Germany has a perfect security plan for the wellness of every infant born of German citizens, legally residing parent, or any parent with a legal work permit. Elterngeld receives special funding from the German Social Security System. According to the German government, Elterngeld shields a child’s parent from losing earnings as a result of childbirth.
Moreover, the German government has the child’s interest at heart as a more bona fide policy known as Scandinavian-style can take effect and demand that both parents share the allowance. It is essential having it this way to encourage both parents to take care of the baby together.
However, eligibility involves thorough scrutiny process, and this includes the following requirements:
Parental allowance requirements
- Personally look after the child right from birth.
- Working hours’ restriction of up to less than 30 hours of gainful services while receiving parental allowance at the same time.
- Living together with the child under the same roof.
- Legally German or EU citizen. If you are a foreigner, then you’ll need to provide proof of permanent residence permit or residence work permit in Germany.
- If you are a single parent, your income shouldn’t exceed 250,000 Euros and 500,000 Euros for married partners. (Total summation of the two).
- When looking after a child who has no parents rightfully from infancy, or when taking care of an adopted child.
Parental allowance amounts
As we mentioned earlier, the main aim of parental allowance is to cushion the loss of income incurred during pregnancy. In other words, the government will be replacing your twelve-month salary prior to having the baby. On that basis, the minimum allowance that you’ll get is 3000 Euros with the maximum amount extending up to 18000 Euros.
Moreover, on top of that, if you have two or more children at the same time, then you’ll have up to 10% increase entitlement on the original amount. Twins and triplets will likely get an additional 300 Euros every month for an individual child. However, it is also important to note that Elterngeld can be deducted from any supplementary child allowance you source from somewhere else.
How long do you receive Elterngeld?
Before receiving a parental allowance, you’ll have to qualify the eligibility criteria first. If you are a single parent and you manage to secure eligibility, you’ll receive Elterngeld for a period not exceeding 14 months. Married partners bringing up the same child jointly are entitled to a period of Elterngeld not exceeding 12 months. However, they can get an additional stipend of 2-month Elterngeld when they decide to spend more time with the child be reducing weekly working hours to less than 30.
Elterngeld plus
If you are willing to return to work immediately after giving birth, then you can still apply for parental allowance plus. In this instance, you’ll receive a monthly fifty percent of the original amount spread over an extended period of say 24 months. Consequently, you can work for more than 30 hours a week and still get a parental allowance.
The process of applying for Parental allowance in Germany
Once you’ve discerned that you meet all the criteria requirements highlighted above, you can proceed to tender a formal application for the same. Every state has a local parental allowance office that will need the following documents:
- Child’s birth certificate.
- Valid passport or Identification Card.
- Proof of income.
- Details of maternity benefit, if applicable.
