Parental allowance in Germany: the real rate and the months people miss

Last checked against the official sources: 29 August 2026

Most of what is said about parental allowance starts from the wrong number. The rate is not 67% for everyone: below €1,000 of pre-birth income it rises towards 100%, and above €1,200 it falls towards 65%. And there is a floor of €300 paid even to someone who had no employment income at all before the birth.

Work out your own rate, not the one everyone quotes

The formula in Section 2 is precise and can be done on paper. Take your average monthly employment income before the birth — after tax and social contributions — and apply:

• Between €1,000 and €1,200 ⇒ the rate is 67%, unadjusted.
• Below €1,000 ⇒ work out how many euros you fall short of €1,000, divide by 2, multiply by 0.1, and add to 67. Example: income €600 ⇒ short by €400 ⇒ 400÷2 = 200 ⇒ 200×0.1 = 20 points ⇒ a rate of 87%.
• Above €1,200 ⇒ take the excess, divide by 2, multiply by 0.1, and subtract from 67 — and the rate never falls below 65% however high the income.

Note the asymmetry: the rise runs a full 33 points (67 to 100), while the fall is confined to two (67 to 65). The statute protects low earners strongly and barely penalises high earners on the rate — because the €1,800 ceiling does that job instead.

And someone who was not working before the birth is not left with nothing: the statute provides that the allowance is paid at no less than €300, and that this applies also where the person had no employment income before the child was born.

The months: twelve plus two — and why one parent should not take everything

The statute gives the parents jointly twelve monthly amounts of basic allowance. It then adds two more — the “partner months” — on condition that one parent’s employment income is reduced in two months. So the total is fourteen, but the last two are conditional on the other parent actually taking part.

Two practical rules follow:

• One parent cannot take all fourteen — the maximum for a single parent is twelve basic monthly amounts, plus the partnership-bonus months.
• And a parent gets nothing by taking only one month — the statute provides expressly that a parent has a claim only if they draw it for at least two months.

One option doubles the duration: instead of claiming one month of basic allowance, the entitled person may draw two months of “Elterngeld Plus”. The basic allowance runs until the child completes their fourteenth month of life; Plus runs to the thirty-second — provided that, from the fifteenth month, it is drawn in consecutive months by at least one parent.

For adopted children the window is far wider: the allowance may be drawn from the child’s placement until they complete their eighth year.

A premature birth adds months — the clause most parents never hear about

This is the provision families lose most often, and it rarely appears in what gets published. If the child is born before the expected date, the number of basic monthly amounts increases on a scale that follows how early the birth was:

• Born at least six weeks before the expected date ⇒ 13 months.
• At least eight weeks before ⇒ 14 months.
• At least twelve weeks before ⇒ 15 months.
• At least sixteen weeks before ⇒ 16 months.

The benchmark for measuring the gap between the expected date and the actual birth is the expected date as it appears in the medical certificate or the midwife’s certificate — so keep that certificate, because it is the document that decides extra months.

The single-parent ceiling rises with it: where the birth was six weeks early, for instance, one parent may take up to 13 basic monthly amounts instead of 12, and the basic allowance can be drawn until the child completes their fifteenth month rather than the fourteenth.

Before you apply

1. Check the four conditions firstResidence or habitual abode in Germany, living with the child in one household, caring for and raising the child yourself, and doing no employment or no full employment.
2. Calculate your own rate before trusting any ready estimate67% is the starting point, not the answer: below €1,000 it climbs towards 100%, above €1,200 it falls only as far as 65%.
3. Divide the months between you before applyingThe two extra months depend on one parent’s income being reduced in two months, and a parent who draws only one month has no claim at all.
4. If your child came early, attach the expected-date certificateIt is the document that decides whether you are owed 13, 14, 15 or 16 months instead of 12.
5. Compare basic against Plus before choosingOne basic month can become two months of Plus, and the window then runs to the thirty-second month of life.
6. If you will work part time, understand the difference calculationThe allowance is then a percentage of the difference between the two incomes, with pre-birth income taken at no more than €2,770.

Frequently asked questions

How much is parental allowance?

67% of employment income before the birth, capped at €1,800 a month. The rate rises towards 100% for income below €1,000 and falls to 65% for income above €1,200.

Do I get anything if I was not working before the birth?

Yes. The statute provides that the allowance is paid at no less than €300, and that this applies also where the person had no employment income before the child was born.

For how many months is it paid?

The parents jointly have twelve monthly amounts of basic allowance, plus two more where one parent’s employment income is reduced in two months — fourteen in total.

Can one parent take all of it?

No. The maximum for a single parent is twelve basic monthly amounts plus the partnership-bonus months. A parent also has no claim at all by drawing only one month, since the statute requires at least two.

My child was born early — does anything change?

Yes, the number of months rises: 13 where the birth was six weeks before the expected date, 14 at eight weeks, 15 at twelve and 16 at sixteen. The benchmark is the expected date in the medical or midwife’s certificate.

What is the difference between basic allowance and Plus?

Basic runs until the child completes their fourteenth month; Plus until the thirty-second, provided it is drawn from the fifteenth month in consecutive months. One basic month can be converted into two months of Plus.

I am having twins — does the allowance double?

No. The statute provides that a multiple birth gives rise to only one entitlement to parental allowance.