Have you become a mother or father? Then you are probably entitled to parental allowance. On this page you will find a lot of information and forms on the subject of parental allowance.
Parental allowance is a benefit for parents of infants and young children. It replaces part of the lost income if you want to be there for your child after the birth and interrupt or limit your professional work. It is not paid for calendar months, but for months of the child's life. The first month of life begins on the day of birth. Parental allowance is also available for parents who had no income before the birth.
There are three types of parental allowance:
Parental allowance plus and the partnership bonus provide special support if you share the work and family responsibilities after the birth. You can also apply for the various options if you are a single parent. Parental allowance is also available for adopted children and children in adoptive care.
As parents, you can decide for yourself who will claim the parental allowance and for which period. In the application, you must specify for which months of your child's life you would like to claim parental allowance and which parental allowance variant you choose.
Parental allowance can be claimed from the day of the child's birth until the child reaches 14 months of age.
Parents of particularly prematurely born children receive additional parental allowance months for births after 01.09.2021. Depending on how early the child is born, parents will receive parental allowance for up to four months longer:
The additional basic parental allowance months can also be converted into parental allowance plus months. You can find more information on this under the heading "Frequently asked questions".
The amount of the parental allowance is calculated individually. The calculation is based on the income you had before the birth and which ceases after the birth. If you had no income at all before the birth or if no income ceases after the birth, you will receive a minimum amount. In the case of the basic parental allowance, this is at least 300.00 EUR per month.
If there are additional children living in the household, a sibling bonus is paid under certain conditions. In the case of a multiple birth, the entitlement increases by 300.00 EUR; the sibling bonus is no longer available in this case. You can find more information on the calculation of parental allowance under "Further information" - "Where can I find out more" - "Parental allowance - calculation".
Tip: As an aid to planning and calculation, you can use the parental allowance calculator of the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs. You can find the link for the parental allowance calculator under "Further information" - "Where can I find out more".
Parental allowance is claimed for months of the child's life. In principle, the eligibility requirements must be met in each of the months applied for from the beginning.
You can receive parental allowance if you meet the following requirements:
Exceptions in the case of foreign employment, especially secondments, should be noted.
Spouses or partners who take care of the child after birth - even if it is not their own - can receive parental allowance under the same conditions.
The statements of account may also be submitted as copies.
If you live in Bremen, you can submit your application for parental allowance online or in writing. It is currently not possible to submit it in person at the Elterngeld office due to the Corona pandemic.
Online application:
Application Service ElterngeldDigital:
Pilot project Online Service ELFE (Simply Benefits for Parents): Currently only available to a limited group of users.
Written application:
Pandemic Information:
Information on how parental allowance is calculated can be found in the service description " Parental allowance - calculation". You can find the link under "More information" - "Where can I learn more".
Benefits are granted at the earliest from birth and retroactively for no more than the last 3 months of life before the month of application.
Parents can receive parental allowance from the day of birth until the child reaches the age of 14 months.
Parents of particularly prematurely born children receive additional parental allowance months for births after 01.09.2021.
If children are taken into the household with the aim of adoption, the 14-month period begins on the day the household is taken in. (Not with the date of birth and also not with the date of recognition of the adoption). Entitlement ceases once the child reaches the age of eight.
If the documents are complete, usually 5-7 weeks.
There are no costs involved.
You can reach the clerks by telephone on Tuesdays from 10:00 - 12:00 and on Thursdays from 08:00 - 12:00. Please note that in addition to the telephone number of the clerks, you can also use the collective number 361-94300.
You can receive basic parental allowance from the day of birth until your child reaches the age of 14 months at the latest. It is not paid for calendar months, but for months of the child's life. The first month of life begins on the day of birth. As parents, you can divide the basic parental allowance between you for a maximum of 14 months, whereby one parent can receive basic parental allowance for a minimum of two and a maximum of twelve months.
If you are a single parent or are only entitled to parental allowance on your own for another reason, you can claim the total entitlement to basic parental allowance (14 months) on your own.
Parents of especially prematurely born children (birth as of 01.09.2021) receive additional parental allowance months (for more detailed explanations, see the item: What applies to especially prematurely born children ? ).
Please note:
From the 15th month of the child's life, the receipt of Elterngeld Plus and the partnership bonus can only take place without interruption. Parental allowance plus must be claimed by at least one parent in consecutive months.
Months for which one parent is entitled to maternity benefit or similar benefits are always considered months in which this parent receives basic parental benefit.
Parental allowance plus is available to all mothers and fathers who wish to receive their parental allowance for longer: One month of basic parental allowance becomes two months of parental allowance plus. Parental allowance plus is thus also possible beyond the 14th month of life. The amount of parental allowance plus is at most half of the monthly basic parental allowance. Parental allowance Plus is especially designed for parents who want to work part-time while receiving parental allowance.
For parents of particularly prematurely born children (birth as of 01.09.2021), other periods apply (more detailed regulations under the point: What applies to particularly prematurely born children?).
For more information and examples of Elterngeld Plus, see:
www.elterngeld-plus.de
Please note:
From the 15th month of the child's life, Elterngeld Plus and the partnership bonus can only be received without interruption. Elterngeld Plus must be claimed by at least one parent in consecutive months.
Months for which one parent is entitled to maternity benefit or similar benefits are always considered months in which this parent receives basic parental benefit.
If you as parents decide to work part-time at the same time, you will receive additional parental allowance plus months.
For births before 01.09.2021 the following applies :
You must both be simultaneously employed for at least four consecutive months of the child's life for between 25 and 30 hours per week, then you will receive four additional Elterngeld Plus months.
You are free to decide when you want to claim the partnership bonus as part of your parental allowance reference period. Single parents who work between 25 and 30 hours per week for four consecutive months can also claim the partnership bonus. They then receive four additional parental allowance plus months.
The following applies to births after 01.09.2021:
If you as parents decide to work part-time at the same time, you will each receive two, three or four additional Elterngeld Plus months. To qualify, you must both work between 24 and 32 hours per week for at least two, three or four consecutive months of the child's life. You are free to decide when you want to claim the partnership bonus as part of your parental allowance reference period.
Single parents who work between 24 and 32 hours per week in two, three or four consecutive months can also claim the partnership bonus. They will then receive two to four additional Elterngeld Plus months.
Please note:
From the 15th month of the child's life (exception: premature babies, see next point), Elterngeld Plus and the partnership bonus can only be drawn without interruption. Parental allowance plus must be claimed by at least one parent in consecutive months.
Months for which one parent is entitled to maternity benefit or similar benefits are always considered months in which this parent receives basic parental benefit.
Depending on how early the child is born, parents receive parental benefits for up to four months longer.
A medical certificate or a certificate from a midwife or maternity nurse must be submitted as proof of the particularly early birth.
To apply for parental benefits digitally, you can use the online service "Einfach Leistungen für Eltern (ELFE)":
https://onlinedienste.bremen.de/Onlinedienste/Service/Entry/ELFE
Alternatively, you can also just fill out the application for parental allowance digitally/online, then print it out and send it signed to the parental allowance office in Bremen. Here, an application wizard will help you and guide you through the application.
You can find the ElterngeldDigital application here: https: //www.elterngeld-digital.de/ams/Elterngeld
This is a change in your personal circumstances, which you must report to the Elterngeldstelle. The parental allowance office will then check the personal circumstances.
From 01.01.2011, parental allowance will be offset against benefits under Book Two of the Social Code, Book Twelve of the Social Code and Section 6a of the Federal Child Benefit Act. There are exceptions if the beneficiary earned income before the birth.
Child supplement (child benefit supplement) is not the same as (≠) parental allowance.
Applications for child supplement (Kindergeldzuschuss) should be addressed to the Bremen Family Welfare Office (Familienkasse Bremen):
https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/vor-ort/familienkasse/familienkasse-niedersachsen-bremen-bremen.html
Child benefit is not the same as (≠) parental benefit.
Applications for child benefits should be sent to the Familienkasse Bremen:
https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/vor-ort/familienkasse/familienkasse-niedersachsen-bremen-bremen.html
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Full information only available in German language
Last update at 21.09.2023