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Elterngeld at a glance

The essentials in 3 minutes: how much you get, how to split the months, who qualifies, and which deadlines matter.

12-14monthly amounts for you as parents
~65 %of your previous net pay
300-1.800 €per month, depending on income
Chapter 1

How much do you get?

Elterngeld (Germany's parental allowance) replaces your income: roughly 65% of your previous net pay, between €300 and €1,800 per month.

What “previous” means depends on how you work:

Employed: the 12 months before the birth count, for mothers the 12 months before Mutterschutz (maternity protection) started.
Self-employed: your last completed tax year counts.

You get more if:

+10 %Sibling bonus: at least €75, while another young child lives in your household
+300 €for every additional twin or triplet
+4 monthsfor premature birth: up to 4 extra monthly amounts, depending on how early your baby arrives

Watch out: A bonus, a job change or unpaid leave inside your 12-month window changes your number. Check the window before you plan.

Calculate your number here · 2 minutes
Your net income€3.500
€0€5.000
Your monthly Elterngeld
€1.800/moBasis
€900/moPlus
Chapter 2

How do you split the months?

As parents you share 12 monthly amounts, 14 if both of you take at least 2 months. How you split them can move a few thousand euros.

BasiselterngeldThe full rate, for months without income. Every Basis month uses up one full monthly amount from your shared budget, and Basis is only available until Lebensmonat 14 (your baby's 14th month).
ElterngeldPlusHalf the rate, but every budget month becomes two. Plus also runs beyond month 14 and is built for months with part-time income: your salary barely hurts here.
PartnerschaftsbonusUp to 4 extra Plus months per parent if you both work 24 to 32 hours in parallel.

Good to know: Mutterschutz automatically occupies the mother's first months as Basis months. When you plan, she has 10 Basis months left to place freely, not 12.

Watch out: Salary or paid vacation days landing in a Basis month get deducted from your Elterngeld. Rule of thumb: months with income belong to ElterngeldPlus.

Lay out your months in the planner and see what each split pays →

Chapter 3

Who gets Elterngeld?

You qualify if:

  • ✓you live in Germany
  • ✓you live with your child in one household and care for them yourself
  • ✓you work no more than 32 hours per week after the birth
  • ✓you are an EU/EEA citizen, or you hold a residence permit that allows you to work (the Blue Card counts)

There is one limit: if your taxable income in the year before the birth was above €175,000, there is no Elterngeld.

Special situation? The free checklist walks through your case step by step →

Chapter 4

The timeline

MutterschutzStarts 6 weeks before the birth.
BirthLebensmonate (baby months) start counting here.
Elterngeld applicationThe state pays at most 3 months back.
PaymentsBasis until month 14, with ElterngeldPlus up to month 32.
  • •You can only apply after the birth. But you can prepare everything before.
  • •Elterngeld is paid retroactively for at most 3 Lebensmonate (months of your baby's life). Months further back are gone for good.
  • •Elternzeit is not Elterngeld: you announce the time to your employer with 7 weeks notice. Plan the money first, then announce the time.

How we can help

The application itself is a 23-page form in German bureaucratic language. You do not have to face it alone:

Build your plan and run the numbers, free →orGet personal advice: application ready in 48 hours