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.
- 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.
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.
There are no fees.
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.
You can obtain information from the relevant parental allowance office.
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
You can find more information on how to lodge an objection in your parental allowance notification. - Complaint to the social court
Forms available: Yes
Written form required: Yes
Informal application possible: No
Personal appearance necessary: No
Online services available: partly (depending on the federal state)
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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.
The text was automatically translated based on the German content.
In Lower Saxony, responsibility lies with the administrative districts, independent cities and municipalities belonging to the region and, in individual cases (on application), with large independent cities or independent municipalities in which you are resident or habitually resident. In cases of posting, secondment, transfer or secondment without residence in Germany, jurisdiction is based on your last place of residence in Germany or the registered office of the posting body.
