You are entitled to the parental allowance months together as a couple. You are free to decide which of you receives parental allowance and when. You can receive parental allowance one after the other or - under certain conditions - at the same time. And each parent can decide for each month of life whether he or she wants to receive Basic Parental Allowance or Parental Allowance Plus.

The months of life are based on the birth of your child. For example, if your child is born on September 16, then the first month of life lasts from September 16 to October 15, the second month of life from October 16 to November 15 and so on.

Please note, however:

• If you divide the months of life between you, each of you must apply for parental allowance for at least 2 months of life.
• If you and the other parent would like to receive basic parental allowance at the same time, please refer to "Can we receive parental allowance at the same time?".
• In the first two months of life, the mother usually receives maternity benefits. These months are then automatically counted as months with basic parental allowance. You should definitely apply for this. You can receive Basic Parental Allowance for the first 14 months of your child's life, Parental Allowance Plus is also possible after that.
• From the 15th month of your child's life, you can no longer interrupt your parental allowance entitlement. This means that if you want to continue receiving parental allowance from the 15th month of life, at least one of you must always receive Parental Allowance Plus from then on.
• For children born particularly early, special rules apply.
• You can take the partnership bonus months for up to 4 consecutive months of life. You can find more information in the section "How can we get partnership bonus months?"

The parental allowance calculator with planner from the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs is a good aid for planning the parental allowance months.

Both parents can receive basic parental allowance for one month at the same time. However, the joint parental allowance month can only be taken up to the child's 12th month of life. This means that both parents can receive basic parental allowance in parallel in the month of birth, for example, and look after their newborn together.

If parents wish to receive parental allowance for more than one month at a time, at least one parent must opt for Parental Allowance Plus. This change is intended to promote the equal sharing of care work and employment between the parents.

Examples:

• The mother takes Basic Parental Allowance in the 4th and 5th month of life, the father also takes Basic Parental Allowance in the 4th month of life and 5th month of life -> not permitted because more than one month of Basic Parental Allowance is received jointly.
• The mother receives basic parental allowance in the 4th and 5th month of life, the father receives basic parental allowance in the 4th month of life and the 12th month of life -> permitted because only one month of basic parental allowance is received jointly.
• The mother receives Basic Parental Allowance in the 4th and 5th month of life, the father receives Basic Parental Allowance in the 4th month of life and Parental Allowance Plus in the 5th month of life -> permitted because only one month of Basic Parental Allowance is received jointly.
• The mother receives Basic Parental Allowance in the 4th and 13th month of life, the father receives Basic Parental Allowance in the 13th and 14th month of life -> not permitted because Basic Parental Allowance can no longer be received jointly after the 12th month of life.

However, the regulation does not apply to premature babies and multiple births. In order to compensate for the special burdens, parents of premature babies and multiple births can continue to receive basic parental allowance at the same time without restrictions. The same applies to parents of a newborn child who has been diagnosed with a severe disability by a doctor and to parents who already have a severely disabled child who is taken into account for the sibling bonus.

If both parents apply for parental allowance for at least two months, the payment is extended by 2 months to a total of 14 months. These additional two months are sometimes called "paternity months" or "partner months". Important: Fathers have many more options than limiting themselves to these two months. Here are some examples:

• Splitting equally: The mother applies for basic parental allowance for months 1-7, the father for months 8-14.
• Longer time off for the father: The mother applies for basic parental allowance for months 1-3, the father for months 1 and 4-13.
• Early return to work for both parents: The mother applies for basic parental allowance for months 1 to 3. The father applies for basic parental allowance for month 1. From month 4 to month 8, both take Parental Allowance Plus. This option has advantages, for example, if both parents want to return to work part-time from month 4.

You can apply for two, three or four consecutive partnership bonus months. During this time, both parents must work between 24 and 32 hours per week.

If you are a single parent, it is sufficient if only you work part-time to this extent.

If you have any questions on this topic, please contact the relevant parental allowance office. You can find the contact details of your parental allowance office here.

No, this is not normally necessary.

Exception: You only have to submit the application at the same time if you apply for parental allowance online and want to take partnership bonus months.

Please make sure you submit the applications in good time. This is because parental allowance is paid retroactively for a maximum of 3 months of life.

Yes, this is possible several times. It is best to apply for the changes before the months of life you want to change begin. This is because there are restrictions on subsequent changes:

• Months of life for which parental allowance has already been paid out can no longer be changed - with one exception: If Parental Allowance Plus has been paid out and you would now prefer Basic Parental Allowance instead, this is still possible.
• You can have the last 3 months of life changed retroactively.
• After the end of the reference period, no more changes are possible.

An informal letter is sufficient for a change. A justification is not necessary. The letter must be signed by all those who signed the original parental allowance application. This is usually both parents. Send the letter to your parental allowance office.

Please submit a written request for this. A justification is not necessary. However, the application must be signed by all those who signed the original parental allowance application, i.e. usually by both parents.