Benefits for families with children

Legal guardians and parents can apply for child benefits

Child benefits are provided:

• For children who are in vocational training until the age of 25
• For unemployed children until the age of 21
• For children who live in Germany or in a member state of the EU or the EWR

The child benefits are paid independent from the income.

In addition, families can be granted child allowances for the income tax.

On the 1st of July 2019 (1.7.2019) the child benefits were raised once again and is currently

The application happens via the Familienkasse der Agentur for Arbeit.

Child supplement can be paid to families with a low income if:

• unmarried children below the age of 25 and are living in the same household
• the income is not below a certain minimum threshold. This minimum threshold is at € 900 gross for couples and at €600 gross for single parents
• the applicant does not get any benefits according to SGB II or welfare.

From the 1st of January 2020, you can get the child supplement as well, if your total income is less than €100 underneath the entitlement to SGB II. This total income consists out of your income, child supplement and housing benefits.

The current valid maximum income threshold has been cancelled since the 1st of January 2020. This enables you to get the child supplement, even if you have a slightly higher income.

The maximum amount of the child supplement is €185 per child and month.

You can get the application at the family cashier, but also you can download it online.

In addition, parents may apply for educational and participatory benefits. Please refer to education and participation under the menu item Overview from A to Z.

Parents will get the parental benefit, if they:

• supervise their children for a maximum time period of 14 months after they were born
• do not work more than 30 hours during their parental leave
• live together with their child in one household
• have a residence or their usual centre of living in Germany

Besides the basic parental benefit (parental benefit) there is since 2015 the parental benefit plus available.

Basic parental benefit

If both parents are not able to work because of the necessity to supervise their child, then the basic parental benefit is granted for the duration of 14 months for both. These months can be divided between both parents freely. One of the parents can make use of the benefit for at least 2 months and for a maximum of 12.

Single parents who get the parental benefit can make use of the parental benefit for the full 14 months. Parents can only get the basic parental benefit within the first 14 months of life of their child. After that, they can only get a parental benefit plus or the partner bonus.

Parental beneift plus

The parental benefit plus aims to facilitate the compatibility of occupation and family for parents who want to work part-time again, for as long as they get the regular parental benefits. Mums and dads have therefore the possibility, longer than before, to take advantage of the regular parental benefit.
Parental benefit plus can be received twice as long as the regular parental benefit: One month parental benefit equals two months parental benefit plus.

If parents do not work after their child was born, then the parental benefit plus is only half as high as the monthly parental benefit including part-time.

Partnership bonus

Parents get a partnership bonus, who share the supervision of their child while receiving the parental benefit and at the same time work in part-time between 25 and 30 hours per month: They get four extra months of parental benefit plus. Single parents are entitled to the total partnership bonus.

All parents are entitled to parental benefit, no matter if they were working before the birth of their child or not. The amount of the parental benefit is dependent on the income.

Parents with a higher income get 65%, and parents with a lower income up to 100% from their prior income.

Depending on the income, the parental benefit is between €300 and €1800 per month. The parental benefit plus is between €150 and €900 per month.

All parents who, after the child was born, supervise it them-self and work a maximum of 30 hours per week, receive the minimal parental benefit. Also those are concerned who were not able to work because of the supervision of older children, such as students, housewives, housemen and parents.

With an online calculator for parental benefit you can determine the amount of the parental benefit yourself. You can use this link for the online calculator. LINK

The parental benefit has to be applied for in written form. Please contact your competent office for parental benefits.

Adress:

the entitlement for a maternity benefit concerns women who:

• are voluntary or are statutory health ensured and have an entitlement to get sick pay
• were employed (home-based work or mini-job) before the child was born
• were admissibly given notice to by their employer while being pregnant

During the period of protection, maternity benefit is paid (the women are not allowed to work during this time) for the duration of:

• 6 weeks prior to giving birth and 8 weeks after
• 12 weeks after giving birth in case of a premature- or multiple birth

As how much the maternity benefit is, will be calculated upon the income from the last three months and is a maximum of €13 per day.

In case, the income prior to maternity leave was more than €390, an employer contribution will be paid in addition to the maternity benefit.

You will find additional information to the topics: family, pregnancy, women, on the website from the Federal Ministry of Family, Seniors, Women and Youths.

Guideline to the maternity protection