Having a baby in Germany? Planning on taking parental leave? Then you will need to apply for the Elterngeld and Kindergeld. The Germans love a paper trail as all expats living in Germany know all too well. And that paper trail only increases tenfold when having a baby. It is easy to become overwhelmed by what may seem like a never-ending mountain of forms to fill out and documents to submit when having a child in Germany. But do not despair! I will walk you through all the relevant forms and deadlines based on my personal experience. Read below to find out all about the Elterngeld & Kindergeld, including what they are and when and how to apply for them.
Elterngeld
What is the Elterngeld?
The Elterngeld is parental allowance. You can receive parental allowance if you are a resident of Germany and live in the same household as your child and are either not working or not working more than 30 hours per week in the month(s) you receive the parental allowance. Foreigners, like myself, also receive parental allowance if they reside in Germany and have a valid residence permit. You can receive parental allowance for a minimum of 2 and maximum of 12 months. If both parents want to split the 12 months of parental allowance, they can do so; however, each must take a minimum of 2 months. They can take the parental allowance at different times or overlap during the same months. You can only receive basic parental allowance in your child’s first 14 months of life.
You can access all the frequently asked questions and answers about the Elterngeld here.
How much money do I receive from the Elterngeld?
In Germany, it is mandatory to take maternity leave 6 weeks before your due date and 8 weeks after your birth. During this time, the mother receives 100% of her pay – part from her employer and the rest from her insurance provider (i.e. TK). However, for any additional parental leave taken after the 8 weeks of maternity leave, the mother will receive 65-67% of her net salary from the Elterngeld. The same for a partner taking parental leave. This amount is capped at 1800 EUR. So if you are a high earner, you will still not receive more than 1800 EUR per month during your months of parental leave. If you were not working before having your child, you are eligible to receive the minimum amount of 300 EUR.
You can access all the frequently asked questions and answers about the Elterngeld here.
How and when can I apply for the Elterngeld?
You can start the application online here as soon as you know that you will be having a child and taking parental leave. However, you cannot submit the application until after your child is born. And you will most likely have to submit the application via post even if you complete it online (you will be notified how to submit your application once it is completed). My advice is to get started on it ASAP as it is a lengthy application.
You will need to specify in the application which months you plan to take parental leave and receive Elterngeld. These months are not 100% binding. You are able to change the months you have selected for Elterngeld if you make the changes in advance (i.e. you cannot make changes in the current month). However, just because you can change the months you receive Elterngeld does not mean that your employer will let you change the months you are taking parental leave. It is best to have this conversation with your employer in advance to understand how much notice you must give if your situation will change (and things change rapidly with a baby!).
In addition to completing the application, you also will need to mail the following forms for one or both parents:
- Proof of employer contribution to maternity benefit
- Certificate from the health insurance company about the maternity allowance after the birth of the child
- Copy of the passport(s) with residence permit(s) and registration certificate for both parents
- Copies of monthly wages and salaries (last 12 salaries before birth of child) for both parents
- Written confirmation from the employer about taking parental leave for both parents
- Child’s birth certificate (from the Standesamt)
You can access all the frequently asked questions and answers about the Elterngeld here.
Once your baby is born and you have sent (by mail) the digital application (printed) and the supplementary documents listed above, you will receive a letter by post notifying you of any missing documents to your application. My advice is to mail your application as soon as your baby is born even if you are missing some of the above listed documents. In this way, your application will at least be in processing and you will not risk missing the appropriate time window to submit the application. For us, the biggest bottleneck to completing the application was our baby’s birth certificate from the Standesamt. It took approximately 3 weeks for us to even schedule the appointment at the Standesamt and even longer to receive the birth certificates.
Kindergeld
What is the Kindergeld?
Kindergeld is child benefit money. It is meant to cover additional expenses incurred from having a child. You can receive Kindergeld money if you live in Germany and your child is under the age of 25, unmarried and living in your household. Generally, however, you only receive Kindergeld until the child is 18 years old. You can read more about special circumstances here (in english). Foreigners, like me, who live in Germany are also eligible for Kindergeld granted they have a valid residency permit.
Read the Child Benefit Pamphlet from the Familienkasse in English
How much do I receive for the Kindergeld?
For your first and second child you receive 204 EUR per month per child. This amount increases with the third child and increases even further with each consecutive child. (They really want you to have lots of children in Germany). You will receive this amount each month until the child is 18 years old.
How do I apply for the Kindergeld?
You can apply for the Kindergeld after your child is born. However, you can complete the majority of the forms ahead of time. You can complete the Kindergeld application online here if you meet certain requirements. Otherwise you will need to download the forms, complete them and mail them by post to the Familienkasse. You can find the forms in english (and other languages) here. You must complete both the application form and the Apendix: Child form. Then mail these two completed forms along with the birth certificate for the Kindergeld you receive from the Standesamt to the Familienkasse.
Like the Elterngeld, I would strongly suggest to send the application as soon as possible after your child’s birth, even if you are still waiting for the birth certificate from the Standesamt. The Familienkasse will also want your child’s tax number. This will be mailed to you from the Finanzamt some weeks (or even months) after your child’s birth is registered with the Standesamt. If for some reason you do not receive your child’s Steuernummer, you can request it here.
I hope this article helps you to decode the process for submitting the Elterngeld and Kindergeld. If you have any questions or any helpful tips based on your experience, be sure to comments them below!
