of the parental allowance plus is half the regular monthly parental allowance which parents would receive without part time work. This leaves more flexibility to fathers and mothers even after the first 14 months of the child’s life.

The parental allowance plus is designed for parents who wish to return to their jobs soon after the baby’s birth. Should mother and father both decide to switch to part time work – parallel for four months, between 25 and 30 working hours per week, they each receive four additional months of parental allowance plus. Single parents can also claim additional months of parental allowance plus to extend the support period.

The parental allowance plus needs to be applied for in written form at your local parental allowance administration office, just like for the regular parental allowance. You can chose between regular parental allowance or parental allowance plus or you can combine both.

Applications must be applied for at

• in Rhineland-Palatine: your local youth welfare service
• in Saarland: county ministry of social welfare, health and consumer protection

The federal ministry of family, senior citizens, women, and youth offers a parental allowance calculator on its website.