Parental allowance
All information on parental allowance at a glance.
Apply for parental allowance onlineEverything you need to know at a glance
The first time with a baby needs to be well planned - also financially. What options does parental allowance offer? Learn about the different types of parental allowance and check how much your parental allowance can be. As a precaution, check whether you meet all the requirements to receive parental allowance. Then you can plan at your leisure and put together the model that fits your life from the parental allowance construction kit. If you would like to work and receive parental allowance at the same time: You can also find the most important details here.
So your planning is done? Then you can start by filling out the online application! By the way, you can also prepare and save the online application at your leisure even before the birth of your child. If there are still questions: We point the way to the offices that will be happy to help you.
What is parental benefit?
Parental allowance replaces part of the lost income if you want to be there for your child after the birth and therefore temporarily work less or not at all. Even if you had no income before the birth, you can get parental allowance.
What are the variants of parental allowance?
Parental allowance is available in three variants: basic parental allowance, parental allowance plus and partnership bonus. You can combine the variants with each other.
.- 1. Basic parental allowanceYou can receive the basic parental allowance for 12 months. If the other parent also stays at home for at least 2 months, the payment is extended by 2 months to a total of 14 months. Single parents can receive parental allowance for a maximum of 14 months. In the case of particularly prematurely born children, you can extend the receipt of basic parental allowance.
Basic parental allowance is usually 67 percent of average net earnings over the last 12 months, with a minimum of 300 and a maximum of 1,800 euros per month.
You can only receive basic parental allowance during the first 14 months of your child's life. You can freely divide the reference months between both parents. Each can use between 2 and 12 months.
While you receive basic parental allowance, you can work part-time, but up to a maximum of 32 per week. - 2. ElterngeldPlusYou would like to combine family and career and work up to 32 hours per week? Then it may be worthwhile to take advantage of 2 months of ElterngeldPlus instead of 1 month of basic parental allowance. You can receive ElterngeldPlus for twice as long as the basic parental allowance. However, it is only half as high and amounts to between 150 and 900 euros per month.
ElterngeldPlus is particularly worthwhile for parents who return to work early after the birth of their child: If you have income from gainful employment in addition to the parental allowance, the monthly ElterngeldPlus can also be higher than half of the monthly basic parental allowance. Nevertheless, you can receive the ElterngeldPlus for twice as long. This means that you are entitled to more parental allowance in total. - 3. Partnership bonusIf both parents work part-time between 24 and 32 hours per week at the same time, you are entitled to up to four additional ElterngeldPlus months, the so-called partnership bonus. The partnership bonus is an offer for parents who share their family and professional responsibilities.
Parents can apply for the partnership bonus for a minimum of two and a maximum of four months. Single parents are entitled to the entire partnership bonus.
It is not necessary that you work part-time to this exact extent every single week. The decisive factor is how many hours per week you work on average in the respective month of life. The hours that you actually work are what counts.
To receive the partnership bonus, you specify in the application how many partnership bonus months you want to take and over which months you want to distribute them.
More information on parental allowance
Amount of the parental allowance
How much is the parental allowance and how is it calculated?
Requirements
What you need to know about eligibility
.
Plan parental allowance
This is what you should know to plan your parental allowance well
.
Working during parental allowance
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the time during which you receive parental benefits.
Where can I find help and advice?
In North Rhine-Westphalia, the districts and independent cities are responsible for processing parental allowance. They will also advise you on all matters relating to parental leave. You can find the parental allowance office responsible for you on chancen.NRW by entering your zip code.
Parental leave
Parental leave offers mothers and fathers the opportunity to take an unpaid break from working life to care for their child. Parental leave and parental allowance are therefore not the same thing. However, it is often practical to combine them. You can find out exactly why here. Who can take parental leave and what does it mean to be on parental leave? You can find answers to these and other important questions about parental leave here. In addition, we show you what you need to pay attention to when you register parental leave.
Similar services
Child benefit
Child benefit is paid to all families, regardless of their income. It is paid from birth until at least the child's 18th birthday. Under certain conditions, child benefit is available until the 25th birthday.
Child supplement
In some families, money is tight. If the parents' income is not enough to provide well for the entire family, there is a monthly supplement from the state in addition to child benefit. In which cases you get the child supplement and how you can apply for it, you can find out here.
Maternity benefits
During the maternity protection periods, (expectant) mothers are under special legal protection. Before and after the birth, they are not allowed to work for a certain period of time. The Maternity Protection Act ensures that mothers do not suffer any financial disadvantage during this time. Employees receive up to 100 percent of their previous net income, consisting of maternity pay and an employer allowance.
Make a requestParental allowance
Forms and notesParental allowance
More informationYou might also be interested in
There are a few things to think about and take care of around the birth. The following list will give you an overview of the most important formalities you need to take care of before and after the birth.
Till the little ones are big, many expenses arise. To relieve the finances, there are various tax breaks for families.
Some mothers and fathers would like to take only a short career break after the birth of their child and then quickly return to working life. What options do parents with children have for re-entry and what to think about? We have compiled the most important information for you.