New Düsseldorf table

Children are entitled to child maintenance after their parents have separated or divorced, among other things. The money is paid to the parent with whom the child mainly lives. The monthly child maintenance is intended to secure the child's minimum subsistence level and cover the costs of housing, clothing, food, school supplies and leisure activities. Guideline values for the amount can be found in the so-called Düsseldorf table. This is a recognized guideline for family courts when determining maintenance requirements. Here you can find answers to the most important questions about calculating child maintenance.

The Düsseldorf table provides information on the amount of child maintenance. This guideline is regularly updated and published by the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court. The amount of child maintenance is determined on the basis of four age groups and ten income groups. It is based on the statutory minimum maintenance. The aim is to standardize the maintenance jurisdiction of the family courts with regard to child maintenance and to make it fair.

The minimum maintenance for underage children was raised on January 1, 2024. The monthly amounts are graded according to the age of the children and their net income. There are four age groups and 15 income groups.

• In the first age group (0 to 5 years), the minimum maintenance in the lowest income bracket is 480 euros per month.
• For a child in the second age group (6 to 11 years), the rate is 551 euros per month.
• In the third age bracket from 12 to 17 years, it is 645 euros per month.
• The minimum maintenance for adult children (fourth age group from 18 years) is 689 euros.

These are the minimum amounts that the debtor must pay. If your income is higher, the rate also increases. You can check the current table to see the rate you need by assigning your monthly net income to the age of your child.

When it comes to the question of how much money a parent liable for cash maintenance must pay for the joint child after a separation or divorce, reference is almost always made to the Düsseldorf table. This is a guideline for courts when determining maintenance requirements. It is regularly revised by judges of the family divisions of the Düsseldorf, Cologne and Hamm Higher Regional Courts (OLG) and the Maintenance Commission of the German Family Court Conference (Deutscher Familiengerichtstag e.V.) as well as on the basis of a survey of the other Higher Regional Courts. The Düsseldorf table can be used for the whole of Germany following corresponding agreements by the higher regional courts. In addition, guidelines of individual higher regional courts are applied.

The Düsseldorf table is usually updated every year. The payment amounts are adjusted if the amount of child benefit changes.