You can prepare the Elterngeld application before birth. You cannot submit it yet.

Elterngeld is paid retroactively for no more than the three life months before the life month in which the application arrives. The current life month is included as well. To preserve life month 1, the application must therefore arrive during life month 4 at the latest.

Receipt by the authority matters, not the postmark. A missing supporting document does not automatically mean no application exists. Submit the signed application on time and ask the office which evidence can follow.

Before birth, you can plan, collect evidence and complete much of the form. You can only submit after birth.

Almost every application needs proof of birth for Elterngeld purposes and evidence of income before birth. The correct income evidence depends on the type of work and assessment period.

Common additions include:

• •payslips for employment
• •a tax assessment or other profit evidence for self-employment
• •evidence of maternity pay, employer top-up, civil-service pay or private daily sickness benefit
• •evidence of working hours and expected income while receiving Elterngeld
• •residence permits for third-country nationals
• •evidence for premature birth, siblings, multiples or single-parent status where relevant

Not everyone needs all of these. The accepted form of birth certificate and copies may also differ by state or digital process. Use the checklist provided for the specific application route.

Forms vary by state and application route, but the same questions recur:

• •Child and parents: household, care, custody and, where relevant, proof of paternity
• •Eligibility: residence, permit, working hours and income limit
• •Income before birth: work type, assessment period and possible exclusions
• •Income after birth: expected work and forecast salary or profit
• •Months: Basiselterngeld, ElterngeldPlus and Partnerschaftsbonus for each parent
• •Supplements: sibling bonus, multiple-birth supplement and extra months for premature birth

If the other parent is also eligible, they generally sign to confirm that they have seen the application. Exceptions include sole custody and certain cases where one parent claims alone.

The responsible Elterngeldstelle is determined by the child's place of residence. There is no single national submission address. Federal states and, in some cases, municipalities use different forms and digital processes.

Every state offers a digital option or electronic support. That does not always mean the entire application is paperless: depending on the process, printing, signatures or postal submission may still be required.

Always use the official route for your state. Our office finder shows the responsible office once the required location data is available.

Not every missing tick costs money. These points deserve attention:

• •late receipt: earlier life months can permanently fall outside the retroactive period
• •wrong assessment period: especially with self-employment, mixed income or excludable months
• •income after birth omitted: this can lead to repayment later
• •months planned without maternity benefits: these count as Basis months for the person giving birth
• •Partnerschaftsbonus without reliable working hours: deviations can trigger repayment
• •Basis and Plus compared only by monthly amount: duration and income after birth belong in the same comparison

ElterngeldPlus is not automatically better for every parent working part-time. Nor is excluding an assessment month always optional. Good planning starts by refusing to treat every case as identical.

The Elterngeldstelle checks eligibility, income and the claimed life months. If something is missing, it asks for further evidence. There is no fixed nationwide processing time.

The Bescheid lists approved months and amounts. Check in particular:

• are Basiselterngeld and ElterngeldPlus correct in each life month?
• was the correct assessment period used?
• were income and supplements included correctly?
• is the decision provisional or final?

Tell the office if working hours, income, residence or another fact relevant to entitlement changes. You can object to an incorrect Bescheid; the exact deadline appears in the Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung and is normally one month.

Future life months can generally be changed. Retrospective changes are subject to the three-month limit and further restrictions; months already paid can usually only be changed in special circumstances.