Elterngeld in Germany: who can receive parental allowance and how to apply
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Elterngeld is parental allowance in Germany for mothers and fathers who personally care for their child after birth and therefore temporarily stop working or reduce their working hours. In 2026, the basic allowance is usually between 300 and 1,800 euros per month, and ElterngeldPlus is between 150 and 900 euros per month. The exact amount depends on your income before the child’s birth, income after the birth, the payment model you choose, and your family situation.
Elterngeld is often planned together with maternity leave and parental leave, but these are different tools: Elternzeit regulates time off work, while Elterngeld compensates part of the lost income.
What Elterngeld is
Parental allowance helps a family financially get through the first months after the birth of a child. It is paid not by calendar months, but by the child’s months of life.
If the child was born on December 22, the first month of life lasts from December 22 to January 21, the second from January 22 to February 21, and so on. This is important when planning the application deadline, payments, and the distribution of months between parents.
Who can receive parental allowance
In the standard case, a parent is entitled to Elterngeld if they:
- personally care for and raise the child;
- live with the child in the same household;
- live in Germany;
- do not work or work no more than 32 hours per week;
- do not exceed the applicable income threshold.
For foreign parents, the type of residence permit matters. Eligibility is usually linked to the right to live and work in Germany, but the exact conditions depend on the status: EU citizenship, Niederlassungserlaubnis, Aufenthaltserlaubnis, Blue Card, refugee status, and other cases are checked separately by the Elterngeldstelle.
You can receive Elterngeld not only for a biological child. Depending on the situation, the allowance may also be available for:
- the child of a spouse or registered partner;
- an adopted child if the child has been taken into the household;
- a child in the process of adoption;
- a grandchild, great-grandchild, niece, nephew, brother, or sister under special circumstances.
The allowance is available to employees, self-employed people, civil servants, students, unemployed parents, parents with a Minijob, and those who had no income before the birth of the child. You do not need to interrupt your studies or Ausbildung because of Elterngeld, but paid work alongside studies is also limited to 32 hours per week.
Main types of Elterngeld
There are three related instruments in Germany: Basiselterngeld, ElterngeldPlus, and Partnerschaftsbonus. They can be combined, but the rules depend on the child’s month of life and on whether the parents work after the birth.
Basiselterngeld
Basiselterngeld is the basic form of the allowance. One parent can receive it for at least 2 months and usually for a maximum of 12 months. If both parents take part in caring for the child and one of them has reduced income after the birth, the family can receive up to 14 months of Basiselterngeld in total. A single parent can also use the additional months if the conditions are met.
For children born on or after April 1, 2024, there is an important restriction: both parents can usually receive Basiselterngeld at the same time for only one month and only within the first 12 months of the child’s life. There are exceptions, for example for some premature births, multiple births, and children with disabilities, so these scenarios should be clarified with the Elterngeldstelle in advance.
ElterngeldPlus
ElterngeldPlus lets you spread the payments out: one month of Basiselterngeld can be replaced by two months of ElterngeldPlus. This means that instead of 12 months of the basic allowance, you can receive up to 24 months of ElterngeldPlus, and up to 28 months when combined with additional months.
ElterngeldPlus is often beneficial if a parent works part-time after the birth of the child. The monthly amount is usually lower than Basiselterngeld, but the payments last longer. The upper limit of ElterngeldPlus is half of what the parent would have received as Basiselterngeld without income after the child’s birth.
Partnerschaftsbonus
Partnerschaftsbonus means an additional 2, 3, or 4 consecutive months of ElterngeldPlus for parents who both work 24 to 32 hours per week at the same time. The bonus may also be available to a single parent if they meet the employment conditions.
Before choosing this bonus, it is worth assessing your work schedule realistically: if the actual hours fall outside the allowed corridor, the authority may recalculate the payment.
How much you can receive
The amount of Elterngeld depends on the income lost after the birth of the child. In a typical case, Basiselterngeld is about 65% of the lost net income, but for low incomes the percentage may be higher. Not all income is counted without limits: the official calculation uses an income cap for earnings before the child’s birth.
Guidelines for 2026:
| Type of benefit | Minimum per month | Maximum per month | Best suited for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basiselterngeld | 300 euros | 1,800 euros | parents who do not work after the child’s birth or whose income drops sharply |
| ElterngeldPlus | 150 euros | 900 euros | parents who want to spread payments out or work part-time |
| Partnerschaftsbonus | same as ElterngeldPlus | same as ElterngeldPlus | parents who both work 24-32 hours per week |
The amount is affected by:
- income before the child’s birth;
- income after the child’s birth;
- employment status: salaried work, self-employment, Minijob, unemployment, studies;
- Mutterschaftsgeld and other compensatory payments;
- multiple births;
- the presence of other young children in the family;
- the selected distribution of months between parents.
Families with high taxable income do not receive Elterngeld. For children born on or after April 1, 2024, the benefit is excluded if annual taxable income is above 175,000 euros for couples, single parents, and parents living separately.
The official Familienportal Elterngeldrechner helps estimate the amount, but the final decision is made by your Elterngeldstelle.
How to apply
The application is submitted to the local Elterngeldstelle, the parental allowance office. The responsible office depends on the federal state and place of residence. In many federal states, online applications are available through ElterngeldDigital, but the process is not identical everywhere.
Usually you need:
- a completed Elterngeld application;
- the child’s birth certificate intended for Elterngeld, if issued by the Standesamt;
- the parents’ identity card or passport;
- proof of residence and, for foreigners, documents confirming residence status;
- proof of income before the child’s birth;
- certificates for Mutterschaftsgeld and Zuschuss zum Mutterschaftsgeld, if applicable;
- information about working hours and income after the child’s birth if the parent works part-time;
- additional documents for self-employed people, students, single parents, or adoption cases.
You can apply after the child is born. Retroactive Elterngeld is usually paid for a maximum of the three months of the child’s life before the month of application, so delaying the application is risky.
Do you need to arrange Elternzeit
No, parental leave is not a mandatory condition for Elterngeld. The key is to meet the benefit rules, including living with the child, caring for the child, and limiting paid work to 32 hours per week.
In practice, employed parents often need to coordinate Elternzeit or Teilzeit with the employer so that the actual working hours match the Elterngeld conditions.
What to check before applying
- Which Elterngeldstelle is responsible for your application.
- Whether your residence permit or other residence status qualifies for the benefit.
- How Mutterschutz and Mutterschaftsgeld will affect the payment months.
- Whether both parents will receive Basiselterngeld at the same time and whether this would violate the restriction after 01.04.2024.
- Whether the working hours are realistic for ElterngeldPlus and Partnerschaftsbonus.
- Which documents your federal state specifically requires.
Common mistakes
- Counting months by the calendar instead of by the child’s months of life.
- Applying too late and losing part of the payments for previous months.
- Planning Partnerschaftsbonus without precise control of working hours.
- Not taking Mutterschaftsgeld into account in the calculation.
- Relying only on an approximate online calculation and not checking your individual conditions with the Elterngeldstelle.
FAQ
Can you receive Elterngeld if you did not work before the child’s birth?
Yes. If there are no other obstacles, a parent without income before the child’s birth usually receives the minimum amount: 300 euros of Basiselterngeld or 150 euros of ElterngeldPlus.
Can you work while receiving Elterngeld?
Yes, but paid work is limited to a maximum of 32 hours per week. For Partnerschaftsbonus, a narrower corridor applies: 24-32 hours per week.
Can students receive Elterngeld?
Yes. You do not need to interrupt studies or Ausbildung. The 32-hour limit applies to work alongside studies, not to the study workload itself.
Where can you find official information?
The main sources are Familienportal/BMFSFJ, the Elterngeldrechner, and your Elterngeldstelle. If your situation is non-standard, such as self-employment, a foreign residence permit, high income, premature birth, adoption, or a complex combination with Elternzeit, it is better to get written clarification from the authority.
