The child benefit is one of the most important state benefits for families in Germany. It is intended to help parents with lower incomes in particular with their basic care for your children support. Learn all the important information about child support for your newborn and how to apply for it below.
What is child benefit?
According to the German Income Tax Act, parents with German citizenship who live in Germany and are subject to unlimited income tax there generally receive for each child Child benefit.
If you already receive child benefit for your baby and your family is growing, you will also receive this support for each additional child.
Regardless of their income, every family is entitled to child benefit. It serves to ensure the basic provision of your little treasure. Especially parents with lower incomes profit from this benefit. In principle, child benefit is paid for all children up to the age of 18. child benefit is paid until the child reaches the age of. Under certain conditions also longer.
As a rule, you apply for child benefit at your local tax office Employment agency.
Who is entitled to child benefit?
Parents with German citizenship are entitled to child benefit for every child. The prerequisite is that your children live and are registered in Germany or in another member state of the European Union, in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or in Switzerland. So the child benefit will give you regardless of nationality of your children granted.
Parents with German citizenship
You have Entitlement to child benefit for:
Your biological children.
Children of your husband or wife, as well as of your registered partner.
your grandchildren, if you live with them.
Your foster children, if the foster child is no longer in a care relationship with the natural parents and is connected to you by a family-like, long-term bond.
Parents with other citizenship
If you have a nationality other than German, but live with your little darling live in Germany, you will also receive child benefit.
For this you must at least one meet one of the following conditions:
you are a citizen of a member state of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
You are employed subject to social insurance contributions or receive unemployment or sickness benefits and come from Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Morocco, Montenegro, Serbia, Tunisia or Turkey.
you have a valid residence permit, with which you are also allowed to work in Germany.
If you are a refugee or person entitled to asylum who has been recognized without appeal.
How much is the child benefit?
How much child benefit you get for your first baby? This is a question that many future parents ask themselves when they start planning their family.
The amount of the child benefit does not depend on the age of your baby, but on the Number of children. The scale of child benefit is as follows:
for the first and second child you receive 219 euros each
for the third child you already get 225 Euro
and for the fourth and every further child 250 Euro each
The total amount of child benefit you will receive therefore depends on the Size of your family from. For example, if you have two children, you will receive 438 euros (219 euros plus 219 euros) child benefit. When the next sibling arrives, you will receive 663 euros.
Payment of the child benefit
Child benefit is paid monthly, always only to one person paid. So you have to decide whether you or your partner should receive the money.
The payment of the child benefit for your newborn child will be paid from the month in which all the requirements for child benefit are met. For example, if your little darling is 22. If your child was born in August, you will receive the full child benefit for the month of August. From this date it will be paid monthly, until your child is 18 years old. Under certain conditions, child benefit can be received for a longer period of time.
How long do you get child benefit?
Most parents apply for child benefit immediately after the birth of their baby and receive it until the child 18 years of age is old. After this date, child benefit will only be paid under certain conditions:
if your child unemployed or looking for work you can continue to receive child benefit up to the age of 21. your child’s birthday
if your child is in an apprenticeship (including school and university), you will continue to receive child benefit – until your child is 25 years old
the same applies if your child was born in a four-month transition period or if he/she cannot find an apprenticeship and therefore cannot start or continue his/her vocational training – or if your child has a recognized vocational qualification voluntary service pays
From 25. When the child reaches the age of 18 you can only receive child benefit,
if your child completes a course of study or school or vocational training and before that either Civil or military service service (your child must have completed the service before 1.7.started in 2011)
or your child voluntarily enrolls for up to a maximum of three years for the Military service has committed himself/herself (and this before the 1.7.started in 2011)
or your child has a job in development aid If your child has worked in an occupation (and did so before the 1st birthday).7.2011) and is exempt from basic military or civilian service
For children with disabilities there are exceptions where these age limits do not apply under certain conditions.
Claiming child benefit
The application for child benefit for your newborn baby you must in writing provide. Use the Form of the family insurance fund of your employment agency. You can also fill out the child benefit application directly online at the Federal Employment Agency’s website.
In the application you will be asked for your Tax identification number and that of your child. So do not forget to have them at hand when filling out the form.
If you live abroad but work in Germany, apply for child benefit at the family benefits office in the district where you live your employer / your employer reported is. The application for child benefit can also be made by another person on your behalf. This only needs a power of attorney from you.
If, for some reason, you did not apply for child benefit in time, you can also have the child benefit paid to you by another person retroactively get paid for up to six months. To do this, you must indicate in the application form the date from which you would have been entitled to the child benefit.
Difference between child benefit and child allowance
In the first year after the birth of your little darling, you will receive child support for your baby. This applies to all parents in Germany.
After that, your tax office checks whether it makes sense in your case to continue receiving child benefit. If necessary, it may be financially more advantageous to have a Child allowance to receive. Child allowances are not paid out in the same way as child benefit, but at the Income tax offset.
Check whether the child benefit or the child allowances have greater advantages for you automatically from your tax office. So you don’t have to make a separate application for it.
It is always a good idea to prepare for parenthood. Of course, it is important to find out everything you can about caring for babies. But also the financial change, that comes with family life requires a little planning. Fortunately, in Germany there are benefits such as child benefit, which supports your family right from the birth of your baby!