Child Support in Germany: Payments for Children and a Former Spouse

Support payments in Germany depend on who needs support: a child, a spouse during separation, or a former spouse after divorce. For child support, the main point of reference is the Düsseldorfer Tabelle; for spousal support, the reasons for need, both parties’ income, and the family’s specific circumstances matter.

The material below provides a general outline of how calculations and the process usually work. In disputed situations, when people live in different countries, have irregular income, debts, residence-permit dependence, or face court proceedings, it is better to review the individual case with a family lawyer, the Jugendamt, or the Familiengericht.

What types of support exist

In German practice, three main categories are most common:

Trennungsunterhalt means support for a spouse during the period of separation before the divorce is final. It may be paid by the spouse with the higher income if the other spouse needs support.
Nachehelicher Unterhalt means support for a former spouse after divorce. It is not granted automatically and requires a separate legal basis.
Kindesunterhalt means child support. It is usually paid by the parent with whom the child does not live on a permanent basis.

Divorce in Germany does not by itself cancel the duty to support children. The logic is different for spouses: after divorce, each person is generally expected to support themselves, but the law allows exceptions.

Support for a spouse before divorce: Trennungsunterhalt

As long as the marriage has not yet been legally dissolved, spouses continue to owe each other mutual support. If, after separation, one spouse earns significantly more, the other may claim Trennungsunterhalt.

What is usually considered:

the adjusted net income of both spouses;
expenses that may be taken into account in the calculation;
the existence of children and other support obligations;
the standard of living during the marriage;
whether the other spouse is able to work.

These payments do not mean that the couple has to reconcile or explain the reasons for the breakup to the court. It is simply a financial mechanism for the transition period before divorce.

Support for a former spouse: Nachehelicher Unterhalt

After divorce, the principle of personal responsibility applies: former spouses should support themselves as far as possible. Nachehelicher Unterhalt may be available if the former spouse in need has a recognized legal basis for support.

Typical grounds include:

caring for a shared child, especially a young one;
illness or inability to work;
age that makes a realistic return to work difficult;
inability to find work despite proven efforts to obtain employment;
education or retraining connected to the marriage and the later divorce;
a significant income gap if one spouse cannot maintain their standard of living after the marriage without assistance;
special circumstances where refusing support would be clearly unfair.

As a general guideline, caring for a child may entitle a person to support for at least the first three years of the child’s life. After that, the child’s age, the availability of Betreuung, health, employment, and other circumstances are assessed. There is no automatic lifelong support.

If a person could work but does not look for work without a valid reason, the court may take fictitious income into account, meaning income the person could have earned. That is why evidence matters in disputes: job applications, certificates, medical documents, and proof of childcare duties.

Child support: Kindesunterhalt

Kindesunterhalt is intended for the child, although the money is usually received by the parent with whom the child lives. Support rights exist for minor children and also for adult children if they are still receiving their first education, for example studying at a university or completing vocational training.

In most cases, the parent living separately pays. If the child spends comparable amounts of time with both parents, the calculation can become more complex: in that case, the living arrangement model, both parents’ income, and the actual expenses are taken into account.

In difficult cases, the youth welfare office (Jugendamt), a lawyer, or the Familiengericht can help.

Düsseldorfer Tabelle in 2026

For child support in 2026, the Düsseldorfer Tabelle effective from 01.01.2026 is used. It is not a law in the strict sense, but a nationwide guideline used by courts and practicing lawyers.

The table takes into account:

the payer’s adjusted net income;
the child’s age;
the number of support recipients;
Bedarfskontrollbetrag, a control amount that should remain with the payer after payments;
Kindergeld, which reduces the actual Zahlbetrag.

The minimum need of a child in the first income group in 2026:

Child’s age	Monthly tabular need
0-5 years	486 euros
6-11 years	558 euros
12-17 years	653 euros
18 and older	698 euros

In 2026, Kindergeld is listed in the table as 259 euros per child. For minors, half of the Kindergeld is usually deducted when calculating the Zahlbetrag; for adults, the full amount is deducted.

Selbstbehalt: how much the payer must keep

Even when someone is obliged to pay support, they must still retain a minimum amount for their own maintenance. This is called Selbstbehalt or Eigenbedarf.

According to the Düsseldorfer Tabelle 2026, the necessary Selbstbehalt for support owed to minor children and privileged adult children up to age 21 is:

1,450 euros per month for an employed payer;
1,200 euros per month for an unemployed payer.

These amounts include a guideline for housing and utility costs. If reasonable housing costs are higher, the issue may require a separate assessment.

For support owed to a former spouse, the guidelines are different: in the 2026 table, the payer’s Selbstbehalt is listed as 1,600 euros when employed and 1,475 euros when unemployed. But the concrete outcome depends on income, obligations toward children, and the family situation.

How child support is roughly calculated

The simplified logic is as follows:

Determine the payer’s bereinigtes Nettoeinkommen, meaning adjusted net income. Usually, income over a longer period is considered and permitted expenses are deducted.
Find the income group in the Düsseldorfer Tabelle.
Look at the child’s age and the tabular need.
Take Kindergeld into account to obtain an approximate Zahlbetrag.
Check Selbstbehalt and Bedarfskontrollbetrag.
If there are several children or other support recipients, the calculation is adjusted.

Child support in Germany is calculated using the table, depending on the parent’s income and the child’s age

Example calculation

Suppose the parent living separately has an adjusted net income of 2,800 euros. They have two minor children, aged 5 and 8. Under the 2026 table, an income of 2,800 euros falls into group 2,501-2,900 euros.

The tabular need in this group is:

535 euros for a child aged 0-5;
614 euros for a child aged 6-11.

If half of the 2026 Kindergeld is taken into account, the approximate Zahlbetrag would be:

405.50 euros for the five-year-old child;
484.50 euros for the eight-year-old child;
890 euros per month in total.

After payment, the payer would have 1,910 euros left. This is above the necessary Selbstbehalt for an employed parent. But the Bedarfskontrollbetrag must also be checked: for this group in the 2026 table, it is 1,850 euros. In this example, that threshold is also met.

This is a learning example. In a real case, the result may change because of debts, work-related expenses, private insurance, additional children, a Wechselmodell, irregular income, or a dispute about which expenses are recognized.

Unterhaltsurkunde: how to formalize an agreement

If the parents agree on the amount of child support, it can be formalized as an Unterhaltsurkunde. Such a document creates an enforceable obligation: if the payer stops paying, the recipient does not always need to prove the duty itself again.

The document can be certified:

at the Jugendamt, often free of charge as a Jugendamtsurkunde;
by a notary, usually for a fee.

Without such an enforceable title, conflicts often require help from the Jugendamt, a lawyer, or the Familiengericht.

What to do if there is not enough money

If the payer’s income is not enough to cover all obligations, a Mangelfall may arise. In that case, the available amount is distributed among the recipients according to the order of priority of claims. Minor children and equivalent privileged adult children are usually protected first.

In such a situation, it is not wise to simply stop payments. It is better to report the problem in writing, collect proof of income and expenses, contact the Jugendamt or a lawyer, and check whether the amount of the obligation can be changed.

Unterhaltsvorschuss: help if the other parent does not pay

If a child lives with one parent and the other parent does not pay support or pays irregularly, it may be worth checking eligibility for Unterhaltsvorschuss. The application is submitted to the Unterhaltsvorschusskasse, the Unterhaltsvorschussstelle, or through the local Jugendamt.

According to the ministry’s official information, Unterhaltsvorschuss is available to children who live with one parent and do not receive regular Unterhalt from the other parent. For children under 12, the time limit on payments has been removed. For children aged 12 to 17, additional conditions apply related to SGB II or the income of the parent with whom the child lives.

On the ministry’s official page, the amounts are listed as valid from January 1, 2025:

Child’s age	Up to this amount per month
0-5 years	227 euros
6-11 years	299 euros
12-17 years	394 euros

Before submitting the application, it is best to check the current amount on your city website or the Jugendamt website: the local page usually links to the correct form and the list of required documents.

Disputes and the Familiengericht

If the parents do not agree on the amount, the deadlines, or the right to support itself, the dispute may go to the Familiengericht. For child support, a vereinfachtes Verfahren, meaning a simplified procedure, is often used. It is not suitable for every case and is usually impossible if there is already an existing enforceable title or a parallel dispute concerning the same claim.

Before going to court, it is often useful to:

request Auskunft on income in writing;
suggest formalizing an Unterhaltsurkunde;
keep proof of child-related expenses;
contact the Jugendamt for advice;
check whether a lawyer is needed.

A court decision or a notarial or official enforceable title may become the basis for Zwangsvollstreckung if the payer does not fulfill the obligation.

If a parent lives abroad

When the payer is outside Germany, enforcement becomes more complicated. In Germany, matters of international support enforcement are handled by the Bundesamt für Justiz as the zentrale Behörde für Auslandsunterhalt.

In practice, much depends on the country where the other parent lives, whether there is an international agreement, recognition of the decision, and the possibility of enforcement abroad. That is why, in international cases, it is better to clarify the procedure immediately through the Jugendamt, the Bundesamt für Justiz, or a lawyer.

In short

Child support in Germany is calculated using the Düsseldorfer Tabelle, but the final amount depends on income, the child’s age, Kindergeld, Selbstbehalt, and the number of recipients. Support for a former spouse is not automatic; it is possible only when there is a specific legal basis such as childcare, illness, age, education, unemployment, or other recognized circumstances. If no agreement can be reached, written evidence, the Jugendamt, an Unterhaltsurkunde, and, if necessary, the Familiengericht become important.