Elterngeld Minimum and Maximum 2026: €300–€1,800

Even if you had zero income before your baby was born, you still get €300/month Basiselterngeld. This applies to:

• •Students with no job
• •Homemakers
• •Recently unemployed parents
• •Anyone who just didn't have taxable income

This is the baseline – everyone gets at least this.

No matter how much you earned, Basiselterngeld is capped at €1,800/month. So if you earned €5,000/month net:

65% × €5,000 = €3,250 → capped at €1,800

Many high earners hit this cap. It's not based on what you 'deserve' – it's the legal maximum.

ElterngeldPlus has exactly half the limits:

• •Minimum: €150/month
• •Maximum: €900/month

Since ElterngeldPlus pays half but for twice as long, this makes sense mathematically.

Here's a nice detail: The €1,800 cap applies to your base Elterngeld. But bonuses are added on top:

• •Sibling bonus: +10% (minimum €75)
• •Multiple birth bonus: +€300 per additional child

So if you have the maximum €1,800 plus twins, you'd get €1,800 + €300 = €2,100/month.