Parental allowance is a benefit for parents of infants and toddlers. It replaces a portion of the lost income if you want to be there for your child after birth and take a break from or reduce your work. Parental allowance is also available to parents who had no income at all before the birth.

There are three types of parental allowance:

• Basic Parental Allowance
• Parental Allowance Plus
• Partnership Bonus

Parental Allowance Plus and the Partnership Bonus provide you with additional support if you share work and family responsibilities equally with your partner after the birth.

Even if you are a single parent, you can apply for these different types of benefits. Parental allowance is also available for adopted children and children in foster care.

As parents, you can decide for yourselves who will receive the parental allowance and for what period. In the application, you must specify for which calendar months of your child’s life you wish to apply for parental allowance and which parental allowance option you are choosing.

The amount of parental allowance is calculated on an individual basis. The calculation is based on the income you had before the birth and which you no longer receive after the birth. If you had no income before the birth or if you do not lose any income after the birth, you will receive a minimum amount. For basic parental allowance, this is at least 300.00 EUR per month. For Parental Allowance Plus, it is at least 150.00 EUR per month.

Tip: To help you plan and calculate your benefits, you can use the parental allowance calculator provided by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs.

Parental allowance is money for parents.
Parents can receive parental allowance:
- if they work fewer hours
- if they stop working.

There are different types of parental allowance.
The types are:
- Basic Parental Allowance
- Parental Allowance Plus
- Partnership Bonus.

Single parents can also receive parental allowance.
And adoptive parents can also receive parental allowance.

How much parental allowance do you receive?
That depends on:
How much do the parents earn?

Do you want to receive parental allowance?
Then you’ll need to do certain things.
For example:

• You take care of your child.
• You live in Germany.
• You work no more than 32 hours a week.
• You don’t earn too much money.