Elterngeld Minimum and Maximum: €300 to €1,800

If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can receive the €300 monthly minimum even without income from work before birth. That can apply to students without a job, homemakers and parents who were not employed.

The minimum is not a separate universal payment. The general eligibility rules still apply, including residence, caring for the child, working no more than the permitted hours and staying within the income limit.

Without income after birth, Basiselterngeld is capped at €1,800 per month. For the income-difference calculation, no more than €2,770 in pre-birth Elterngeld-Netto is used. Income above that does not increase the payment.

The €1,800 limit applies to the amount before sibling and multiple-birth bonuses.

ElterngeldPlus has a minimum of €150 per month. Its monthly cap is half the Basiselterngeld you would receive without income after birth, and never more than €900.

Without income after birth, that usually means half the monthly Basiselterngeld for twice as many months. With part-time income, ElterngeldPlus is not necessarily half of the actual Basiselterngeld calculation.

The €1,800 cap applies before the statutory bonuses:

• •Sibling bonus: 10%, at least €75 for Basiselterngeld
• •Multiple-birth bonus: €300 for each additional child for Basiselterngeld

The minimum bonuses and multiple-birth bonus are halved for ElterngeldPlus. With €1,800 Basiselterngeld and twins, the multiple-birth bonus would bring the monthly total to €2,100.