Elterngeld: getting paid for the baby year

What Elterngeld is (and how it differs from Elternzeit)

Two things get confused constantly:

• Elterngeld = the money - a state payment replacing income while you care for a baby.
• Elternzeit = the job-protected leave - your right to take up to 3 years off work and return (Elternzeit).

You usually take them together (Elternzeit for the time, Elterngeld for the income during it), but they're separate entitlements with separate rules. This guide is the money; the leave is its own guide.

The amount: 65% of net, €300 to €1,800

Basiselterngeld replaces a share of your pre-birth net income:

• Roughly 65% of your average net monthly salary from the 12 months before birth (the replacement rate is a bit higher for lower incomes, up to ~67%).
• Minimum €300/month - paid even if you had no income before (students, non-working parents get the €300 floor).
• Maximum €1,800/month - the cap, reached at higher salaries (the official BMFSFJ Elterngeld page has the exact bands).
• Multiple/sibling bonuses: a Mehrlingszuschlag (+€300/month per additional twin/triplet) and a Geschwisterbonus (a top-up if you have another young child).

Because it's based on net pre-birth pay, your German tax classes (Steuerklassen) (tax class) in the months before birth can significantly change the amount - a classic optimisation covered in that guide (switching the caring parent to a lower-tax class in advance raises their net, and thus their Elterngeld).

The 14 months, and how parents split them

Elterngeld is a shared family entitlement, designed to involve both parents:

• 14 months of Basiselterngeld total for a couple - but only if both parents take at least 2 months each (the "partner months"). If one parent takes it all, the family gets 12 months, not 14.
• A single parent with sole custody can claim the full 14 months alone.
• Parents can take their months at the same time or consecutively, within the child's first ~14 months for Basiselterngeld.

So the standard pattern is one parent takes 12 months and the other takes 2 - unlocking the full 14 - though many split more evenly.

ElterngeldPlus and the Partnerschaftsbonus

Two flexible variants worth understanding:

• ElterngeldPlus: you receive half the monthly Basiselterngeld amount, but for twice as long - each Basis month converts into two Plus months. It's built for working part-time while drawing Elterngeld: because part-time income only partly reduces Plus, you often net more overall than stacking part-time pay against Basiselterngeld. Ideal for easing back into work.
• Partnerschaftsbonus: extra ElterngeldPlus months if both parents work part-time simultaneously (a set range of hours) for a block of months - rewarding shared care.

Basis and Plus can be combined across the entitlement, so a common plan is a few Basis months at home followed by Plus months while returning part-time.

Before Elterngeld comes Mutterschutz (for mothers)

A crucial piece expat mothers must know: the baby-benefits timeline doesn't start with Elterngeld - it starts with Mutterschutz (maternity protection):

• The protection period: you generally stop work 6 weeks before the due date and 8 weeks after birth (12 weeks after for multiples, premature, or a disabled child). During it you're protected and, in most cases, not allowed to work.
• The money during it - Mutterschaftsgeld: your Krankenkasse pays up to €13/day, and your employer tops it up to your full average net salary for those weeks. So you keep roughly full pay through Mutterschutz - more than Elterngeld's 65%.
• Then Elterngeld begins: the post-birth Mutterschutz weeks count as your first Elterngeld months and the Mutterschaftsgeld is offset against Elterngeld in that period (you don't draw both fully). Practically, the mother's Elterngeld effectively starts after the 8-week Mutterschutz for those months.
• Strong dismissal protection runs from the start of pregnancy until 4 months after birth - you can't be fired in this window except in rare authority-approved cases (Employee rights in Germany).

So the sequence for a working mother is: Mutterschutz (near-full pay) → Elterngeld (65%) → optionally continued Elternzeit. Fathers/partners skip straight to Elterngeld/Elternzeit. Plan the maternity-leave notification with your employer and Krankenkasse well before the due date.

It's tax-free but raises your tax rate (Progressionsvorbehalt)

Elterngeld itself isn't taxed - but it's subject to Progressionsvorbehalt: it's added to your income when calculating the rate applied to your *other* taxable income that year. So if you earn anything else in the Elterngeld year (or your spouse does, filing jointly), your tax rate can rise, sometimes producing a back-payment at your The German tax return. It's not a reason to avoid Elterngeld, just a number not to be surprised by - and filing a return is mandatory in an Elterngeld year.

The €175,000 income cap

A hard eligibility line introduced for higher earners:

• For births from 1 April 2025, there's no Elterngeld if the taxable income exceeds €175,000 - this single limit applies to both couples and single parents (per the federal government's Elterngeld reform).
• It's based on the relevant pre-birth taxable income (zu versteuerndes Einkommen).
• Above the cap, you get nothing; below it, the normal rules apply.

So very high earners no longer qualify, but the vast majority of families are well under the limit.

Expats: who can claim

Elterngeld is open to non-Germans on the same broad basis as Kindergeld:

• EU/EEA/Swiss citizens living/working in Germany qualify.
• Non-EU citizens qualify with a residence permit that allows or is compatible with work/settlement (most work permits, Blue Card, settlement permits). Some purely temporary permits are excluded - the Elterngeldstelle assesses.
• You (and generally the child) must live in Germany.

If both parents are expats and both worked, both can claim their share - it's per parent within the family entitlement.

How and when to apply

1. Apply after the birth to your regional Elterngeldstelle (the office varies by Bundesland - your city's family office points you to it).
2. Backdating is limited to 3 months, so apply within the first 3 months of birth to avoid losing any.
3. Documents: the birth certificate (Geburtsurkunde with the Elterngeld-specific copy), proof of income (payslips/employer certificate for the 12 pre-birth months), your health-insurance and tax details, and a residence permit for non-EU parents.
4. Coordinate with your employer's Elternzeit notification (Elternzeit) - the leave and the money are filed separately.
5. Payment then arrives monthly for your chosen months.

Frequently asked questions