The Germany Elterngeld Calculator estimates your German parental benefit (Elterngeld) from your pre-birth net income. It covers both Basiselterngeld — the standard monthly payment — and ElterngeldPlus, which spreads a smaller amount over a longer period for parents who work part-time during leave.
How it works
Basiselterngeld replaces a percentage of your average monthly net income (Nettoeinkommen) over the 12 months before the birth:
- The base replacement rate is 67% for incomes up to about €1,240, tapering down to 65% for incomes of €1,240 and above.
- For incomes below €1,000, a low-income uplift applies: for every full €20 below €1,000, the rate rises by 0.1 percentage points, up to 100%.
- The result is capped at €1,800/month and floored at €300/month.
rate = 67% (low income) ... 65% (high income), with uplift below €1,000
basis = clamp(rate x net income, €300, €1,800)
ElterngeldPlus = basis / 2 (paid for twice as many months)ElterngeldPlus pays half the Basiselterngeld amount but for double the number of months, so the lifetime total is similar — it simply suits parents earning a part-time income during leave.
Tips and notes
- A couple can take up to 12 months of Basiselterngeld, plus 2 Partnermonate bonus months if both parents share leave (14 total).
- Each Basiselterngeld month converts into two ElterngeldPlus months.
- The €300 minimum applies even if you had no income before the birth.
- Part-time earnings during leave reduce the benefit, since Elterngeld replaces lost income, not the full pre-birth amount.