Elterngeld calculator in English

Calculate your Elterngeld

What common plans pay in total

Uses the tax rules for births in 2027 (for 2026 births, results can differ by a few euros). Income above an Elterngeld-Netto of €2,770 is ignored; no Elterngeld if the household's taxable income in the year before the birth exceeded €175,000. Private insurance: no 9% health deduction. Totals ignore the Partnerschaftsbonus. Not legal advice; the Elterngeldstelle decides.

Elterngeld by salary and tax class

Monthly Basiselterngeld for one baby, not working after birth, public health insurance, no church tax (tax rules for births in 2027):

The €1,800 maximum is reached at about €4,420 gross a month in class I or IV and €3,830 in class III. Income above that adds nothing, which is why high earners get a lower share of their salary.

How Elterngeld is calculated, step by step

Elterngeld is not based on your payslip net. The Elterngeldstelle builds its own figure, the Elterngeld-Netto, using flat rates set in the law:

1. Average gross: regular salary over the 12 calendar months before the birth month. For the birth mother, the 12 months before maternity leave. Bonuses, 13th salary and other one-off payments are left out.
2. Minus €102.50: one twelfth of the €1,230 employee allowance.
3. Minus taxes: wage tax for the tax class you had for most of those 12 months, Soli if applicable, and church tax at a flat 8% whatever your state.
4. Minus 21% social flat rate: 9% health and care, 10% pension, 2% unemployment. Privately insured parents skip the 9%.
5. Apply the rate: 67% of the result, falling 0.1 percentage points per €2 above €1,200 to a floor of 65%, and rising 0.1 points per €2 below €1,000 up to 100%. Anything above €2,770 is ignored.
6. Add bonuses: +€300 per additional baby for twins or triplets, and the sibling bonus of 10% (at least €75) if you already have a child under 3 or two under 6.

Worked example, €3,000 gross in class I: €3,000 - €102.50 = €2,897.50; minus about €298 wage tax; minus 21% (€608.48) gives an Elterngeld-Netto of about €1,991. At 65%, that is €1,294 a month. The legal basis is §2 BEEG and the flat rates in §2f BEEG.

Basiselterngeld, ElterngeldPlus and the partnership bonus

Two limits matter when you plan. Both parents may draw Basiselterngeld in the same month only once, within the child's first 12 months; ElterngeldPlus can overlap freely. And Basiselterngeld must be taken within the first 14 months of the child's life. If you plan to go back part-time, ElterngeldPlus almost always pays more in total, because your part-time income reduces it far less than it reduces Basiselterngeld. The job-protection side (Elternzeit, up to 3 years) is in our parental leave guide.

The tax class switch worth up to hundreds a month

Because Elterngeld uses your net pay after wage tax, a lower-earning parent in class V gets far less than in class IV or III. At €3,000 gross, class V pays about €1,077 a month and class III about €1,463: a difference of roughly €386 a month, or over €4,600 across 12 months.

The Elterngeldstelle uses the class that applied in most months of the 12-month reference period (§2c BEEG). So the change must take effect at least 7 months before that period ends; for the birth mother, 7 months before maternity leave begins. In practice that means switching early in the pregnancy. The couple's total annual tax does not change, only the withholding; see Steuerklassen explained and check both parents' monthly pay in the net salary calculator.

Maternity pay comes first

An employed birth mother is on Mutterschutz from 6 weeks before to 8 weeks after the birth (12 weeks for premature or multiple births). During those 8 weeks she receives Mutterschaftsgeld from the Krankenkasse plus her employer's top-up to full net pay. Both are credited against Elterngeld, and by law those months count as months in which she draws Basiselterngeld. So two of her months are used up by maternity pay and add nothing on top. The partner's months are unaffected. The calculator's totals include this offset when the box is ticked.

Elterngeld and your tax return

Elterngeld is tax-free, but it counts under the Progressionsvorbehalt: it raises the tax rate on the rest of your household income. Anyone who received more than €410 of Elterngeld in a year must file a tax return, and couples on classes III and V are often asked to pay back several hundred euros. Put money aside in the Elterngeld year rather than being surprised the spring after.

Estimate the effect with our tax refund calculator by entering the Elterngeld in its Progressionsvorbehalt field, and read the tax return guide for the filing itself.

Who can get Elterngeld, and how to apply

• Residence: you live in Germany with the child in your household and care for it yourself. EU citizens qualify like Germans; non-EU parents need a residence permit that allows work, with some exceptions. The permit rules are in our Elterngeld guide.
• Work: no more than 32 hours a week while drawing Elterngeld.
• Income limit: taxable income in the calendar year before birth of €175,000 or less (births from 1 April 2025), for couples combined and single parents alike.
• Where: the Elterngeldstelle of your state or city; some states also accept online applications through ElterngeldDigital.
• When: after the birth, and within 3 months, because Elterngeld is only paid for up to 3 months back.
• Documents: birth certificate for Elterngeld purposes, payslips for the reference period, the Mutterschaftsgeld certificate, and for non-EU parents the residence permit.

Self-employed parents are assessed on the profit in their last tax return instead of payslips, which this calculator does not model. Kindergeld of €259 a month per child is paid separately; see the Kindergeld guide. The official source is the Federal Family Ministry's Elterngeld page.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Replacement rates, €300 minimum, €1,800 maximum and €2,770 cap: §2 BEEG. Sibling bonus and multiples supplement: §2a BEEG.
• Tax deductions using the previous year's payroll specification and 8% church tax: §2e BEEG; 21% social flat rate: §2f BEEG.
• Months, ElterngeldPlus €150-900, Partnerschaftsbonus 24-32 hours, simultaneous-month rule: BMFSFJ. €175,000 income limit for births from 1 April 2025: Federal Government.

General information, not legal advice. The Elterngeldstelle's decision is binding.