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Elterngeld Application (Parental Allowance, Germany)

Plan your Elterngeld months, tell your employer about Elternzeit, get the birth certificate for Elterngeld, collect proof of income and apply to your state Elterngeld office. Payments only go back three months, so apply soon after the birth.

Curated by Raaya · Last reviewed Oct 2026

Steps

  1. Plan the months for each parent

    7 days

    Elterngeld replaces part of your income while you care for your baby. Decide which months each parent takes and which type: Basiselterngeld (the full monthly amount), ElterngeldPlus (about half the amount for twice as long, useful if you work part-time) or a mix. A Partnerschaftsbonus adds months if both parents work part-time at the same time. For births since April 2024, both parents can take Basiselterngeld at the same time only for one month within the first 12 months, with some exceptions.

    For births since 1 April 2025, there is no Elterngeld if the parents’ taxable income in the year before the birth was above €175,000. The amount depends on your income before the birth, with a minimum and a maximum.

    Tip: Use the official Elterngeld calculator on familienportal.de to compare plans.

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  2. Tell your employer about Elternzeit in time

    1 day

    Elternzeit (parental leave) and Elterngeld (the money) are separate. You request Elternzeit from your employer in writing, signed, at the latest seven weeks before it starts for leave in the first three years. Say which periods you will take within the first two years. The Elterngeld office may ask for the employer’s confirmation.

    Tip: For leave starting right after the birth or after maternity protection, count the seven weeks back from that date.

    Elternzeit Notice and Employer Confirmation (Elternzeitbestätigung)
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  3. Register the birth and get the Elterngeld certificate

    3 days

    The birth must be registered at the registry office (Standesamt) where the child was born, usually within one week. In many hospitals the staff send the paperwork for you. When the birth is registered, ask for the birth certificates you need, including the one marked for Elterngeld (and others for Kindergeld and the health insurer).

    Bring the parents’ IDs or passports and, depending on your situation, your marriage certificate or your own birth certificates. Foreign documents may need translations.

    Where
    Registry office (Standesamt) of the place of birth · Register the birth if the hospital has not done it, and collect the birth certificates for Elterngeld, Kindergeld and the health insurer.
    Birth Certificate for Elterngeld (Geburtsurkunde für Elterngeld)
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  4. Collect proof of income

    5 days

    Elterngeld is calculated from your income before the birth. Gather the proof for each parent who will take Elterngeld months. Employees usually need payslips for the 12 calendar months before the birth; months with maternity pay or Elterngeld for an older child are normally skipped and earlier months used instead. Self-employed parents use the tax assessment for the last completed tax year.

    Tip: Check the document list in your state’s application; it differs slightly between states.

    • Payslips for the 12 months before the birth (employees)
    • Tax assessment for the year before the birth (income limit; self-employed income)
    • Confirmation of maternity pay and employer top-up
    • Confirmation of other benefits received (for example sick pay or unemployment benefit)
    • Employer confirmation of Elternzeit and any part-time work
    • Residence permit, if you are not an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen
    • IBAN for payment
    Payslips for the Months Before the Birth (Gehaltsabrechnungen)Tax Assessment for the Year Before the Birth (Steuerbescheid)Confirmation of Maternity Pay (Mutterschaftsgeld) and Employer Top-Up
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  5. Apply online or with your state’s form

    2 days

    Each parent applies once per child at the Elterngeld office (Elterngeldstelle) responsible for the child’s home. You can apply online in every federal state, and ElterngeldDigital guides you through it in many of them; otherwise use your state’s paper form. You can only apply after the birth. If the other parent can also receive Elterngeld, they must sign your application too.

    Deadline: Elterngeld is paid back for at most three months of the child’s life before the month your application arrives. Apply within the first three months after the birth.

    Birth Certificate for Elterngeld (Geburtsurkunde für Elterngeld)Payslips for the Months Before the Birth (Gehaltsabrechnungen)Tax Assessment for the Year Before the Birth (Steuerbescheid)Confirmation of Maternity Pay (Mutterschaftsgeld) and Employer Top-UpElternzeit Notice and Employer Confirmation (Elternzeitbestätigung)Residence Permit (Aufenthaltstitel), if not an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen
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  6. Answer letters from the Elterngeld office

    14 days

    The Elterngeld office may ask for missing documents. Reply by the date in the letter and quote the reference number. If your income during the Elterngeld months is not known yet, or the income limit cannot be checked, Elterngeld is often approved provisionally. You must then send proof after the end of the Elterngeld period, and money can be reclaimed if it was too much.

    Months that are more than three months in the past can usually no longer be changed, so adjust your plan early if things change.

  7. Check the decision

    1 day

    When the Elterngeld decision (Bescheid) arrives, check the months for each parent, the type (Basiselterngeld, ElterngeldPlus, Partnerschaftsbonus) and the income used. If you think something is wrong, you can usually object (Widerspruch) within one month; the letter says how. Elterngeld counts towards the tax rate on your other income (Progressionsvorbehalt), so you may have to file a tax return for that year.

    This is general information, not legal advice.

Documents you'll need

Birth Certificate for Elterngeld (Geburtsurkunde für Elterngeld)The registry office (Standesamt) issues a birth certificate marked for Elterngeld when you register the birth. Send the original if your state asks for it.
Payslips for the Months Before the Birth (Gehaltsabrechnungen)Employees usually need the payslips for the 12 calendar months before the birth; for mothers, months with maternity pay are skipped and earlier months count instead.
Tax Assessment for the Year Before the Birth (Steuerbescheid)Needed by self-employed parents as proof of income, and by everyone to check the income limit. If it is not ready yet, you can still apply; Elterngeld may then be approved provisionally.
Confirmation of Maternity Pay (Mutterschaftsgeld) and Employer Top-UpFrom the health insurer and the employer. Maternity pay after the birth is counted against Elterngeld.
Elternzeit Notice and Employer Confirmation (Elternzeitbestätigung)Your written notice of parental leave to the employer, and their confirmation if the Elterngeld office asks for it.
Residence Permit (Aufenthaltstitel), if not an EU/EEA or Swiss citizenFor non-EU citizens, only some residence permits give a right to Elterngeld. Include a copy with the application.

Official sources

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General guidance, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Rules change; confirm with the official source before you act.

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