Elterngeld application: form, deadline and documents

You apply for Elterngeld (parental allowance) after the birth at the Elterngeldstelle (parental allowance office) responsible for where your child lives. It pays back pay for three months of the child's life at most. Basic Elterngeld is 300 to 1,800 euros a month, depending on income. New online applications go through mein-elterngeldantrag.de, no longer through ElterngeldDigital.

Elterngeld: the essentials

Responsible office
Elterngeldstelle for the child's place of residenceAs of: 26.10.2026 · Familienportal
Deadline
after the birth; back pay for at most 3 months of the child's lifeAs of: 26.10.2026 · § 7 BEEG
Amount
basic Elterngeld €300–1,800 a monthAs of: 26.10.2026 · Familienportal
Online application
mein-elterngeldantrag.deAs of: 26.10.2026 · mein-elterngeldantrag.de
All details (6)
Calculation
normally 65 % of the net income that is lost; net income up to €2,770 is taken into account
Income limit
no Elterngeld with taxable annual income above €175,000
Working hours
at most 32 hours of paid work a week while receiving it
Signature
the other parent co-signs if he or she can also receive Elterngeld
Official fee
the procedure is free of charge
Behördenfix fixed price
€59 for filling in; you sign, we send

Please note

  • • You sign the form yourself

The official ways to Elterngeld

Onlinemein-elterngeldantrag.de: enter the child's postcode, link to the responsible office
On paperform of your federal state, signed, to the Elterngeldstelle
In personat the Elterngeldstelle for the child's place of residence; forms also at municipalities, health insurers and hospitals with a maternity ward
More rows (3)
ElterngeldDigitalaccepts no new applications; existing applications can still be viewed there
Deadlineapply only after the birth; back pay for at most 3 months of the child's life before the month of application
Objectionwithin one month of receiving the decision, in writing to the Elterngeldstelle

How we fill in the application with you

  1. 1Details and monthly planYou decide the plan yourself.
  2. 2Pay the fixed price59 euros, no authority fee.
  3. 3Receive the completed formAs a PDF for your federal state.
  4. 4You sign, we sendBy post to the Elterngeldstelle.

Applying yourself at the Elterngeldstelle

The way without us, step by step

You can apply for Elterngeld without us. The federal Familienportal describes this way:

  • You apply only after the birth, ideally in the first three months of your child's life. The Elterngeldstelle for the child's place of residence is responsible.
  • Applying digitally works in all federal states. After you enter the postcode, the online service mein-elterngeldantrag.de shows the responsible office and the link to the online application. A BundID account with username and password is enough to start.
  • On paper you use the form of your federal state. Each parent makes only one application per child, even for twins. If the other parent can also receive Elterngeld, he or she co-signs your application.
  • In the application you state for which months of the child's life you want basic Elterngeld, ElterngeldPlus or the partnership bonus.
  • Costs compared: the procedure at the Elterngeldstelle is free of charge under § 64 SGB X. With us you pay 59 euros for filling in the form with your details. You sign, and we send the signed application by post to the Elterngeldstelle.
  • We are not an authority. Only the Elterngeldstelle decides how much Elterngeld you receive.

Open the official page

The documents you need

  • Your child's birth certificate.
  • Proof of your income so far.
More documents (4)
  • Employed mothers: payslips for the last 12 months before the month in which maternity protection begins. Fathers: the last 12 months before the birth.
  • Self-employed people: usually the last tax assessment.
  • Employees: certificate from the health insurer on maternity benefit and from the employer on the top-up to it.
  • Your monthly plan: which months of the child's life with which type of Elterngeld.

Good to know

ElterngeldDigital accepts no new applications

On elterngeld-digital.de new applications can no longer be created and submitted.

All details (2)

That is what the service's home page says on 26 October 2026. You can still view existing applications there; for new applications the page refers to mein-elterngeldantrag.de. There you enter the postcode of your child's place of residence and get the responsible Elterngeldstelle with a direct link to the online application. Depending on the federal state and the Elterngeldstelle, you can upload documents or apply purely electronically. The Familienportal still mentions ElterngeldDigital in one place, but already links to mein-elterngeldantrag.de as the way to apply.

Elterngeld is not paid for calendar months but for months of the child's life. If your child was born on 15 February, the first month of life runs from 15 February to 14 March. Basic Elterngeld is only available in the first 14 months of life; one parent can receive at most 12 of them.

When does help with the form make sense?

You do not need it if you can manage your federal state's online application and have your documents ready. The online service guides you step by step through the application, and the procedure costs nothing.

It can help if you want to use the paper application, if German forms are hard to understand for you, or if several types of income come together, for example employed and self-employed. We transfer your details and your monthly plan unchanged into the form, you sign, and we send the application.

What we do not do: we do not tell you which split of the months or which type is better for your family, we do not calculate your Elterngeld, and you make the online application with BundID yourself. For the amount there is the Familienportal's Elterngeld calculator.

Questions about Elterngeld

When do I have to apply for Elterngeld?

You can only apply after the birth. The Familienportal advises applying in the first three months of the child's life, because under § 7 BEEG the Elterngeldstelle pays back pay only for the last three months of life before the month in which the application arrived.

Can I apply for Elterngeld online?

Yes, in all federal states. New online applications go through mein-elterngeldantrag.de: after you enter your child's postcode, the responsible office appears with the link to the online application. A BundID account with username and password is enough to start. ElterngeldDigital accepts no new applications.

How much Elterngeld will I get?

Basic Elterngeld is normally 65 percent of the net income lost after the birth, at least 300 and at most 1,800 euros a month. ElterngeldPlus is between 150 and 900 euros. Net income up to 2,770 euros is taken into account. The Elterngeldstelle sets the exact amount; we do not calculate it.

Which documents do I need for the Elterngeld application?

Your child's birth certificate and proof of your income: as an employed mother the payslips for the 12 months before maternity protection, as a father the 12 months before the birth, as a self-employed person the last tax assessment. In addition, certificates from the health insurer on maternity benefit and from the employer on the top-up.

Do both parents have to sign the application?

If the other parent can also receive Elterngeld, he or she co-signs your application, under § 7 BEEG to confirm they are aware of it. People with sole custody sign alone. Each parent makes only one application per child, even for twins; parents can also apply together.

Can I change the Elterngeld months later?

Yes, until the end of the possible payment period, and for future months of life at any time. Retroactively only for the last three months, and for months already paid out only in cases of hardship. Exception: instead of ElterngeldPlus already paid, you can receive basic Elterngeld afterwards. A simple letter to the Elterngeldstelle is enough.

Official sources

Sources (5)

Reviewed by M. Gabal on 26.10.2026

Provided by Behördenfix (M. Gabal). Behördenfix fills in the application with your details; you sign, and we send the signed application to the responsible office. We do not use online accounts such as ELSTER or BundID. We are not an authority, give no legal advice and do not assess your individual case.

Related services (4)
What we do and what we don't
  • We fill in applications based on your details, file them and follow them up.
  • We give no legal or tax advice and do not assess chances of success.
  • We are a private service, not a public authority.
Have your Elterngeld form filled in· 59 €