Further help for families

Parental allowance compensates for part of the income if no or less work is done for a time after the birth. Parents who had no income before the birth can also receive parental allowance. The minimum amount is currently 300€. Parental allowance can be received as basic parental allowance or as ElterngeldPlus. Students with children can continue to study full-time while receiving parental allowance. For more information, please contact our social counseling service.

Changes to parental allowance since 01.09.2021

More part-time options and more flexible partnership bonus
For parents who work part-time while receiving parental allowance and during parental leave, the permissible working hours will increase from 30 to 32 hours per week. The partnership bonus for parallel part-time work by both parents can in future be drawn for 24 - 32 hours per week instead of the previous 25 - 30 hours per week. In addition, it will be simplified and made more flexible in many areas. Whereas parents previously had to draw it for 4 months at a time, it can now be taken for between 2 and 4 months, with flexible exit and short-term extension.

In addition, the receipt of income replacement benefits, such as short-time working allowance or sick pay, will no longer change the amount of the parental allowance.

Parents of premature babies receive additional parental allowance months
If a child is born at least six weeks early, parents will receive an additional month of basic parental allowance. If the child is born eight weeks early, there are two additional basic parental allowance months, three months at twelve weeks and four at 16 weeks. They can also convert the additional basic parental allowance month into ElterngeldPlus and thus receive parental allowance for even longer. 

Administrative simplifications and clarifications
In the future, parents with low self-employed additional income will be able to have their income better taken into account in the parental allowance. If their self-employed additional income averaged less than 35 euros per month, parents can apply for their non-self-employed income alone to be taken into account for parental allowance in the 12 calendar months before the birth. Previously, their income from the calendar year before the birth applied as a lump sum. 

Adjustment of income limits
In the future, only parents who jointly earn no more than 300,000 euros a year will receive parental allowance. Previously, the limit for couples was 500,000 euros. For single parents, the limit remains at 250,000 euros.

Link: What will change in parental allowance from 01.09.2021? 
Was ändert sich beim Elterngeld ab 01.09.2021? | Familienportal des Bundes

Families can apply for child support online. New applications can be made and modifications to existing applications. However, the paper form of this document is eventually necessary and needs to be signed in the presence of the concerned authority and is then sent off to the childcare office.

Student parents living with at least one of their own children under ten years of age in the same house and receive BAföG should immediately request childcare assistance with the BAföG Office at Student Services Freiburg. An allowance of 150 euros per child is paid.

Two parents cannot receive assistance for the same child. To receive back pay, applications need to be made within the approval period.

Attributions of unemployment benefit II and supplementary allowance for single parents

The supplement concerns study-related childcare but not living costs thus meaning that it is not counted as income under § 11 Abs. 3 Nr. 1 a) SGB II.The SGB II concerns living costs. The childcare support, according to § 14b BAföG, is a unique part of the educational financial aid and cannot, therefore, be counted as income for the partner or child. The Federal Agency limited the supplement to the normal needs of family members.

Families who have enough income for themselves but not enough to cover all the family's needs are given targeted support with the child supplement, which acts like a supplement to child benefit. The child supplement is up to 185 euros per child per month. The child supplement calculator at www.kinderzuschlag.de can tell you whether you are eligible for a child supplement.

Student parents from non-EU countries can apply for support at the social and youth agency (Sozial- und Jugendamt). The cost of child support corresponds to the eighth book of social law (SGB VIII). The parent contribution for the child support is not considered social aid as determined by § 8 SGB XII. Although the deceleration made at the immigration office by foreign students to not accept public aid, they are still eligible for this benefit. This immigration office condition does not apply to child support. Although this disclaimer relates directly to federal aid for parents, it does not apply to the funding of education and living of foreign students. As a result, even though foreign students have signed a disclaimer at the immigration office they are still eligible for aid.

The informing of the immigration office regarding any financial aid received is forbidden. Only in certain circumstances is there an obligation of notification requiring information to be passed on to immigration office. The receiving of financial aid is not one of these circumstances. Consequently, no information shall be passed on to the immigration office when foreign students with children apply for this social aid.