Child benefit, family allowance in Germany in 2024, 2023: amount and types of benefits for children and parents

§ Types of child benefits, allowances for pregnant women and for parents in Germany

In Germany, comprehensive assistance is provided to families with children in order to protect and financially support pregnant women, children and youth. The German law defines the rights of pregnant women, including the right to maternity leave, maternity benefits and employer's allowance. Women receiving social assistance are allocated money for additional expenses. There are also assistance centers in Germany where you can get information about the types and amounts of assistance that the state provides to families. Such centers work at charitable organizations, healthcare institutions and other agencies. Links on this topic can be found below on the page.

Table 1: Types of child and parental benefits in Germany as of 2023

§ Child benefit or child support: Kindergeld (Bundeskindergeldgesetz, BKGG)

The main child benefit in Germany is called Kindergeld. It is calculated for each child living in the family and is paid to one of the parents or another guardian on a monthly basis until the child reaches the age of 18. The allowance is paid by the family fund (Familienkasse). If the child lives separately, s/he receives the child benefit to their bank account. The child allowance can be paid after the age of 18, but up to the age of 25, if the children in this period receive their first education or receive a second education and work less than 20 hours a week, or have the status of unemployed at the labour exchange. There are also a number of other conditions for receiving child allowance after the age of 18. For children with disabilities, child benefits can be paid even after they turn 25 years old. The table below shows the child benefits amount, depending on the number of children, and the chart shows the change in this amount over the recent years.

Table 2: Child benefit, Kindergeld, in Germany as of 2023 год

As can be seen from this table, the minimum amount of child benefits in Germany is 250 euros or 266.40 USD.

Chart 1. Change in the amount of child benefit per 1 child
(in a family with 1 or 2 children) in Germany by year

§ Subsidies for children, Kinderzuschlag

Subsidies for children (Kinderzuschlag) are provided by law for families whose budget is below the subsistence level. If a family does not receive social assistance or unemployment benefits , from Bürgergeld (formerly Arbeitslosengeld II), then it has the right to receive child subsidies and housing subsidies, Wohngeld. Thus, a family with the incomes slightly below the subsistence minimum has the right to receive subsidies for housing and for children, thanks to which a subsistence minimum will be reached and they do not have to become recipients of unemployment benefits or social assistance. This benefit, as well as the Kindergeld, is paid by the family fund, Familienkasse.

The maximum amount of subsidies for children in 2023 is 250 euros a month per 1 child. This amount decreases depending on the family income level. For a family to have the right to receive subsidies for children, their income has to be between the minimum and maximum income limits established by law. For example, for a married couple, the minimum income limit is 900 euros, for a single parent it is 600 euros. The maximum income limit is the amount that a family should receive in the framework of the Bürgergeld unemployment benefit. When calculating subsidies for children, a number of factors are taken into account, such as the special needs of the family, the cost of housing, and so on.

§ Child maintenance allowance for education and participation in extracurricular activities, Leistungen für Bildung und Teilhabe

Recipients of child subsidies or housing subsidies, as well as of the Bürgergeld unemployment benefit, are entitled to receive various payments to cover the actual expenses of children in connection with education and participation in extracurricular activities. These payments include as follows:

• Excursions, one-day or longer hikes with the class-mates;
• School supplies, 174 euros per year;
• Travel expenses for travel to school;
• Learning, training support;
• The cost of lunch at school;
• Participation in the social and cultural life of the society, for example, music school, sports clubs (15 euros per month).

An application for these subsidies payment can be submitted to the local authorities, for example, city administrations. The unemployment benefit recipients can apply at their local Jobcenter.

In addition, recipients of the Bürgergeld unemployment benefits and housing subsidies are exempt from paying a fee for a place in a kindergarten (in German: Kita-Gebühren).

§ Child support moneyed assistance for single parents, Unterhaltsvorschuss

Single parents whose children do not receive alimony from the second parent (or receive it irregularly or partially), are eligible for this benefit. This type of allowance is paid for children under 12 years old. Under certain conditions, the allowance may be paid to children aged 12 to 18 years old. The governing law: Gesetz zur Sicherung des Unterhalts von Kindern alleinstehender Mütter und Väter durch Unterhaltsvorschüsse oder -ausfalleistungen.

Table 3: Amount of the Unterhaltsvorschuss child support moneyed assistance in Germany as of 2023 год

§ Maternity allowance, Mutterschaftsgeld

The maternity allowance is intended for young mothers, it is paid during the maternity leave, due to the fact that the professional activity of a pregnant woman, a young mother is limited or not possible at all. The allowance is paid to working citizens and foreigners who have a permit to work in Germany (Niederlassungserlaubnis, Aufenthaltserlaubnis, Aufenthaltsberechtigung) and who have submitted the relevant application.

Maternity leave in Germany begins 6 weeks before the due date of delivery diagnosed by the doctor and continues for 8 weeks after the childbirth, this period can be extended up to 12 weeks in case of premature birth. To receive the maternity allowance, you must apply to the Krankenkasse health insurance fund where the pregnant woman is insured. An application for this type of benefit can be submitted at the earliest 7 weeks before the due date of delivery.

The allowance is calculated based on the average earnings for the last 3 months. During maternity leave these average earnings are partially paid to the woman by the health insurance fund, the rest is paid by the employer. The health insurance fund pays a maximum of 13 euros per day. If a pregnant woman is insured at a private health insurance fund or insured "through" her husband (familienversichert), in this case the amount of the benefit is a maximum of 210 euros. In addition, for a pregnant woman, the health insurance fund pays for the services of a midwife and attending courses for young mothers.

Due to the increasing needs of women in the event of pregnancy, recipients of social assistance and Bürgergeld are entitled to various benefits or subsidies, including: those for buying clothes for pregnant women and things for the newborn. To receive these subsidies, you have to timely submit the appropriate application.

§ Moneyed assistance for upbringing a child, parental allowance: Elterngeld (Bundeselterngeld-und Elternzeitgesetzes, BEEG)

This type of benefit is paid to parents for raising a child, monthly, during the first 14-28 months, depending on the method of payment. This type of assistance is provided to both working and unemployed parents. Requirements for parents to receive this type of allowance are as follows:

• Permanent residence in Germany;
• Self-parenting and childcare;
• Work no more than 32 hours per week;
• Living with a child.

There are also some other restrictions. This type of benefit can be received in 2 possible ways: (1) Basiselterngeld, the basic parental benefit, and (2) Elterngeld Plus, Elterngeld+. Parents can receive the basic benefit for 14 months or Elterngeld+ for 28 months. The amount of the parent Elterngeld+ is 2 times smaller than the amount of the the basic benefit. The amount of the benefit depends on the parents' income and is calculated on the basis of certain rules, it can make up 65% of parents' income or more, but not exceeding the maximum amount specified by law. The maximum amount as of 2023 is 1800 euros for the basic benefit and 900 euros for the Elterngeld+. Parents who have not worked before the birth of the child receive an allowance in the amount of 300 euros and 150 euros, respectively. Some other benefits are also provided. To calculate this benefit, it is best to consult to determine the most advantageous option for obtaining this benefit; you can also make a calculation of the amount on the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs website: Calculator for estimating Elterngeld.

§ Links to the laws and official websites on the topic: benefits for families and children in Germany

Government agencies in Germany responsible for paying benefits for children and families provide detailed information on child benefits, official application forms and brochures for each type of benefit on their official Internet resources. In addition, these institutions are ready to provide personal advice. The following are the links where you can find this information in Germany:

• Labour exchange: information on the Kindergeld, Kinderzuschlag benefits, search Familienkasse, application forms
• Federal Ministry for Family Affairs: all benefits for families and children
• Profamilia - types of financial assistance for the family, counseling for the family
• Familien Wegweiser - application forms, benefit calculators, questions and answers, advice
• Brochure on child benefits on the Labour Exchange website

Footnotes:

* The EUR exchange rate in the tables is taken as of 15 april 2024 and amounts to 1.07 USD or 0.85 GBP at the European Central Bank exchange rate. The EUR, USD and GBR exchange rates in Germany