Why Your Elterngeld Rate Is 65%, 67% or More

The starting point in the law is 67%, but the actual rate depends on your average Elterngeld-Netto before birth:

• •Above €1,200 per month → the rate falls from 67% to 65%, reaching 65% at €1,240
• •€1,000 to €1,200 per month → the rate is 67%
• •Below €1,000 per month → the rate rises from 67% up to 100%

For every €2 below €1,000, the rate rises by 0.1 percentage points. For every €2 above €1,200, it falls by 0.1 percentage points until it reaches 65%.

These thresholds use the standardized net income calculated by the Elterngeldstelle, not necessarily the amount that arrived in your bank account. Tax and social-security deductions are determined under the Elterngeld rules.

That is why a payslip calculator and an Elterngeld calculation can produce different net figures.

Assuming no income after birth and ignoring bonuses:

€800 Elterngeld-Netto → 77% = €616 Basiselterngeld €1,100 Elterngeld-Netto → 67% = €737 Basiselterngeld €2,500 Elterngeld-Netto → 65% = €1,625 Basiselterngeld

If you earn money while receiving Elterngeld, the rate is generally applied to the difference between your income before and after birth instead.