Parental allowance in the EU: which country pays first?
By Felix Böhme, Dipl.-Finanzwirt (FH), graduate in public finance Updated
Do you or the other parent work in another EU country or in Switzerland? Or does your child live there? Then there may be an entitlement to parental allowance or a comparable benefit in two countries. But nothing is paid twice. An EU regulation decides which country pays first and which country only pays a differential amount. This page explains the order of priority and how the differential amount is calculated.
In short
- The country where a parent works pays first. If nobody works, the country paying a pension pays. If there is no pension either, the country where the child lives pays.
- If the parents work in two different countries, the country of work where the child lives pays first.
- The other country only pays if its benefit is higher – and then only the difference.
- The differential amount is only paid on application. So always submit the German application in good time.
Rule of thumb: The country where your child lives does not automatically pay first. The country where a parent works pays first; if nobody works, the country that pays a pension. Your child’s country of residence tips the balance if two countries would be responsible for the same reason and your child lives in one of them – for example because the parents work in two different countries – or if neither work nor a pension is involved.
Which country pays first?
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Your result
Germany alone is responsible.
Based on your answers, you work only in Germany and your child lives here. The EU priority rules do not matter in this case. The normal parental allowance rules apply.
What you should do now
Source: RL Teil II 2.3.1 (S. 393–394).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
The country where a parent works pays first.
One parent works abroad, the other does not work, and your child lives in Germany. In this case, the country where the parent works pays first. Germany pays second: if German parental allowance is higher than the comparable benefit of the other country for the same child and the same period, you receive the differential amount. If the country of work has no comparable benefit – like Switzerland – this can be almost the full German parental allowance.
In the overview of all situations: row 1
What you should do now
- Apply for German parental allowance anyway – the differential amount is only paid on application. Parental allowance is paid retroactively only for the last three months of your child’s life before the month of application. Also apply for the benefit in the country that pays first and send its decision to the parental allowance office later.
Read more: Cross-border commuters
Source: Art. 68 Abs. 1 a VO; RL Teil II 3.16 Tabelle „Kind in Deutschland“ Zeile 1 (S. 415); 3.15.2 (S. 414).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
Germany pays first.
One parent works in Germany, the other abroad, and your child lives in Germany. The parents work in two different countries. In this case, the country of work where the child lives pays first – that is Germany, and it pays the full parental allowance. The other country of work may pay a differential amount if its benefit is higher.
In the overview of all situations: rows 2 and 4
What you should do now
- Apply for parental allowance at the parental allowance office. State that another country is involved. The office agrees the order of priority with the family benefits office and informs the other country if a differential amount could be due there.
Read more: Cross-border commuters
Source: Art. 68 Abs. 1 b i VO; RL Teil II 3.16 Tabelle „Kind in Deutschland“ Zeilen 2 und 4 (S. 415–416); 3.17 (S. 417).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
Only Germany is responsible.
One parent works in Germany, the other does not work, and your child lives in Germany. In this case, only Germany is responsible.
In the overview of all situations: row 3
What you should do now
Source: RL Teil II 3.16 Tabelle „Kind in Deutschland“ Zeile 3 (S. 415).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
Your shared country of work pays first.
Both parents work in the same other country, and your child lives in Germany. In this case, that country pays first. Germany pays second: the differential amount if German parental allowance is higher. Because you live in Germany, you can have your own German entitlement for this.
In the overview of all situations: row 5
What you should do now
- Apply for German parental allowance anyway – the differential amount is only paid on application. Parental allowance is paid retroactively only for the last three months of your child’s life before the month of application. Also apply for the benefit in the country that pays first and send its decision to the parental allowance office later.
Read more: Cross-border commuters
Source: Art. 68 VO; RL Teil II 3.16 Tabelle „Kind in Deutschland“ Zeile 5 (S. 416); 3.15.1 (S. 413).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
The country of work with the higher benefit pays first.
The parents work in two different other countries, and your child lives in Germany – so in neither of the two countries of work. In this case both countries of work are equally responsible. The country with the higher benefit pays the full amount; the other refunds half of it, at most up to the amount of its own benefit. The authorities settle this between themselves. Germany, as the country of residence, pays second: a differential amount if German parental allowance is higher.
In the overview of all situations: row 5a
What you should do now
- Apply for German parental allowance anyway – the differential amount is only paid on application. Parental allowance is paid retroactively only for the last three months of your child’s life before the month of application. Also apply for the benefit in the country that pays first and send its decision to the parental allowance office later.
- In these cases, the Familienkasse Bayern-Nord in Nuremberg is usually responsible for the coordination.
Read more: Which country pays first?
Source: Art. 68 Abs. 1 b i VO, Art. 58 DVO; RL Teil II 3.16 (S. 415), Tabelle „Kind in Deutschland“ Zeile 5 Satz 2 (S. 416); Familienkasse RL Teil II 4.1.2.1 (S. 429–430).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
Germany pays first.
One parent works in Germany, the other does not work, and your child lives abroad. In this case, Germany as the country of work pays the full parental allowance first – the parent who does not work can also have a German entitlement through the other parent. The country of residence may pay a differential amount.
In the overview of all situations: row 6
What you should do now
- Apply for parental allowance at the parental allowance office. State that another country is involved. The office agrees the order of priority with the family benefits office and informs the other country if a differential amount could be due there.
- The parental allowance office at your place of work in Germany is responsible.
Read more: Living abroad, working in Germany
Source: Art. 68 Abs. 1 a VO; RL Teil II 3.16 Tabelle „Kind im EU-Ausland“ Zeile 1 (S. 416), 3.15.2 (S. 414); 4.1.1 (S. 427).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
The country where your child lives pays first.
One parent works in Germany, the other in the country where your child lives. The parents work in two different countries. In this case, the country of work where the child lives pays first. Germany pays second: a differential amount if German parental allowance is higher. Both parents can have a German entitlement for this.
In the overview of all situations: rows 7 and 10
What you should do now
- Apply for German parental allowance anyway – the differential amount is only paid on application. Parental allowance is paid retroactively only for the last three months of your child’s life before the month of application. Also apply for the benefit in the country that pays first and send its decision to the parental allowance office later.
- The parental allowance office at your place of work in Germany is responsible.
Read more: Living abroad, working in Germany
Source: Art. 68 Abs. 1 b i VO; RL Teil II 3.16 Tabelle „Kind im EU-Ausland“ Zeilen 2 und 5 (S. 416); 3.18.4 (S. 420–422); Anhang V Beispielsfall 3 (S. 478).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
The country of work with the higher benefit pays first.
One parent works in Germany, the other in a third country, and your child lives in yet another country. In this case, Germany and the other country of work are equally responsible. The country with the higher benefit pays the full amount; the other refunds half of it, at most up to the amount of its own benefit. Your child’s country of residence may pay a differential amount second.
In the overview of all situations: row 8
What you should do now
- Apply for parental allowance in Germany and for the benefit in the other country of work. Which country pays depends on the amount of the benefits; the authorities will clarify this.
- Parental allowance is paid retroactively only for the last three months of your child’s life before the month of application.
Read more: Which country pays first?
Source: Art. 68 Abs. 1 b VO, Art. 58 DVO; RL Teil II 3.16 (S. 415), Tabelle „Kind im EU-Ausland“ Zeile 3 (S. 416); Anhang V Beispielsfall 6 (S. 479–480).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
Germany pays nothing.
One parent works in the country where your child lives, the other does not work. In this case, only that country is responsible. There is no entitlement to German parental allowance in this situation.
In the overview of all situations: row 9
What you should do now
- Contact the competent office in the country of residence. If a parent worked in Germany before the birth and parental allowance is calculated from that income, that parent still counts as employed in Germany – in that case choose ‘In Germany’ for work.
Read more: Moving to or from Germany
Source: Art. 68 Abs. 1 a VO; RL Teil II 3.16 Tabelle „Kind im EU-Ausland“ Zeile 4 (S. 416); 3.3 (S. 402–403).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
Germany pays first.
Both parents work in Germany, your child lives abroad. In this case, Germany pays the full parental allowance first. The country of residence may pay a differential amount. You can choose freely between basic parental allowance and ElterngeldPlus.
In the overview of all situations: row 11
What you should do now
- Apply for parental allowance at the parental allowance office. State that another country is involved. The office agrees the order of priority with the family benefits office and informs the other country if a differential amount could be due there.
- The parental allowance office at your place of work in Germany is responsible.
Read more: Living abroad, working in Germany
Source: RL Teil II 3.16 Tabelle „Kind im EU-Ausland“ Zeile 6 (S. 416); Anhang V Beispielsfall 2 (S. 477–478); 4.1.1 (S. 427).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
Germany is responsible because your child lives here.
Nobody works and nobody receives a pension. In this case your child’s place of residence decides. Your child lives in Germany, so Germany is responsible.
In the overview of all situations: row 13
What you should do now
Source: Art. 68 Abs. 1 b iii VO; RL Teil II 3.1 (S. 400); Sonderfall ein Elternteil (S. 417).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
The country where your child lives is responsible.
You are on your own with the child, do not work and do not receive a pension. In this case only your child’s country of residence is responsible. There is no German parental allowance.
In the overview of all situations: row 13
What you should do now
- Contact the competent office in the country of residence. If a parent worked in Germany before the birth and parental allowance is calculated from that income, that parent still counts as employed in Germany – in that case choose ‘In Germany’ for work.
Read more: Moving to or from Germany
Source: RL Teil II 3.16, Sonderfall ein Elternteil (S. 417).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
Your country of work pays first.
You are on your own with the child, live in Germany and work abroad. In this case your country of work pays first. Germany pays second: a differential amount if German parental allowance is higher. You have your own German entitlement because you live in Germany.
In the overview of all situations: row 14
What you should do now
- Apply for German parental allowance anyway – the differential amount is only paid on application. Parental allowance is paid retroactively only for the last three months of your child’s life before the month of application. Also apply for the benefit in the country that pays first and send its decision to the parental allowance office later.
Read more: Cross-border commuters
Source: RL Teil II 3.16, Sonderfall ein Elternteil (S. 417); 3.15.1 (S. 413).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
Germany pays first.
You are on your own with the child, live abroad and work in Germany. In this case Germany as the country of work pays the full parental allowance first. The country of residence may pay a differential amount.
In the overview of all situations: row 14
What you should do now
- Apply for parental allowance at the parental allowance office. State that another country is involved. The office agrees the order of priority with the family benefits office and informs the other country if a differential amount could be due there.
- The parental allowance office at your place of work in Germany is responsible.
Read more: Living abroad, working in Germany
Source: RL Teil II 3.16, Sonderfall ein Elternteil (S. 417).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
Germany pays because the pension comes from Germany.
Nobody works, but a parent receives a German pension. In this case Germany is responsible – regardless of the EU country or Switzerland where you live. If a parent also receives a pension from another country, this applies if your child lives in Germany. Whether Germany pays the full parental allowance or a differential amount depends on the benefits of the other country.
What you should do now
- Apply for parental allowance at the parental allowance office. State that another country is involved. The office agrees the order of priority with the family benefits office and informs the other country if a differential amount could be due there.
Read more: Which country pays first?
Source: Art. 67 Satz 2, Art. 68 Abs. 1, 2 VO; RL Teil II 3.13 (S. 412–413).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
The country that pays the pension pays first.
Nobody works, and the pension comes only from one or more other countries. In this case the pension country pays first. If pensions come from several countries, the country in which the longest periods of insurance or residence were completed pays first. Because you live in Germany, you may also have a German entitlement; the benefits of the other country are then offset.
What you should do now
- Apply for German parental allowance anyway – the differential amount is only paid on application. Parental allowance is paid retroactively only for the last three months of your child’s life before the month of application. Also apply for the benefit in the country that pays first and send its decision to the parental allowance office later.
Read more: Which country pays first?
Source: Art. 68 Abs. 1 a und b ii VO (b ii: „und subsidiär gegebenenfalls die längste Dauer der nach den widerstreitenden Rechtsvorschriften zurückgelegten Versicherungs- oder Wohnzeiten“); RL Teil II 3.13 (S. 412).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
The pension country where your child lives pays first – otherwise the one with the longest insurance periods.
Nobody works, and a parent receives pensions from Germany and from another country. If the country where your child lives pays one of these pensions, that country pays first; Germany may then pay second. If the country of residence pays none of these pensions, the pension country in which the longest periods of insurance or residence were completed pays first – this may also be Germany.
What you should do now
- Apply for German parental allowance anyway – the differential amount is only paid on application. Parental allowance is paid retroactively only for the last three months of your child’s life before the month of application. Also apply for the benefit in the country that pays first and send its decision to the parental allowance office later.
Read more: Which country pays first?
Source: Art. 68 Abs. 1 b ii VO (Wohnort der Kinder, „und subsidiär gegebenenfalls die längste Dauer der … Versicherungs- oder Wohnzeiten“); RL Teil II 3.13 (S. 412–413).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
Based on your answers, Germany pays nothing.
Based on your answers, no parent works in Germany, your child does not live in Germany and there is no German pension. In this case the benefit depends on the law of the other countries involved. As a rule, there is no entitlement to German parental allowance.
What you should do now
- Check whether a parent still counts as employed in Germany – for example on parental leave with a German employer or receiving parental allowance calculated from German income. In that case choose ‘In Germany’ for work.
Read more: Moving to or from Germany
Source: Art. 68 VO; RL Teil II 2.3.1 (S. 393–394), 3.1 (S. 400), 3.3 (S. 402–404), 3.16 (S. 414–416).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Your result
The EU rules do not apply to this country.
If a country outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland is involved, there is no rule on which country pays first. German parental allowance then generally requires residence in Germany. A benefit from the other country that is comparable to parental allowance or maternity benefit is offset against German parental allowance – without the usual allowance. Those months then count as months of basic parental allowance. Income that is taxed only in that country does not count for the amount of parental allowance.
What you should do now
- Apply for the benefit in the other country if you are entitled to it. Otherwise German parental allowance is suspended up to the amount of that benefit. Non-EU citizens: check your residence permit.
- If an EU country is also involved, the EU rules may apply to that part. For orientation you can start again and leave out the country outside the EU. The parental allowance office checks how both sets of rules interact.
Read more: Guide for expats · Residence permits · Posted workers and civil servants abroad
Source: § 1 Abs. 1 Nr. 1, Abs. 2, § 2 Abs. 1 Satz 3, § 3 Abs. 1 Satz 1 Nr. 3, Abs. 2, Abs. 3, § 4 Abs. 4 Satz 3 BEEG; RL 2.1.3.2.2 (S. 102), 3.1.1.3 (S. 215–216); Anhang V Beispielsfall 1 (S. 477).
This result is a simplified assessment under the EU rules. The parental allowance office and the family benefits office jointly decide which country is responsible. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case. Please check your details and submit your application in good time.
Who do these rules apply to?
The rules apply if your case involves Germany and at least one other country of the EU, the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) or Switzerland. They are based on EU Regulations (EC) No 883/2004 and No 987/2009. They have applied to Switzerland since 1 April 2012 and to Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway since 1 June 2012.
The rules apply to nationals of these countries and their family members. Under certain conditions they also apply to recognised refugees, stateless persons and non-EU citizens who live lawfully in an EU country and whose case involves a second EU country. There is an exception for Denmark: if both parents are non-EU citizens, there is no coordination with Denmark.
Since 2021, the rules only apply to the United Kingdom for people covered by the Withdrawal Agreement. More on the page Guide for expats.
If your case involves a country outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, for example Turkey, Serbia or the USA, these rules do not apply. A benefit from that country is then offset against German parental allowance. See Moving to or from Germany and Guide for expats.
The order: work – pension – residence
The EU regulation sets a fixed order:
- Work comes first. The country where a parent is employed or self-employed pays first. Civil servants count as employed.
- Then the pension. If nobody works, the country paying a pension pays.
- Finally residence. If nobody works and nobody receives a pension, the country where the child lives pays.
If there are entitlements in two countries at the same level, the child’s place of residence decides – provided the child lives in one of those countries. So if the parents work in different countries, the country of work where the child lives pays first. With pensions from different countries, the pension country where the child lives pays first.
If the child lives in neither of the two countries of work, the country of work with the higher benefit pays the full amount. The other country of work refunds half of it, at most up to the amount of its own benefit. The authorities settle this between themselves.
The country that does not pay first is secondarily responsible. Its entitlement is suspended up to the amount of the benefit of the country that pays first. If its own benefit is higher, it pays the difference.
What counts as work?
Work does not only mean actually working. The following also count – periods in which you receive a replacement benefit because of your work, or in which your employment is only on hold, for example:
- parental leave under German law, as long as the employment continues,
- unemployment benefit and short-time work allowance,
- sickness benefit from statutory health insurance,
- maternity benefit,
- paid holiday and temporary illness,
- German parental allowance if it is calculated from income from employment in Germany.
The following, for example, do not count as work: parental allowance at the minimum amount, basic income support (Grundsicherungsgeld), social assistance, pensions and daily sickness allowance from private health insurance. If your employment ends during parental leave, the parental leave ends too. From then on it no longer counts as work.
Anyone temporarily posted by their employer to another country still counts as employed in the sending country. Within the EU this generally applies for a maximum of 24 months. The same applies to German civil servants deployed by their employer in another EU country or in Switzerland. More: Posted workers and civil servants abroad.
All situations at a glance
“Works” means employed, self-employed or a civil servant, including the equivalent periods. “EU abroad” means another EU or EEA country or Switzerland. “Difference” means: this country pays a differential amount second if its benefit is higher. The guidelines speak of father and mother; the rule applies regardless of who has which role.
Row 12 is the general rule behind rows 5a and 8. It also applies if Germany is not involved at all.
Rows 13 and 14 apply if only one parent is to be taken into account, for example because you are raising your child alone. Whether the other parent must still be taken into account is checked by the parental allowance office.
If nobody works but a parent receives a pension, the country paying the pension pays first – even if the child lives in another country. With pensions from several countries, the country where the child lives pays first if it pays one of these pensions. If the country of residence pays none of them, the longest period of insurance or residence in the pension countries decides.
Why Germany may pay anyway
Even someone who works elsewhere in the EU but lives in Germany can have their own entitlement to German parental allowance. The European Court of Justice decided this in 2008 (Bosmann case). What matters is whether you meet the conditions of German law, in particular residence in Germany, the child in your household, caring for the child yourself and working no more than 32 hours a week. Your entitlement is then secondary. It is paid as a differential amount.
A parent can also “pass on” an entitlement to the other parent. Example from the guidelines: the family lives in Switzerland, the father works in Germany, the mother in Switzerland. Because the father is subject to German law, the mother, as his family member, is also entitled to German parental allowance.
How the differential amount is calculated
If Germany pays second, the parental allowance office compares two amounts:
- the German parental allowance you would be entitled to under German law, including the sibling bonus and the multiple birth supplement, and
- the comparable benefit of the other country.
Three rules apply:
- The same child: Only benefits for the same child or the same birth are compared.
- Only comparable benefits: Child benefit and similar benefits are left out. The family benefits office settles them with child benefit. Special birth and adoption grants do not count either.
- The same period: German parental allowance is paid for months of the child’s life. If the other country pays per calendar month or per day, daily rates are compared.
What matters is the benefit the other country provides for – not whether it was actually paid. If you made a choice in the other country, for example extending or splitting the benefit, the amount that actually results from it counts.
If the foreign benefit is lower, Germany pays the difference. If it is equal or higher, Germany pays nothing.
Example: the Novak family – three children, a benefit only for the youngest
The family lives in EU country A with Mila (7), Leon (11 months) and Ida (1 month). The mother works in A, the father in Germany. The mother applies for German parental allowance. Because the child lives in A and the mother works there, A pays first (table, row 7).
A pays €100 child benefit per child. It also pays €400 a month because the mother interrupts her work to care for Ida – but only for 6 calendar months after the birth. In Germany the mother would be entitled to €1,000 for Leon (with sibling bonus) and €300 for Ida. For Ida it is only €300 because the parental allowance for Leon is offset and €300 remain exempt.
The mother therefore receives €1,000 from Germany. Leon is not offset against the €400 because A pays nothing for him. Once parental allowance for Leon ends, the mother is entitled to €1,000 for Ida (with sibling bonus). Germany then pays €1,000 − €400 = €600. Child benefit plays no role for parental allowance.
Variant from the guidelines: if Ida has a different father who also works in A, there is no link to Germany for Ida. Then there is no German entitlement for Ida. For Leon the mother can still be entitled because his father works in Germany.
The Haddad, Berger and Kowalski families are on Moving to or from Germany, the Petrović family on Guide for expats.
Both parents receive it at the same time: how is it shared?
If both parents receive German parental allowance in the same month, the foreign benefit is deducted in full from the German total – no matter who received it. How the rest is shared depends on who received the foreign benefit:
- Paid to the child: The rest is shared between the parents in proportion to their German entitlements.
- Paid to a parent: It is offset against that parent’s claim. The other parent receives their full entitlement. If the recipient’s claim is not enough, the rest is offset against the other parent.
Example: the Laurent family – living in Strasbourg
Claire works in Strasbourg, Jonas in Kehl. The family lives in France. Because Claire works in the child’s country of residence, France pays first (table, row 7). France provides €1,000 a month. In Germany, Jonas would be entitled to €1,800 and Claire to €1,200. Both receive it at the same time.
Variant: Claire would only be entitled to €600. Then the total entitlement is €2,400, and Germany pays €2,400 − €1,000 = €1,400.
If the other country pays later or for a shorter time
Some countries do not pay their benefit comparable to parental allowance from the birth. The guidelines mention Luxembourg: there the benefit only starts from the third month. In the first two months Germany then pays the full parental allowance (pro rata because of the months of life, where applicable), even though Luxembourg remains responsible first. If Luxembourg pays a maternity benefit during this time, it is offset like German maternity benefit.
For months in which the other country provides no comparable benefit, nothing is compared. In those months the German entitlement is not suspended.
If responsibility changes during a month, for example because of a move or a new job, the country previously responsible pays until the end of that month. Details and examples: Moving to or from Germany.
Basic parental allowance or ElterngeldPlus despite a foreign benefit?
If the EU regulation applies and you receive benefits from two countries at the same time, you can choose freely between basic parental allowance and ElterngeldPlus. This also applies if your country of residence additionally provides its own benefit.
It is different if benefits are received one after the other, for example first abroad and then in Germany after a move. Then the months with a foreign benefit count as used-up months of basic parental allowance, at most 12 per parent. Once all basic months are used up, there is no more ElterngeldPlus and no partnership bonus. If months remain, you can also use them as ElterngeldPlus.
Application: what to do
- Always submit the German application, even if Germany is likely to pay only second. 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.
- Apply for the benefit in the other country as well. An application to the competent office there also counts as an application in Germany, with the same date of receipt.
- The parental allowance office and the family benefits office decide together which country pays first. This decision applies uniformly to parental allowance and child benefit.
- Provisional payment: If the parental allowance office considers Germany secondarily responsible, it makes a provisional decision and forwards your application to the other country. It can pay a provisional differential amount if the amount of the foreign benefit can be determined.
- Proof: Your own written statement about foreign benefits is not enough. Submit decisions from the other country as soon as you have them. If you cannot obtain proof, the parental allowance office will ask the other country. This usually takes longer.
How the application works in general: Apply for parental allowance. The parental allowance office decides in each individual case.
FAQ
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Does the country where my child lives always pay first?
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I work in Austria, my partner is at home, we live in Bavaria. Who pays?
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Does parental leave count as work?
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Is the other country’s child benefit deducted from parental allowance?
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Do I have to apply separately for the differential amount?
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Can I choose ElterngeldPlus despite a foreign benefit?
Sources and legal basis
“RL” = Guidelines on the BEEG (Richtlinien zum BEEG), Federal Family Ministry, as of 07/2026; “p.” = PDF page.
- Scope: Regulation (EC) No 883/2004, Regulation (EC) No 987/2009, Regulation (EU) No 1231/2010; RL Part II no. 1 (p. 391), 2.1 (pp. 392–393), 2.3.1–2.3.5 (pp. 393–397); EEA: Decision of the EEA Joint Committee No 76/2011 of 1 July 2011, in force since 1 June 2012 (EFTA/EUR-Lex), RL Part II 2.1 (p. 392); United Kingdom RL 1.7.1.1 (p. 67), RL Part II 2.1 (p. 392).
- Order work – pension – residence: Art. 68(1)(a) and (b) Regulation 883/2004 (b(ii): children’s residence, subsidiarily the longest periods of insurance or residence); RL Part II 3.1 (p. 400); pensions RL Part II 3.13 (pp. 412–413).
- What counts as work: RL Part II 3.2–3.6 (pp. 401–406); posted workers and civil servants 3.7 (pp. 406–407), 3.11 (p. 411); end of parental leave 3.3 (p. 404).
- Table: RL Part II 3.16 with the tables “child lives in Germany” and “child lives elsewhere in the EU or Switzerland” (pp. 414–416), special case one parent (p. 417); Art. 68(1) Regulation, Art. 58 Implementing Regulation.
- Own entitlement with residence in Germany, derived entitlement: RL Part II 3.0 (pp. 398–399), 3.15.1 (p. 413), 3.15.2 (p. 414); ECJ judgment of 20 May 2008, C-352/06 (Bosmann), as cited in RL.
- Differential amount: Art. 68(2) Regulation; RL Part II 3.17–3.18.3 (pp. 417–420); Novak example: RL Part II 3.18.2 examples 1 and 2 (pp. 418–419); section 3(1) sentence 1 no. 4, (2) BEEG.
- Sharing when both receive it, Laurent example: RL Part II 3.18.4 examples 2 and 3 (pp. 420–422).
- Later or shorter benefit (Luxembourg): RL Part II 3.18.3 (p. 420), 3.18.2 example 2 (p. 419); change of responsibility Art. 59 Implementing Regulation, RL Part II 3.19 (pp. 423–425).
- Basic parental allowance/ElterngeldPlus: section 4(4) BEEG; RL 4.4.3 (pp. 246–247); RL Part II 3.18 (p. 418); RL annex V cases 2, 4, 5, 6 (pp. 477–480).
- Application and procedure: section 7(1) BEEG; Art. 60(3) Implementing Regulation, Art. 81 Regulation; RL Part II 3.1 (p. 400), 4.1.2–4.1.3 (pp. 427–433); proof RL 3.1.1.1.2 (pp. 214–215).
Sources checked: November 2026
Read more
- Overview: Parental allowance for foreigners and border crossers
- Cross-border commuters living in Germany
- Living abroad, working in Germany
- Moving to or from Germany
- Posted workers and civil servants abroad
- Apply for parental allowance · ElterngeldPlus · Sibling bonus · Child benefit · Family benefits offices
- Estimate the amount: Parental allowance calculator
As of November 2026.