maternity allowance
Pregnant women receive maternity benefit six weeks before and eight weeks after the birth. The amount of the payment depends on whether the mother has statutory or private insurance. The maternity benefit paid by the fund is a maximum of 13 euros per calendar day. If you earn an average of more than EUR 13 net per day, i.e. more than EUR 390 per month, your employer is legally obliged to pay the difference as a maternity benefit subsidy.
child support
There is a fixed monthly child benefit for each child. A child benefit entitlement exists in principle from birth up to a maximum of 25 years of age, when starting a course of study or training. If you do not start an apprenticeship or study, child benefit will be paid up to a maximum of 18 years of age. As of July 1, 2019, the child benefit for the first and second child rose to €204, for the third child to €210 and from the fourth child to €235. Parents must submit an application to the Family Benefits Office so that the funds pay out the amounts, which are graded according to the number of children.
child allowances
Parents receive either child benefit or child allowances. The tax office automatically checks whether the child benefit or the allowances for children are more worthwhile for the parents. The settlement takes place with the tax return. As a rule of thumb, however, the following applies: For higher-earning married couples, the allowances are usually more advantageous from an annual income of 64,000 euros.
parental allowance
Anyone who takes a break from work because of the birth of a child is entitled to parental allowance. The benefit is 65 to 100 percent of the lost net salary and amounts to a maximum of 1800 euros and a minimum of 300 euros. Those who had a lower income before the birth get a higher percentage. Parents who were not employed before the birth of the child also receive the minimum amount of 300 euros. The benefit is twelve and a maximum of 14 months if the other partner also takes a break of two months.
parental allowance plus
Like parental allowance, parental allowance plus is a support for parents who want to take a shorter career break after the birth of their child in order to have more time for their child. Parental Allowance Plus is primarily aimed at parents who want to work part-time again soon after the birth while they are still entitled to parental allowance. ElterngeldPlus replaces 65 to 100 percent of the lost income – the less you have earned, the higher the percentage. With one difference to parental allowance: ElterngeldPlus amounts to a maximum of half of the normal parental allowance that would be paid to parents without a part-time income. But it is paid longer. ElterngeldPlus is paid for twice as long as the basic parental allowance because, in contrast to parental allowance, ElterngeldPlus can also be drawn after the child is 14 months old.
care costs
For every child up to the age of 14, parents can claim up to 6,000 euros for babysitter, childminder, day care center or after-school care center. Two thirds of the expenses, i.e. a maximum of 4,000 euros, count as special expenses. In addition to the costs of accommodating the child in a kindergarten, day-care centre, after-school care centre, crèche or with a childminder, nanny, educator and nannies, expenses for supervising homework and all-day care at school are also recognised.
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