Elterngeld Calculator

How this is worked out

Elterngeld replaces part of the income you lose while caring for a new baby. It is not a flat benefit — it is a percentage of what you were earning, with a floor and a ceiling that compress the outcome considerably.

The replacement rate is 65% or 67%, depending on your previous net income:

• Below 1,000 net: the rate rises above 67%, by 0.1 points for every 2 euro below, up to 100% for very low earners
• 1,000 to 1,200: 67%
• Above 1,240: 65%

Then the caps bite. The minimum is 300 a month — paid even to a parent who was not working at all. The maximum is 1,800. That ceiling is reached at a net income of about 2,770, so everyone earning above that gets exactly the same 1,800. For a higher earner the effective replacement rate falls steeply: on 4,000 net it is 45%, on 6,000 net it is 30%.

Duration. Twelve months for one parent, plus two Partnermonate if the other parent also takes at least two — so 14 months between you. Single parents can take all 14.

ElterngeldPlus turns each Basis month into two months at up to half the amount, with a floor of 150 and a cap of 900. The total is similar; it is spread over twice as long and is designed for parents working part-time alongside, since you may work up to 32 hours a week while claiming.

The household income ceiling is 175,000 of taxable income in the previous calendar year, for births from 1 April 2025. Above it there is no entitlement at all — for couples and single parents alike. This threshold has fallen sharply: it was 300,000 for couples until 2024.

A worked example

A parent on 2,600 net taking 12 months of Basiselterngeld:

• Rate: 65%
• Monthly: 1,690
• Over 12 months: 20,280
• Income drop: 910 a month

Now a parent on 4,500 net, same 12 months:

• 65% would be 2,925 — but the cap applies
• Monthly: 1,800
• Effective rate: 40%
• Income drop: 2,700 a month

The cap is the thing to plan around. Above roughly 2,770 net, earning more before the birth does not increase the payment by a single euro, so the higher earner's drop grows steadily larger. That is why the parent with the lower income often takes the longer share of the leave — the household loses less.

What this doesn't cover

• The net income figure is a simplification. The Elterngeldstelle calculates from a defined twelve-month reference period using a specific formula with standardised deductions — the official result usually differs somewhat from a rough net figure. Treat this as an estimate, not a decision.
• Self-employed parents use the previous tax year rather than the last twelve months, and the calculation differs.
• Multiple births add a supplement, and there is a Geschwisterbonus for families with older young children. Neither is included here.
• Working more than 32 hours a week while claiming ends the entitlement.
• Maternity pay (Mutterschaftsgeld) is offset against Elterngeld for the months it covers.
• Elterngeld is tax-free but subject to Progressionsvorbehalt — it raises the tax rate applied to your other income, which often produces a bill at the end of the year. Worth setting money aside for.

Common questions