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Parental allowance

All information about parental allowance at a glance.

Text last updated: 2024-07-18

Apply for parental allowance online Everything 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? Find out about the different types of parental allowance and check how much parental allowance you can receive. As a precaution, check whether you meet all the requirements to receive parental allowance. Then you can take your time to plan and put together the parental allowance model that suits your life. If you want to work and receive parental allowance at the same time: You can also find the most important details here.

Have you made your plans? Then you can start by completing the online application! You can also prepare and save the online application at your leisure before your child is born. If you still have questions: We will show you the way to the offices that will be happy to help you.

If your child is expected to be born from April 1, 2024, please note the information on the new regulations for parental allowance that will come into force from this date. These changes have already been taken into account in the online application. The paper application for births from April 1, 2024 is now also available for download.

What is parental allowance?

Parental allowance replaces part of the lost income if you want to be there for your child after the birth and work less or not at all for a while. Even if you had no income before the birth, you can still receive parental allowance.

What types of parental allowance are available?

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 allowance
    You can receive 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. You can extend the period of basic parental allowance for children born particularly early.

    As a rule, basic parental allowance amounts to 67% of the average net earnings of 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 within the first 14 months of your child's life. You can freely divide the months of entitlement between both parents. Each parent can use between 2 and 12 months.

    While you are receiving basic parental allowance, you can work part-time, up to a maximum of 32 hours per week.
  2. Parental allowance plus
    Would you like to combine family and career and work up to 32 hours a week? Then it may be worth taking advantage of 2 months of Parental Allowance Plus instead of 1 month of Basic Parental Allowance. You can receive Parental Allowance Plus for twice as long as Basic Parental Allowance. However, it is only half as high and amounts to between 150 and 900 euros per month.

    Parental Allowance Plus 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 parental allowance, the monthly Parental Allowance Plus can also be higher than half of the monthly basic parental allowance. Nevertheless, you can receive Parental Allowance Plus for twice as long. This means you are entitled to more parental allowance in total.
  3. Partnership bonus
    If both parents work between 24 and 32 hours per week part-time at the same time, you are entitled to up to four additional months of Parental Allowance Plus, the so-called partnership bonus. The partnership bonus is an offer for parents who share their family and work 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 for you to work part-time to exactly this extent every single week. The decisive factor is how many hours per week you work on average in the month in question. This depends on the hours you actually work.

    To receive the partnership bonus, state in the application how many partnership bonus months you want to take and over which months you want to spread them.
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Further information on parental allowance

Where can I find help and advice?

In North Rhine-Westphalia, the districts and independent cities are responsible for processing parental allowance. They can also advise you on all matters relating to parental leave. You can find the parental allowance office responsible for you at chancen.NRW by entering your zip code.


Parental leave

Parental leave offers mothers and fathers the opportunity to take unpaid time off work to look after their child. Parental leave and parental allowance are therefore not the same thing. However, it is often practical to combine them. You can find more information on why exactly 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. We also show you what you need to bear in mind when applying for parental leave.

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Elterngeld und Elternzeit: Diese Broschüre erklärt in Leichter Sprache die neuen Regelungen.