LOCAL ELTERNGELD GUIDE
The Elterngeld rules are federal. The office that receives your application in Niedersachsen is not.
By Elterngeld Help · Updated August 2026
Responsible office
Based on the child’s address
Application form
Federal form
Earliest submission
After birth
WHERE TO SUBMIT
Enter your child’s postcode above. The official search will identify the local authority responsible for your child’s address.
You do not apply to one national Elterngeld office. In Niedersachsen, the child’s registered address determines which authority receives the application. The postcode search above checks the Federal Family Portal and asks for the locality when one postcode is not precise enough.
The office is a local detail. Eligibility, calculation and benefit months are governed by the federal Elterngeld rules. Plan those decisions before treating the application as paperwork.
Decide which parent claims Basiselterngeld, ElterngeldPlus or Partnerschaftsbonus in each life month. Include maternity benefits and any expected income after birth. The form records these decisions; it does not make them for you.
Our free guide checks eligibility, estimates both amounts and places the benefit months on one timeline.
Plan my Elterngeld →Proof of birth and evidence of income before birth are usually required. Depending on the situation, the office may also need evidence of maternity benefits, self-employment, expected income or working hours after birth, residence status, siblings, multiples or premature birth. Not every parent needs every document.
The application can only be submitted after birth. Receipt by the responsible authority matters. Elterngeld is paid retroactively for no more than three life months; to preserve life month 1, the application must arrive during life month 4 at the latest. Use the official postcode result above rather than the address of the nearest office building.
The office finder above checks the German Federal Family Portal. Use that result rather than an address from a general list.
Enter your child’s postcode above. The official search will identify the local authority responsible for your child’s address. The closest office is not necessarily the responsible one.
Niedersachsen uses the federal Elterngeld application form. The responsible authority and digital submission route can still differ from those in other states. Always use the current official route for the child’s address.
The official form and the authority’s correspondence are generally in German. Our interactive application explains the questions in English and prepares the German form. It does not turn the official procedure into an English-language procedure.
There is no reliable fixed processing time for the whole state. It depends on the responsible authority, its workload and whether evidence is missing. The office can tell you about the current status of a submitted application.
Answer simple questions in English. We calculate your amount, plan your months, and generate your pre-filled 23-page Niedersachsen application as a PDF.
Start your Niedersachsen application →