I am an American with a Blue Card and only worked in the USA before. What will I get?

With the Blue Card you are usually entitled. But your US income does not count. If you had no income taxable in Germany or the EU in the assessment period, you will receive the minimum amount of €300 a month.

I am British and have lived in Berlin since 2018. What applies to me?

If you have a residence document GB under the Withdrawal Agreement, you are treated like an EU citizen. You then need no other permit.

My home country also pays a benefit after the birth. Do I have to apply for it?

Yes, if you are entitled to it. Otherwise German parental allowance is suspended up to the possible amount of that benefit. The benefit is offset.

My employer is based in London, I work from home in Munich. Am I entitled to parental leave?

If you usually work in Germany, you are usually entitled – even with a foreign contract. In case of doubt, the usual place of work has to be clarified with the employer or by the courts. Whether your income counts for parental allowance depends on where it is taxable.

Can I choose ElterngeldPlus if my non-EU home country also pays?

Not for the months in which you are entitled to the home-country benefit. Those months count as months of basic parental allowance.

Can I apply in English?

The forms are in German, and German is the official language of the authorities. If you submit documents in another language, the parental allowance office can ask for a translation.

Parental allowance (Elterngeld) for expats in Germany: the complete guide

By Felix Böhme, Dipl.-Finanzwirt (FH), graduate in public finance Updated 12 Nov 2026

You moved to Germany for work and are expecting a baby? This guide brings together the questions international families ask most often: Am I entitled? Does my income from my home country count? What happens to benefits from there? And am I entitled to parental leave with a foreign employment contract? For details, we link to the relevant specialist pages.

In short

Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland are entitled under the same conditions as Germans. Non-EU citizens need a qualifying residence permit.
Income that is taxed only outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland (e.g. in the USA, the UK or India) does not count. Then you often only get the minimum amount of €300.
Comparable benefits from your home country are offset. Apply for them – otherwise German parental allowance is suspended up to their possible amount.
You are entitled to parental leave if you usually work in Germany – even with a foreign employment contract.

Who is entitled?

All parents must meet the general conditions:

residence or habitual abode in Germany,
the child lives in your household,
you care for and raise the child yourself,
you work no more than 32 hours a week on average in the month of the child’s life,
your taxable income does not exceed the income limit (for births from 1 April 2025: €175,000, combined for couples).

Depending on your nationality, the following also applies:

a citizen of an EU or EEA country or of Switzerland

Nothing. You are generally regarded as having freedom of movement.

a non-EU citizen married to an EU citizen you live with

Usually nothing – you then usually have freedom of movement yourself.

a British national with a residence document GB under the Withdrawal Agreement

Nothing – you are regarded as having freedom of movement.

a British national who only came to Germany or started working here after 31 December 2020

You need a qualifying residence permit.

a citizen of another country (e.g. USA, India, China, Brazil)

You need a qualifying residence permit, e.g. a settlement permit, an EU Blue Card or a residence permit that allows you to work for at least six months.

The complete table with all permits, exceptions and the Fiktionsbescheinigung is on Parental allowance and residence permits. Important: parental allowance is only paid from the month of your child’s life after the permit is issued.

Does my income from abroad count?

Parental allowance replaces 65 to 100 % of the net income you lose, up to €1,800 basic parental allowance a month. Which income counts depends on where it is taxable:

Germany

Yes

another EU or EEA country or Switzerland

Yes, like German income

Yes

only another country (e.g. USA, UK, India)

No

nowhere, because an international rule makes it tax-free (e.g. certain international organisations)

No

No – it is not part of taxable income

If in the assessment period – as a rule the twelve calendar months before the month of birth – you only had income that does not count, you will usually receive the minimum amount of €300 basic parental allowance a month. If you only started working in Germany a few months before the birth, only the income from those months counts. It is spread over the whole assessment period, because parental allowance is based on the average monthly income in the assessment period. Your parental allowance is correspondingly lower.

Income from the EU, EEA and Switzerland is converted into euros at the European Central Bank’s reference rate on the last day of the assessment period.

Salaries from EU institutions such as the Commission, the Parliament or the European Central Bank count like domestic income. Salaries from the European Patent Office and EMBL do not count. More on Posted workers and civil servants abroad.

Benefits from your home country

Home country in the EU, EEA or Switzerland

Then the EU priority rules apply: one country pays first, the other at most a differential amount. See Which country pays first?.

Home country outside these

If you or the other parent are entitled, in a country outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, to a benefit comparable to parental allowance or maternity benefit:

The benefit is offset against German parental allowance, day by day and without the usual €300 exemption.
Months with such a benefit count as months of basic parental allowance. ElterngeldPlus is not possible for those months.
As long as you have not applied for the benefit in the other country, German parental allowance is suspended up to the possible amount of that benefit. If the amount cannot be determined, the parental allowance office only pays, until the benefit is granted, what would remain after the other country’s maximum benefit.
What matters is the purpose, not the name: a benefit is comparable if it is paid because of the birth or for caring for the child after the birth.
The same applies to benefits from an intergovernmental or supranational organisation, for example the United Nations.

The Petrović family: a benefit from Serbia

The family lives in Germany. Jelena last worked in Serbia. From there she receives 3 months of maternity benefit and then a benefit comparable to parental allowance until the 12th month of the child’s life. In Germany she would like basic parental allowance for months 1 to 3 and ElterngeldPlus for months 4 to 21.

Serbia is not an EU country. The EU regulation does not apply.
Offsetting: The Serbian benefits are offset against German parental allowance.
Months used up: The months with a Serbian benefit – months 1 to 12 – count as months of basic parental allowance.
Result: Jelena receives basic parental allowance for months 1 to 12, each time with the Serbian benefit offset. ElterngeldPlus from month 4 is not possible.
Nothing beyond month 12: One parent can receive at most 12 months of basic parental allowance. With 12 months used up, nothing remains for Jelena.

For comparison: if Serbia were an EU country and the benefits existed at the same time under the EU rules, Jelena could choose freely between basic parental allowance and ElterngeldPlus.

Parental leave (Elternzeit) with a foreign employment contract

If you usually work in Germany, you are entitled to parental leave under the BEEG – even if your employment contract was not concluded under German law. If you work in several places, what counts is the place where or from which you do most of your work.
If you work abroad, you are entitled to parental leave if your employment is governed by German law.
If you usually work abroad and your contract is governed by foreign law, you are not entitled to parental leave under the BEEG.

A foreign employer does not have to release you from work for parental allowance. But you only receive parental allowance if you work no more than 32 hours a week. So clarify leave or part-time work with your employer early.

Where to apply, which documents?

Responsible is the parental allowance office (Elterngeldstelle) of the district where your child lives at the time of the first application. Overview: Application by federal state.
Deadline: Parental allowance is paid retroactively only for the last three months of your child’s life before the month in which the application is received.
Forms are in German. Our glossary below helps you fill them in. Help with the application: Apply for parental allowance.

Documents the guidelines mention for international cases:

residence permit or Fiktionsbescheinigung (for non-EU citizens),
proof of foreign benefits – your own written statement is not enough,
termination confirmation or termination agreement if you last worked abroad,
for postings: A1 certificate or certificate from the health insurance fund,
for Turkish, Moroccan, Tunisian and Algerian nationals without a qualifying permit: proof of social insurance,
for cross-border commuters: payslips and, where applicable, tax documents from the other country.

The parental allowance office decides in each individual case and may request further proof. It exchanges data with offices in other EU countries electronically itself; it will tell you which certificates you should submit in addition.

Glossary English–German

parental allowance

Elterngeld

state benefit for parents after the birth

basic parental allowance

Basiselterngeld

parental allowance for up to 12 (with partner months 14) months of the child’s life

ElterngeldPlus

half the monthly amount for twice as many months

parental leave

Elternzeit

unpaid leave from your employer

parental allowance office

Elterngeldstelle

the authority that grants parental allowance

family benefits office

Familienkasse

pays child benefit; agrees the order of priority with the Elterngeldstelle in cross-border cases

residence permit

Aufenthaltstitel

e.g. Aufenthaltserlaubnis, Niederlassungserlaubnis, Blaue Karte EU

certificate of continued validity

Fiktionsbescheinigung

confirms that your previous permit remains valid until a decision is made

assessment period

Bemessungszeitraum

usually the 12 calendar months before the birth from which income is calculated

month of the child’s life

Lebensmonat

from the birthday to the day before the same date in the following month

differential amount, top-up

Unterschiedsbetrag

amount the secondarily responsible country pays in addition

primarily / secondarily responsible

vorrangig / nachrangig

who pays first / who only pays the difference

minimum amount

Mindestbetrag

€300 basic parental allowance

maternity benefit

Mutterschaftsgeld

benefit during maternity protection; offset against parental allowance

immigration office

Ausländerbehörde

issues and extends residence permits

FAQ

I am an American with a Blue Card and only worked in the USA before. What will I get?: With the Blue Card you are usually entitled. But your US income does not count. If you had no income taxable in Germany or the EU in the assessment period, you will receive the minimum amount of €300 a month.
I am British and have lived in Berlin since 2018. What applies to me?: If you have a residence document GB under the Withdrawal Agreement, you are treated like an EU citizen. You then need no other permit.
My home country also pays a benefit after the birth. Do I have to apply for it?: Yes, if you are entitled to it. Otherwise German parental allowance is suspended up to the possible amount of that benefit. The benefit is offset.
My employer is based in London, I work from home in Munich. Am I entitled to parental leave?: If you usually work in Germany, you are usually entitled – even with a foreign contract. In case of doubt, the usual place of work has to be clarified with the employer or by the courts. Whether your income counts for parental allowance depends on where it is taxable.
Can I choose ElterngeldPlus if my non-EU home country also pays?: Not for the months in which you are entitled to the home-country benefit. Those months count as months of basic parental allowance.
Can I apply in English?: The forms are in German, and German is the official language of the authorities. If you submit documents in another language, the parental allowance office can ask for a translation.

Sources and legal basis

“RL” = Guidelines on the BEEG (Richtlinien zum BEEG), Federal Family Ministry, as of 07/2026; “p.” = PDF page.

General conditions, income limit: section 1(1), (6), (8) BEEG; RL 1.8 (p. 80).
Freedom of movement, British nationals, permits: section 1(7) BEEG; RL 1.7.1, 1.7.1.1 (pp. 65–67), 1.7.2.1 (pp. 68–70).
Amount, minimum amount, assessment period: sections 2(1), (2), (4), 2b BEEG.
Income from abroad: section 2(1) sentence 3 BEEG; RL 2.1.3.2.1, 2.1.3.2.2 (pp. 101–102); income limit RL 2.0 (p. 81); EU institutions, EPO, EMBL RL Part II 3.9a (p. 408).
Home-country benefits: section 3(1) sentence 1 no. 3, (2), (3), section 4(4) sentence 3 BEEG; RL 3.1.1.3 (pp. 215–216), 4.4.3 (pp. 246–247).
Petrović family: RL annex V case 1 (p. 477); EU comparison: cases 2 and 6 (pp. 477–480).
Parental leave: RL 15.1.1.3 (pp. 311–312); foreign employer RL Part II 3.20 (p. 425).
Responsibility, deadline: sections 12(1), 7(1) BEEG.
Income limit, tax-free income: section 1(8) BEEG (taxable income under section 2(5) Income Tax Act); RL 2.0 (p. 81).
Official language, translation: section 19(1) sentence 1, (2) Social Code X (“Die Amtssprache ist deutsch.”).
Documents: RL 1.1.1.1.1 (p. 43), 1.2.1 (pp. 50–51), 1.7.2.1 (pp. 69–70), 1.7.2.6 (pp. 75–76), 2e.7 (pp. 189–190), 3.1.1.1.2 (p. 214); forms RL Part II 3.2 (p. 402), 3.4 (p. 405), 4.1.2.3 (p. 433), 4.3 (p. 435).

Sources checked: November 2026