Healthy living Financial benefits relating to pregnancy and birth

The birth of a child is usually a joyous event for expectant parents. So as not to endanger the health of the mother and child, pregnant and nursing women in employment are offered particular protection – as regulated by maternity protection. A range of maternity benefits are also intended to ensure that women are not financially disadvantaged due to the birth of a child. 

After the birth, parents not only receive practical support services but also a range of family benefits such as parental allowance or child benefit for financial support. It is useful to find out about these even during pregnancy as some things can be prepared for prior to the birth. For families with a low or no income, additional financial support is available in addition to the standard family and social benefits – including during pregnancy. Further information about the various benefits can be found in this article.

As there are lots of formalities linked with pregnancy and the birth of a child, it is easy to lose track of things. The family portal provided by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) offers useful checklists for the time before and after the birth. 

Maternity protection is intended to offer particular protection to employed women who are pregnant or who nurse (breastfeed) a child. The Maternity Protection Act (MuSchG) provides the legal basis for this.

Maternity protection applies to all pregnant and nursing women in employment. It does not matter whether they only work part-time, on a marginal basis or for the Federal Volunteers Service (“Bundesfreiwilligendienst”).

Maternity protection includes:

• health protection in the workplace
• special protection against dismissal
• mandatory leave in the weeks before and after the birth (maternity leave period)
• maternity benefits during the mandatory leave period

Health protection in the workplace

Pregnant and nursing women are not allowed to work if doing so poses a risk to themselves or their child. For example, pregnant and nursing women are not allowed to work with substances that are hazardous to health or to perform tasks that involve regular heavy lifting. They are also not allowed to work nights, Sundays or public holidays – unless they expressly wish to do so.

In the case of a potential risk, employers must initially assess whether the working conditions can be adapted. It is also possible for pregnant and nursing women to be moved to a different role. If it is not possible to avoid potential risk to the mother and child in this manner, the employer must impose mandatory leave. Unlike mandatory leave for medical reasons, this mandatory maternity leave has nothing to do with the condition of the mother’s or child’s health.

Further information about the different types of mandatory leave during pregnancy can be obtained from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) family portal.

Special protection against dismissal

Special protection against dismissal applies during maternity leave. During this period, employers are not generally able to terminate the woman’s employment. Termination is only permitted on a few exceptions, for example if the company becomes insolvent.

The protection against dismissal only takes effect once the employer is aware of the pregnancy or birth. If an employee has already been dismissed prior to her employer obtaining this knowledge, she still has two weeks to notify the employer about her pregnancy.

Maternity leave period

Women are not allowed to work during what is known as the maternity leave period, often simply referred to as maternity leave. 

The maternity leave period usually starts 6 weeks before the estimated due date and ends 8 weeks after the birth. If the child is born before the estimated due date, the maternity leave period only ends 8 weeks after the due date. In such cases, the period after the birth does not just last 8 weeks, but a few days longer. In the case of premature births or the birth of multiple children, the maternity leave period only ends 12 weeks after the birth. 

The maternity benefits you are entitled to depend on:

• your work situation
• your health insurance
• whether you are within maternity protection periods

During the maternity protection periods:

• women with statutory health insurance continue to receive their previous salary. This is partly paid by the employer (“employer contribution”) and partly paid by the health insurance fund (“maternity benefit”).
• Women with private insurance receive maternity benefit from the Federal Office for Social Security. This also applies to women who are covered by statutory health insurance as part of a family at no extra cost. The extent to which women’s salaries are still paid in this period depends on their type of employment, for example whether they are self-employed or employed.

Women with private health insurance may also receive daily sickness allowance if this is included in their cover.

If you have private health insurance or are covered by statutory health insurance as part of a family policy at no extra cost, you can directly apply for maternity benefit online from the Federal Office for Social Security. This also provides downloadable versions of the application documents in case you would prefer to send your application by post.

More information about maternity benefits can be found on the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth family portal.

Parental allowance offers parents financial support if they work less or not at all due to taking care of their child. Even people with no income prior to the birth can apply for a minimum amount of parental allowance. 

There are various versions of parental allowance: basic parental allowance, parental allowance plus and partnership bonus. Basic parental allowance is jointly available to both parents for a total of 14 months. Parental allowance plus can be obtained for twice as long as basic parental allowance. As a result, it is usually only half the amount. The partnership bonus enables people to extend the period for which they receive parental allowance by a few months if both parents work part-time during this period. 

Basic parental allowance is between 300 and 1,800 euros per month; parental allowance plus is between 150 and 900 euros per month (as at 2025). The amount of parental allowance received depends on several factors, including:

• the previous level of income
• the level of income that will be received while receiving parental allowance
• whether other state benefits are also received
• the version of parental allowance selected
• whether the birth is a single, twin or multiple birth
• whether people already have children

Example: prior to the birth of her child, a woman had a regular net income of 2,000 euros from employment. She plans not to work during the parental leave period. In the first 8 weeks after the birth, she receives 13 euros per day in maternity benefit from her health insurance fund. During this period, her employer also pays the difference up to the amount of her previous net salary (“employer contribution”). She subsequently receives 1,300 euros of basic parental allowance for 10 months. This equates to 65 percent of her previous salary. She could alternatively receive 650 euros per month in parental allowance plus for a total of 22 months.

The parental allowance calculator provided by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ) enables you to calculate how much parental allowance you could theoretically receive.

The BMBFSFJ family portal also provides detailed information about parental allowance. You can also use the portal to find an advice center near you.

The website elterngeld-digital.de also provides answers to frequently asked questions about parental allowance and enables you to directly apply for parental allowance online.

Child benefit is intended to ensure basic care for children from birth to at least age 18. It amounts to 255 euros per month per child (as at 2025). 

You can apply for child benefit from the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) following your child’s birth. To apply, you need your child’s birth certificate and tax identification number. You usually receive multiple free copies of the birth certificate, two of which are intended to be used for your child benefit and parental allowance applications. Don’t worry if you forget to apply for child benefit straight away: it is paid out with retrospective effect for up to 6 months from the date of application.

The Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth family portal provides detailed information about child benefit.

You can directly apply for child benefit online from the Federal Employment Agency.

In addition to family benefits such as maternity benefit, parental allowance and child benefit, pregnant women or families can receive various general social benefits such as unemployment benefit, social welfare benefit and housing benefit if required. Further forms of financial assistance are also specially available for families.

If you have a low income, it can be worth checking your entitlement to housing benefit. This can be done, for example, using the housing benefit plus calculator provided by the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB). 

What is the child benefit supplement?

The child benefit supplement is a financial benefit from the state. The supplement can be received by families whose income does not suffice for the entire family. It is paid in addition to child benefit and must be specially applied for from the Family Office (Familienkasse).

Further information about the child benefit supplement can be found on the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth family portal.

You can determine whether you are entitled to a child benefit supplement using the child benefit supplement navigator (KiZ-Lotsen) provided by the Federal Employment Agency. This also enables you to apply for the child benefit supplement online. 

What other assistance is available for low income families?

Even before the birth of a child, expectant parents incur certain expenses, for example for maternity and baby clothing or a pushchair. Pregnant women on social welfare or citizens’ income or who have a low income can therefore receive additional financial support. For example, expectant mothers can receive an “additional requirements supplement” in addition to their existing benefits. One-off benefits, for example for covering the basic initial costs of having a baby, can also be received.

If you would like find out more about the specific benefits available to pregnant women on a low income, please contact your job center.

Pregnant women can also receive financial support from the Mother and Child Federal Foundation (Bundesstiftung Mutter und Kind). This applies in the case of women whose income is not sufficient during pregnancy, at the time of birth or in the period following the birth and to whom other state benefits are not available on time or in a sufficient amount. 

Full information can be found on the website of the Mother and Child Federal Foundation – Protection of Unborn Life (Bundesstiftung Mutter und Kind – Schutz des ungeborenen Lebens.

Single or widowed parents can also apply for an advance maintenance payment. This supports single parents if the other parent makes no or only irregular maintenance payments. The advance can also be received if the other parent does pay something, but less than the stipulated minimum maintenance amount. People can also apply for an advance maintenance payment if the father of the child is unknown.

More information about advance maintenance payments and how to apply for them can be found on the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth family portal. 

Support is available free of charge throughout Germany at numerous antenatal clinics and family and parenting advice centers run by various organizations.

You can search for antenatal advice centers in your area on the familienplanung.de website of the Federal Institute for Public Health (Bundesinstitut für Öffentliche Gesundheit). 

The German association for youth and marriage guidance (Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Jugend- und Eheberatung e.V.) also offers a comprehensive search for advice centers. This can be filtered by various factors such as family advice or pregnancy advice.

For a list of resources available in relation to various topics of relevance to a child’s first year of life, see the website of the Healthy Start Network (Netzwerk Gesund ins Leben).

The Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth family portal furthermore provides details of local advice centers and the right contacts for financial benefits such as parental allowance or child benefit supplements.  

Pregnant women can anonymously contact the free Pregnant Women in Need Hotline (Hilfetelefon Schwangere in Not) around the clock.

Phone: 0800 40 40 020

If you feel overwhelmed or helpless due to caring for your child, you can also use the parents’ helpline operated by “Nummer gegen Kummer”. The advice is anonymous and free of charge.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tuesday and Thursday: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Phone: 0800 111 0 550 

If you are experiencing mental health problems or find yourself in a crisis situation, you can phone the “Telefonseelsorge” helpline free of charge any time day or night.

Phone: 116 123

Counseling via e-mail and chat: online.telefonseelsorge.de