Apply for parental allowance
Source: BUS Rheinland-PfalzParental allowance is a benefit for parents of infants and young children. It replaces part of the lost income if you want to be there for your child after the birth and interrupt or reduce your work. Parental allowance is also available for 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 particular support if you share the work and family responsibilities as partners after the birth.
You can also apply for the various options if you are a single parent. Parental allowance is also available for adopted children and children in foster care.
As parents, you can decide for yourself who receives parental allowance and for how long. In the application, you must specify the months of your child's life for which you would like to apply for parental allowance and which parental allowance variant you choose.
The amount of parental allowance is calculated individually. The calculation is based on the income you had before the birth and which ceases after the birth. If you had no income before the birth or no income after the birth, you will receive a minimum amount. For Basic Parental Allowance, this is at least EUR 300.00 per month, and for Parental Allowance Plus, it is at least EUR 150.00 per month.
Tip: You can use the parental allowance calculator from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs to help you plan and calculate.
As a parent, you can receive parental allowance if you primarily want to take care of the child yourself and are therefore not employed or are employed for a maximum of 32 hours per week. You can choose between Basic Parental Allowance and Parental Allowance Plus or combine these two types of benefit. If you as a couple decide to work part-time at the same time, you can each receive four additional months of Parental Allowance Plus - the so-called "partnership bonus".
The basic parental allowance is generally 67% of the average earned income before the birth. If this average income is less than 1,000 euros, the rate increases to up to 100%; if your income is more than 1,200 euros before the birth, the rate is reduced to up to 65%. The basic parental allowance is generally between 300 euros and 1,800 euros per month. If income from employment is also earned while receiving parental allowance, the parental allowance benefit is reduced accordingly.
Parental allowance plus is available to all mothers and fathers who wish to receive their parental allowance for longer: One basic parental allowance month becomes two Parental Allowance Plus months. Parental Allowance Plus is particularly aimed at parents who wish to work part-time while receiving parental allowance. The amount of Parental Allowance Plus is at least 50% of the basic parental allowance. However, it can be paid up to the same amount over double the period. The decisive factor here is how much income you earn while receiving parental allowance. Parental Allowance Plus is generally between 150 euros and 900 euros per month.
Parents are entitled to a maximum of 4 monthly amounts of partnership bonus per parent if they work between 24 and 32 hours per week. You can only receive the partnership bonus if you claim it for at least 2 months of your child's life. Parents can only claim it at the same time and in consecutive months.
Single parents who work between 24 and 32 hours per week for four consecutive months can also claim the partnership bonus. They then receive four additional months of Parental Allowance Plus.
Special regulation for premature births: For births from 01.09.2021, special regulations apply regarding the months of entitlement for children born at least six weeks prematurely.
Special rules for single parents: Furthermore, there are special regulations for the reference period for single parents.