Family benefits: this changes 2024

The German government has planned a number of measures for 2024 to provide greater relief for families. And there will also be changes to parental allowance. We present the various measures:

Parental allowance

The income limit for parental allowance will be reduced. From April 1st, 2024 it will be 200,000 euros for couples (instead of 300,000 euros as before) and 150,000 euros for single parents (instead of 250,000 euros as before). On April 1st, 2025 the limit for couples will be reduced to 175,000 euros instead of the originally planned 150,000 euros.

There will also be changes to the partner months. The basic parental allowance is available for a period of twelve months. To encourage the other parent to contribute more to childcare, there are so-called partner months – an additional two months of parental allowance. However, these are only granted if the second parent (not the main carer) also takes parental leave. Previously, it did not matter whether the partner months were taken simultaneously or consecutively.
From April 2024, the following will change: One of the two partner months must be taken within the first twelve months of the child’s life, and only in this month do both partners receive parental allowance at the same time. The other partner month must be taken separately. However, the regulation does not apply to premature babies and multiple births.

Child allowance

The child allowance is taken into account in income tax, meaning that parents have to pay less tax. From January 1st, the child allowance will be increased by 360 euros to 6,384 euros per child.

Child supplement

The child supplement provides additional financial support for working parents whose income is insufficient or only just sufficient to cover all of the family’s needs. From 1 January 2024, families and single parents with low incomes will receive an increased child supplement. The supplement will rise from a maximum of 250 euros to up to 292 euros per month and child.

Maintenance advance for single parents

The maintenance advance is intended to relieve the burden on single parents. It helps to secure the child’s financial livelihood if the other parent does not pay maintenance or only pays it irregularly.
The advance payment will be increased from January 1st, 2024:

• up to 230 euros per month for children aged between zero and five – 43 euros more than before
• up to 301 euros per month for children aged six to eleven – 49 euros more than before
• up to 395 euros per month for children aged twelve to 17 – 57 euros more than before

The minimum maintenance for minor children

From January 1st, 2024 the minimum maintenance for minor children in all age groups will be increased due to the rise in the cost of living in the past year. The adjustments are as follows:

• For children up to the age of six, the minimum maintenance amount increases from 437 to 480 euros
• For children aged seven to twelve inclusive, the minimum maintenance amount increases from 502 to 551 euros
• For underage children aged 13 and over, the minimum maintenance increases from 588 to 645 euros

The paediatric days

If a child falls ill, working parents can take time off work to look after their offspring. Parents with statutory health insurance who are caring for their child receive child sickness benefit. This usually amounts to 90 per cent of the lost net pay.

Previously, there were 10 working days of child sickness benefit per child and per year. If there were several children, the maximum was 25 working days. Single parents were entitled to 20 days and a maximum of 50 if there were several children.

As of January 1st:

• Parents can each receive 15 days of child sickness benefit per child. If there are several children, the maximum is 35.
• Single parents can receive 30 days of child sickness benefit per child. If there are several children, the maximum is 70.

Note: Due to the corona pandemic, there was a special regulation for the years 2022/2023 in which the entitlement was increased. This special regulation is now expiring. Compared to the last two years, the entitlement has decreased, but as the pre-pandemic regulations would normally apply again, the number of days on which parents can receive child sickness benefit will increase in 2024.

The law also stipulates that parents are entitled to child sickness benefit if they are hospitalised together with their sick child. In this case, the entitlement to child sickness benefit lasts as long as the co-admission lasts. There is no fixed maximum entitlement period and these days are not counted towards the regular child sickness benefit days.

The family starting time

The plan was for the family start time to apply from January 1st, 2024. However, it has not yet been passed by the Bundestag. The other parent or partner will be able to take an additional 10 days’ paid leave after the birth. During this time off, they will receive a partner’s wage, which corresponds to the average salary of the last three months of work and is paid by the employer.