What is the parental allowance and who receives it?
The term parental allowance is basically outdated. On January 1, 2007, the parental allowance and parental leave were replaced by the parental allowance application and parental leave. Today, you can no longer apply for parental allowance, but apply for the payment of parental allowance. The state pays this parental allowance to all parents after the birth of a child so that they can take time off from work and enjoy time with their child.
If you want
Apply for parental allowance: These are the requirements
Anyone who wants to apply for parental allowance or apply for parental allowance must meet a number of requirements. The parental allowance application is subject to the following conditions:
- You look after your child yourself.
- You live in the same household with the child.
- Your official residence is in Germany.
- You don't work at all or do not work more than 32 hours a week after giving birth.
It does not depend on the type of employment relationship. Self-employed persons as well as employees or the unemployed can apply for parental allowance.
If you want
How long do you get parental allowance?
Parents apply for parental allowance immediately after the child is born and receive it paid out monthly. However, the state does not calculate in calendar months, but in the months of the child's life. For example, if the child is born on March 3, the first month of life is from March 3 to April 2, the second month of life is from April 3 to May 2, and so on.
For how long you Apply for parental allowance can, depends on the type of application for parental allowance. Here you can choose between three options:
- Basic parental allowance
Families apply for this parental allowance if at least one partner loses income after birth in the first twelve months of life. If both partners even take time off and one partner takes at least two partner months, then you are even entitled to the parental allowance for 14 months. - Parental Allowance Plus
This parental allowance is paid twice as long as the basic parental allowance. Instead of one month of age, you can also apply for two months of Parental Allowance Plus with the basic parental allowance. - Partnership bonus
The partnership bonus can be applied for if both parents work part-time in parallel and thus take over the care and upbringing of their child together. Both parents must work between 25 and 30 hours a week. The partnership bonus extends the period of parental allowance by a total of 4 additional months. This means that both parents can receive parental allowance for longer.
Single parents generally have the same entitlement and can of course also apply for parental allowance.
If you want
How much parental allowance are you entitled to
The amount of parental allowance you can apply for depends on various factors. This primarily includes the question of what parental allowance you are applying for, how high your income has been so far and also whether and to what extent you will continue to receive income in parallel with the parental allowance. In addition, the amount of parental allowance also changes for twins or when you receive other government benefits.
Depending on income, this is Basic parental allowance between 300 and 1,800€ per month. that Parental Allowance Plus Is accordingly only half as high and is in height between 150 and 900€ per month paid out. You will receive the minimum amount even if you haven't had any income yet. Using the official parental allowance calculator on the Internet, you can calculate exactly how much parental allowance you can apply for.
If you want
Where do I apply for parental allowance?
Where can I apply for parental allowance? Parents who are expecting offspring for the first time ask themselves this question in particular. In principle, you can only apply for parental allowance after the birth of your child. In order for you to receive the full amount of parental allowance, you should apply for parental allowance within the first three months of life set. You can parenting allowance only for three months retroactively apply. You submit the parental allowance application to the parental allowance office responsible for your place of residence — you can usually easily find out the address via the Internet.
If you want
Can I also apply for parental allowance online?
In some federal states, it is possible to apply for parental allowance online. The so-called Digital Parental Allowance is available for the following federal states:
- berlin
- brandenburg
- bremen
- hamburg
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
- Lower Saxony
- Rhineland-Palatinate
- saxony
- Saxony-Anhalt
- Schleswig-Holstein
- thuringia
A digital application assistant will guide you through the process. At the end, you still have to print out the created document, sign it personally and then send it by post to the parental allowance office. It is a bit different if you apply online for parental allowance in Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria or Saarland. You can submit this completely online, without going through the post office.
If you want
Apply for family allowance: only possible in Bavaria
An application for family allowance can only be filed by parents residing in Bavaria, as this is an individual benefit from this federal state. This is intended to support lower-income families in particular and give them more freedom of choice as to whether they want to stay at home with the child. With the family allowance application, previous childcare allowance and state education allowance benefits are bundled and additionally increased.
If you want
Who receives family allowance?
Family allowance is a voluntary benefit provided by the Free State of Bavaria and the question for young families is: Who is entitled to family allowance and how do I apply for family allowance? Parents of one and two-year-old children apply for this parental allowance. Regardless of their income, employment and the child's care situation, they receive monthly 250€ per child at this age. From the third child on, there is even 300€ per month.
Even when applying, no obstacles are placed in the way of families. If new parents apply for parental allowance in Bavaria, this application automatically applies to the family allowance as well. There is no need to submit a separate application, which avoids a great deal of bureaucracy. And how long do you get family allowance in Bavaria? Payment of the amount runs from 13 months of age to the child's 36 months of age.
If you want
State education allowance: state support for families in Saxony
What the family allowance is in Bavaria, that is the state education allowance in Saxony. This is a voluntary benefit from the federal state, which is paid out following the parental allowance. But who receives state education allowance, how often can you apply for state education allowance and can you apply for state education allowance retroactively?
You can apply for a state education allowance in Saxony under the following conditions:
- Your place of residence is in Saxony.
- You live in a household with your child.
- You work less than 30 hours a week.
- Your child is neither in a daycare center nor in day care.
There are also certain income limits. Single parents may not earn more than 21,600€, parents no more than 24,600 euros in order to be able to apply for this additional parental allowance.
If you want
State education allowance: when to apply and to which office?
You can get the state education allowance form online at the parental allowance and parental allowance offices in Saxony. You can submit the application no earlier than three months before the start of the claim for benefits. This means that you can apply for the state education allowance three months before the parental allowance expires. It is only paid retroactively for the month of benefit.
The state education allowance is paid in a lump sum of this amount:
- 150€ for the first child
- 200€ for the second child
- 300€ from the third child
These amounts only apply if the maximum income limit has not been exceeded. Otherwise, the monthly benefits will be reduced accordingly.
If you want
State education allowance in other federal states
Until 2018, young parents could also apply for this parental allowance in Bavaria until it was converted into family allowance. An application for Thuringian education allowance or the payment of state education allowance in Thuringia is only possible for children who were born by 30.06.2015 and therefore expired.
Are you wondering how much a child actually costs? You can find out in our article”That's what a child costs“. You can also find out in our magazine how to get the Withholding tax for children very easy save can.
