Apply for parental allowance
Parental allowance is a benefit for parents of infants and young children. It replaces part of the lost income if you want to be there for your child after the birth and interrupt or reduce your work. Parental allowance is also available for parents who had no income at all before the birth.
There are three types of parental allowance:
- Basic parental allowance
- Parental allowance plus
- Partnership bonus
Parental Allowance Plus and the partnership bonus provide particular support if you share the work and family responsibilities after the birth.
Even if you are a single parent, you can apply for the different variants. Parental allowance is also available for adopted children and children in foster care.
As parents, you can decide for yourself who receives parental allowance and for how long. In the application, you must specify the months of your child's life for which you would like to apply for parental allowance and which parental allowance variant you choose.
The amount of parental allowance is calculated individually. The calculation is based on the income you had before the birth and which ceases after the birth. If you had no income before the birth or no income after the birth, you will receive a minimum amount. For Basic Parental Allowance, this is at least EUR 300.00 per month, and for Parental Allowance Plus, it is at least EUR 150.00 per month.
Tip: You can use the parental allowance calculator from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs to help you plan and calculate.
Special notes for - Single Municipality Meppen
Responsibilities
- Citizens of the city of Meppen : Parental allowance office of the city of Meppen
- Citizens of the city of Lingen: Parental allowance office of the city of Lingen
- Citizens of the city of Papenburg: Parental allowance office of the city of Papenburg
- Citizens of other towns and municipalities in the district of Emsland: Parental allowance office of the district of Emsland
Basic parental allowance can be received from birth until the child is 14 months old. One parent can claim basic parental allowance for a minimum of two months (minimum period of entitlement) and a maximum of twelve months. Under certain conditions, the other parent can receive basic parental allowance for a further two months. Single parents can also receive two additional months of basic parental allowance under certain conditions.
Instead of one month of Basic Parental Allowance, Parental Allowance Plus can be claimed for two months at a time.
Parents who work at least 24 and no more than 32 hours per week on average in two to four consecutive months are entitled to two to four additional months of Parental Allowance Plus. Single parents can also receive two to four additional months of Parental Allowance Plus as bonus months under the above-mentioned conditions.
Family benefits information tool
We would also like to draw your attention to a new service offered by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. The Federal Ministry has launched the "Family Benefits Information Tool" - www.infotool-familie.de. The idea is that (expectant) parents and families can use the tool to find out which benefits and other support services are potentially available to them by entering just a few details. The tool also provides answers to the question of where and how these can be applied for. If you are interested, please click here www.infotool-familie.de.
Which documents are required?
- Application form
- Birth certificate of the child (in exceptional cases, another suitable document if necessary)
Further documents if necessary:
- Identity card or residence permit
- Proof of recognition or establishment of paternity
- Proof of earned income during the assessment period
- Declaration of expected earned income in the reference period
- Certificate from the health insurance fund regarding maternity benefit and certificate from the employer regarding the maternity benefit allowance
- Other proof of income during the reference period
The type and scope of the documents may vary depending on your individual situation. There may also be differences between the parental allowance offices. You should therefore check your application documents for further information. If you have any questions, you can contact your local parental allowance office.
Requirements
You can receive parental allowance if you meet the following requirements:
- You look after and bring up your child yourself.
- You have a place of residence in Germany or usually stay here.
- You live with your child in a shared household.
- You are either not employed at all or generally do not work more than 32 hours per week.
- There are several exceptions to the limit of 32 hours per week, for example if you are on vacation or if you are studying or training.
- If you were born by March 31, 2024: Your taxable income did not exceed EUR 250,000. For parents, the limit is usually EUR 300,000.
- For births after April 1, 2024: Your taxable income did not exceed EUR 200,000. This limit applies to single parents and couples.
- At birth from April 1, 2025: Your taxable income did not exceed EUR 175,000. This limit applies to single parents and couples.
What are the fees?
There are no fees.
Process flow
Parental allowance must be applied for in writing after the birth of the child.
Information, explanations and applications as well as the parental allowance office responsible for your place of residence are also available on the website of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Social Affairs, Labor, Health and Equality.
Processing duration
You can obtain information from the relevant parental allowance office.
What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?
You can only apply for parental allowance after the birth.
It is best to submit the application within the first 3 months of your child's life, as parental allowance is paid retroactively for a maximum of 3 months.
Appeal
- Appeal
You can find more information on how to lodge an objection in your parental allowance notification. - Complaint to the social court
Applications / forms
Forms available: Yes
Written form required: Yes
Informal application possible: No
Personal appearance necessary: No
Online services available: partly (depending on the federal state)
Special notes for - Single Municipality Meppen
Please note that different applications must be completed for births up to 31.03.2024 and for births from 01.04.2024.
The forms are named accordingly.
- Parental allowance application for birth until 31.03.2024
Remark: This parental allowance application (01.01.2024) must be used for births up to 31.03.2024.
- Parental allowance application for birth from 01.04.2024
- Parental allowance - information sheet on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Remark: Parental allowance - information sheet on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- Parental leave form
What else should I know?
If you have a complaint that the parental allowance office has not been able to resolve, you can contact the relevant supervisory authority in your federal state.
Author
Special notes for - Single Municipality Meppen
The text was automatically translated based on the German content.
Who should I contact?
Responsible authorities
Arbeit, Soziales und Gesundheit
Timetable
Contact
- Meppen:
- Meppen: