Interest-free loan according to § 3 Family Care Leave Act Granting

Employees who take leave to care for a relative have a legal right to an interest-free loan.

The loan is intended to help cushion the loss of earnings caused by the reduction in earned income

It is paid out in monthly installments and must also be repaid in installments after the end of the exemption.

The monthly loan instalments are granted in the amount of half of the difference between the flat-rate monthly net remuneration before and during the exemption.

Decisive for the calculation of the flat-rate monthly net salary before the release is the monthly gross salary excluding the remuneration in kind of the last 12 months. One-off payments and other remuneration (such as holiday pay or bonuses) are taken into account in the calculation.

Even with a complete exemption, the calculation of the loan is based on an employment of 15 hours. Therefore, the loan replaces a maximum of half of the difference between the fictitious income from 15 hours per week.

The loan installments are paid out non-cash at the beginning of each calendar month in which the eligibility requirements are met.

It is also possible to apply for a lower loan - up to a minimum of 50 euros per month.

The loan is to be used as a priority before receiving means-tested social benefits. When calculating social benefits, the loan must be taken into account as income.