Elterngeld Reform 2027: What the Draft Plans for Births from November 2027

On 29 October 2026 the Federal Ministry for Education, Family, Seniors, Women and Youth sent a draft law on Elterngeld to the federal states and associations for comment. This draft is called a Referentenentwurf. It is the first official stage of a new law.

• As of 1 November 2026:
• •The federal cabinet has not adopted the draft yet.
• •The Bundestag and the Bundesrat have not dealt with it yet.
• •No dates for these steps have been published.

In an answer to the Bundestag dated 26 October 2026 (printed paper 21/8793), the federal government said that the details were still being agreed within the government. The content can still change before it becomes law.

The draft would apply to children born, or taken in for adoption, on or after 1 November 2027. For children born before that date, the current law would continue to apply. The draft says so in a transition rule (new § 27 Abs. 1c BEEG).

What counts is the actual date of birth, not the due date. If your baby is due around the start of November 2027, the birth date decides which rules apply.

Each point shows the current law first, then the draft:

• •Months: today 12 Basis months plus 2 partner months, at most 12 per parent. Draft: 4 reserved months for each parent plus 6 months the parents share as they like (4+6+4), at most 10 per parent. The total stays at 14.
• •Replacement rate: today usually 65% to 67% of Elterngeld-Netto. Draft: 80% in the first four months a parent receives Elterngeld, 50% in every further month. Income under €1,000 gets a higher rate, as today.
• •Minimum and maximum: today €300 to €1,800 per month. Draft: €330 to €1,900.
• •ElterngeldPlus: stays. One Basis month can still be taken as two Plus months, up to 28 months in total.
• •Partnerschaftsbonus: today 2 to 4 extra Plus months for each parent if both work part-time at the same time. Draft: abolished.
• •Basiselterngeld at the same time: today both parents can usually receive it together in only one of the first 12 months of life. Draft: no such limit.
• •Assessment period for employees: today the 12 calendar months before the month of birth. Draft: the calendar year before the birth, proven with the annual payroll tax certificate (Lohnsteuerbescheinigung). Christmas bonus and other one-off payments (sonstige Bezüge) would count. Earlier years can still be used on request, for example after Mutterschutz. For the self-employed, the last completed tax year stays.
• •Sibling bonus: today it ends when the older child passes the age limit. Draft: paid until Elterngeld ends.
• •Single parents: today up to 14 months. Draft: still up to 14 months, of which up to 8 at 80%.
• •Premature births: the extra months stay.
• •Income limit: €175,000 taxable income (zu versteuerndes Einkommen) stays unchanged in the draft.

These examples only apply the percentages and limits of the draft. Your actual amount depends on how the final law calculates your income.

Under the draft, each parent's first four months pay more and later months pay less. If both parents take at least four months, the family gets eight months at 80%. If only one parent takes Elterngeld, the family gets at most 10 Basis months instead of 12 today, because the reserved months of the other parent cannot be transferred. Single parents are the exception.

In summer 2026 a cut from 14 to 12 months of Basiselterngeld was under discussion. The draft published on 29 October 2026 keeps 14 months. Texts that mention 12 months describe an earlier plan, not the current draft.

• •Baby born before 1 November 2027: nothing changes for you under the draft. You apply under the current rules.
• •Baby due from November 2027: plan with the current rules for now, but expect changes. Check this page again once the cabinet has decided.
• •Our calculator and planner: they calculate with the law in force today. Amounts for births from 1 November 2027 may change if the reform passes.