If you are insured as a member of the statutory health insurance, please contact your health insurance fund. If you have private health insurance or family insurance in the statutory health insurance, contact the Maternity Benefit Office of the Federal Social Security Office.

Who is entitled to maternity benefit?

If you are employed, it is decisive for the receipt of maternity benefit whether you have statutory or private health insurance.

Maternity allowance from the statutory health insurance you receive if

• You are expecting a baby and are in an employment relationship in which you do not receive pay because of the maternity protection periods and
.
• You are a member of a statutory health insurance.

You will receive maternity pay from the Federal Social Security Office if

• You are expecting a baby and are in an employment relationship in which you do not receive pay because of the maternity protection periods and you

either

• are covered by private health insurance at the beginning of the 6-week protection period
.

or

• are insured with a statutory health insurance family (eg through your husband).
.

If you are self-employed and have taken out a private daily sickness allowance insurance and during the maternity leave periods are not or only limited professional activity, you have a claim to payment of the agreed daily sickness allowance during this time. The contractually agreed waiting and waiting periods must be taken into account. It is best to contact your private health insurance company directly to clarify the details.

If you are insured voluntarily as a self-employed person with a statutory health insurance fund with entitlement to sickness benefit, you will receive maternity benefit in the amount of the sickness benefit from the health insurance fund during the maternity protection periods.

If you work as a civil servant and do not have any secondary employment, the Maternity Protection Act does not apply to you. During the protection period, you will continue to receive your remuneration through your employer.

Which documents do I need for the application?

For the application for maternity benefits, you need a medical certificate of the calculated date of birth. This you get from your doctor or midwife no earlier than 7 weeks before the date. It is best to make the application as soon as you have this certificate.

For the online application at the Federal Social Security Office, you should have the following information ready:

• Expected date of birth of the child
.
• Information about your health insurance
.
• Information about your current employment
.
• Your tax identification number (tax ID)
• Information about your bank account details
.
• Certification of your employment
  

When should I make the application for maternity benefit?

Apply for maternity benefit before the start of your protection period, if possible.