Balancing study and career with family life

The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth has announced changes to family benefits for 2024 in the following areas: Child supplement, maintenance advance, child allowance (Kinderfreibetrag), child sick days, parental allowance, citizens' allowance (Bürgergeld) recipients.

Further information on the website of the responsible ministry (in German only)

Information on these changes in plain language (in German only).

Questions and answers on the new parental allowance regulations from April 1, 2024 (in German only).

Child benefit was increased as of January 1, 2023. For the first two children, child benefit will increase by 31 euros each and the third child by 25 euros to a total of 250 euros per child. This means that 250 euros in child benefit will be paid for each child from January 2023. 
Further information on the website of the responsible ministry

On 15.07.2022, the 27th BAföGÄndG was published in the Federal Law Gazette. The changes will apply from August/September 2022 for new BAföG approvals, otherwise uniformly from October 2022. By the way, for students with a child, the child supplement will be increased to €160 per month and child.

All changes that come into effect with the implementation of the amendment have been compiled by the Deutsches Studentenwerk here.

The responsibility for processing child benefits for employees and salary recipients of the Free State of Bavaria will be transferred from the State Office for Finance (Landesamt für Finanzen) to the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit). For employees and trainees, the transfer already took place on 01.12.2021. Child benefit processing for civil servants will be transferred on 01.12.2022. For those entitled to child benefits, there is nothing to be done regarding the further payment of child benefits.

Further information can be found on the website of the State Office for Finance (in German).

The Bavarian parental allowance can now be applied for online with a digital signature. The online application is made possible by the BayernID based on the electronic ID card. Applicants can use it to authenticate themselves on their cell phones, laptops or other digital devices and submit their application with legal effect. Only birth certificate still needs to be submitted by mail.
Parental allowance Online application
More information on parental allowance on the website of the responsible authority Zentrum Bayern Familie und Soziales (ZFBS).
Information on digitization in the latest video from #SozialKannDigital.

From 01.09.2021 following changes in parental allowance and parental leave for children born on or after 01.09.2021 apply:

• More part-time options and more flexible partnership bonus: The permissible working hours during parental allowance and parental leave will increase from 30 to 32 hours per week. The partnership bonus for parallel part-time work by both parents can in future be drawn for 24 - 32 hours per week and flexibly between 2 and 4 months.
• Parents of premature babies receive additional parental allowance months.
• Administrative simplifications: In the future, the receipt of income replacement benefits, such as short-time work (Kurzarbeit) or sick pay, will no longer reduce the amount of parental allowance. In the future, parents with low self-employment income will be able to have their income better taken into account in the parental allowance.
• Adjustment of income limits: In the future, only parents who jointly earn no more than 300,000 euros a year will receive parental allowance. Previously, the limit for couples was 500,000 euros. For single parents, the limit remains at 250,000 euros.

Further details on the Family portal of the responsible federal ministry

Entitlement to additional sick days for parents

The federal and state governments have decided to double the entitlement of parents with statutory health insurance to children's sick days. In 2021, each parent will have 20 instead of the current 10 sick days per child (40 instead of 20 days for single parents). Entitlement is thus also to exist if the child (under 12 years of age) is not ill but has to be cared for at home due to the Corona pandemic. The payment by the health insurances can be up to 90% of the net earnings. More information here.

Emergency child supplement

The child supplement supports families with low incomes and single parents. With the emergency child supplement, the responsible federal ministry is reorganizing access to the child supplement from April to September 2020. You can find out here which regulations have been in force since April 1 due to the Corona pandemic.

Adjustments to parental allowance

The German government is making temporary adjustments to the regulations governing parental allowance. Months in which parents-to-be experience a loss of income (e.g. due to short-time work/exemptions due to Corona) can be excluded from the parental allowance calculation. In addition, parents in systemically important occupations can defer their parental benefit months and retain the partnership bonus. More information here.

300 euro child bonus

The federal cabinet has approved a 300 euro bonus for each child eligible for child benefit in 2020. This will provide financial support for families in addition to child benefit and child supplement during the Corona period. The bonus will be paid in two installments of 150 euros each in September and October together with the child benefit. It is not offset against social benefits. You can find out more here.

Relief for single parents

Since single parents are particularly challenged in corona times due to the higher care requirements and the associated expenses, the tax relief amount will be significantly increased for them in 2020 and 2021. You can find out how you can benefit from this here.

From 01.01.2021 child benefit was increased by 15 euros. For the first two children, it is now 219 euros per month, and 225 euros for the third child. From the fourth child onwards, there will be 250 euros per month. Further information on the website of the responsible ministry.

From 01.01.2021 the maximum amount for the child supplement will increase - to up to 205 euros. This provides additional financial support for working parents who earn enough for themselves but for whom there is not enough, or only just enough, to cover the family's entire needs. Further information on the website of the responsible federal ministry.

Since 01.01.2018 female students have been included in the scope of the new Maternity Protection Act (Mutterschutzgesetzt) for the first time. This is intended to protect the health of pregnant and nursing students and their children and to enable them to continue their studies without danger. Disadvantages during pregnancy, after childbirth and during the breastfeeding period, which may arise in the context of university education, are to be counteracted.

You can find further information on maternity protection during your studies at TUM homepage
as well as in the Maternity Protection Guide of the responsible ministry.

In Addition to the subsidy for the kindergarden period the Free State of Bavaria introduces the Bavarian Childcare Allowance on January 1, 2020. It relieves parents of one to two-year-old children with up to EUR 100 per month per child on their parents' childcare contribution for attending a facility or daycare center supported according to the Bavarian Child Education and Care Act (BayKiBiG). The Childcare Allowance is paid only to parents whose income does not exceed a certain income limit.
For more information see the webside of the Zentrum Bayern Familie und Soziales.

With effect from 1 April 2019, parental contributions for the entire kindergarten period will be subsidised by the Free State of Bavaria with € 100 per child and month. This applies to all kindergartens supported according to the BayKiBiG.
Further information from the Bavarian State Ministry for Family, Labour and Social Affairs.

As of September 1, 2019, the City of Munich will reduce the costs of day care places for children in municipal facilities. The regulation also applies to facilities run by non-profit organisations and other sponsors participating in the "Münchner Förderformel".
Further information on this topic can be found on the official portal of the City of Munich.

Families have been able to apply for "Baukindergeld" (construction child benefit) in Germany since September 2018. Eligible to apply are families or single parents with at least one child under the age of 18, who must live in the applicant's household. The taxable household income may amount to a maximum of EUR 75,000 per year plus EUR 15,000 per child.
Important information can be found on the website of Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW).

The new Bavarian Family Allowance will enter into force from 1 September 2018. The Free State of Bavaria grants parents EUR 250 per month for each child in the second and third year of life and from the third child onwards even EUR 300 per month.
For more information see the website of the Zentrum Bayern Familie und Soziales.