Published: 24 October 2026 · Updated: 24 October 2026
Enter your average monthly net income before the birth and this Elterngeld calculator estimates your German parental allowance instantly — Basiselterngeld and ElterngeldPlus, monthly and total, with the €300 floor and €1,800 ceiling applied.
On €2,500 average monthly net income in Germany, Basiselterngeld is €1,625 a month — 65% of net pay, inside the €300–€1,800 range. One parent can claim up to 12 months, or 14 months if both parents each take at least 2 months, and ElterngeldPlus pays half the amount for twice as long.
Researched by MixKhazana Team · Last updated 24 October 2026 · Data: Bundeselterngeld- und Elternzeitgesetz (BEEG) via BMFSFJ / Familienportal, 2026
Elterngeld is Germany's parental allowance: a state income-replacement benefit for parents who reduce or stop work to care for a newborn. The core formula is Elterngeld = replacement rate × average monthly net income, where the rate is 65% for net incomes of €1,240 and above, rises on a sliding scale for lower incomes (up to 67% around €1,000–€1,240 and up to 100% for very low incomes), and the result is clamped between €300 and €1,800 a month for Basiselterngeld. Parents who earned nothing still receive the €300 minimum, and high earners are capped at €1,800 however high their salary was — a surprise for many expat professionals. The salary after tax in Germany tool helps you work out the net figure this calculation starts from.
There are two shapes of the same money. Basiselterngeld pays the full monthly amount for up to 12 months for one parent, or 14 months when both parents each take at least 2 months (the partner months). ElterngeldPlus pays half the monthly amount for twice as many months — 24 months, or 28 with partner months — which suits parents returning part-time, since you may work up to 32 hours a week while claiming. A partnership bonus adds 2–4 extra Plus months when both parents work 24–32 hours a week. Families usually claim Kindergeld (child benefit) alongside Elterngeld; they are separate benefits from separate offices.
Watch the two traps: the €175,000 taxable-income ceiling for births from April 2025 is a hard cutoff, not a taper — above it there is no entitlement — and it is taxable income, not gross salary, so a household can be below it while gross pay looks higher. And the 3-month retroactivity limit means applying four months after the birth loses a month of payments. Apply at your state's Elterngeldstelle, often online via ElterngeldDigital, as soon as possible after the birth.
Answer block: per the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs (BMFSFJ) rules in force for 2026, Basiselterngeld replaces roughly 65–67% of prior net income, between €300 and €1,800 a month, with ElterngeldPlus paying half that amount for twice the duration.
| Basiselterngeld | €300–€1,800/month, up to 12 months (+2 partner months) |
| ElterngeldPlus | €150–€900/month, up to 24 months (+4 partner months) |
| Replacement rate | 65–67% of net income (up to 100% at very low incomes) |
| Income ceiling (births from Apr 2025) | No entitlement above €175,000 taxable income |
| Work while claiming | Up to 32 hours/week |
| Retroactivity | Max 3 months before application |
Basiselterngeld replaces about 65–67% of your average net income from the 12 months before the birth, clamped between €300 and €1,800 a month. On €2,500 net that is €1,625 a month.
Basiselterngeld pays the full monthly amount for up to 12 months (14 with partner months). ElterngeldPlus pays half the monthly amount for twice as long — 24 months (28 with partner months). The total money is the same; Plus suits part-time returners.
For births from 1 April 2025 there is no entitlement if relevant taxable income exceeds €175,000, for couples and single parents alike. It is taxable income after deductions, not gross salary, and it refers to the calendar year before the birth.
Yes, up to 32 hours a week on average. ElterngeldPlus is designed for part-time work: the benefit is halved but stretched, so returning part-time does not simply cancel your payment.
Elterngeld is paid retroactively for at most 3 months before the month you apply, so applying late loses money. Apply at your state's Elterngeldstelle as soon as possible after the birth, often online via ElterngeldDigital.
Yes. Parents with no prior income — including students and people who were unemployed — receive the €300 monthly minimum for Basiselterngeld (€150 for Plus).
Yes. They are separate benefits: Elterngeld replaces income while you care for the baby, and Kindergeld is the flat monthly child benefit with no income test. Most families claim both.