I am being posted to Singapore for three years. Do I get parental allowance?

Yes, if the posting is limited in advance, your salary is still owed by the German employer and you are subject to German social insurance law. Outside the EU there is no fixed 24-month limit under section 4 Social Code IV. If there is a social security agreement with the country, according to the guidelines German law usually only applies for a maximum period set out in that agreement. Your employer or health insurance fund can tell you what applies to your assignment.

My posting to France lasts longer than 24 months. What now?

Ask your employer about an exception agreement under Art. 16 of the EU regulation. It can also be concluded retroactively.

I accompany my posted husband and am not an EU citizen. Am I entitled?

Yes, if you live with him in one household and meet the other conditions. A particular residence permit is then not required.

I work at the European Patent Office. Is an application worthwhile?

There is only an entitlement to the minimum amount. Because EPO benefits are offset, there is usually no payment.

I work for the US Army in Germany. Do I get parental allowance?

As a member of the force or its civilian component, generally not. It is different if you or your spouse work in Germany outside the armed forces in employment subject to social insurance.

Parental allowance for posted workers, civil servants abroad and EU staff

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

German parental allowance normally requires residence in Germany. For certain groups who work abroad temporarily, the law makes an exception: posted employees, civil servants on assignment abroad, development workers, certain missionaries and Germans working for international organisations – each together with their spouses. This page explains the conditions and the proof you need.

In short

If your employer in Germany posts you abroad temporarily and you remain subject to German social insurance law, you are entitled to German parental allowance.
Within the EU, EEA and Switzerland, German law generally applies to a posting for a maximum of 24 months. Longer only with an exception agreement.
Spouses living in the same household are also entitled – even without a qualifying residence permit.
If you are posted to Germany, you generally remain in your home country’s system.

Posted from Germany

Conditions

You are entitled if you are subject to German social insurance law under section 4 Social Code IV. This is the case if:

you go abroad on your employer’s instructions to work there for that employer. It does not matter if you were hired specifically for the work abroad. But if you already lived abroad when you were hired, it is not a posting.
the posting is limited in time in advance – by the contract or by the nature of the work, for example a project. Section 4 Social Code IV sets no fixed maximum; several years are possible. If a fixed-term contract renews automatically unless terminated, there is no limit.
your salary claim remains against the employer in Germany.
there is more than a mere “shell employment relationship” in which your obligations in Germany are suspended and only revive when you return.

It does not matter, by contrast, that the main obligations are suspended during parental allowance or parental leave.

24 months within the EU, EEA and Switzerland

Within the EU, EEA and Switzerland, German law only applies to posted workers if the posting is expected to last no more than 24 months and you are not replacing another posted person. If the posting is to last longer, an exception agreement can be concluded under Art. 16 of the EU regulation. It is also possible retroactively. Parental allowance can then be granted retroactively, at the earliest from the month from which German law applies.

Proof

A1 certificate: It determines with binding effect for all EU countries which social insurance law applies. The parental allowance office is bound by an A1 certificate. It is issued by your statutory health insurance fund or – if you are not in statutory health insurance – by the pension insurance institution.
Certificate from the statutory health insurance fund: As a rule, this is sufficient proof of the posting.
Private health insurance: A certificate from a private insurer does not prove the posting. The parental allowance office then checks the conditions itself.

Responsible parental allowance office

The parental allowance office at your last place of residence in Germany is responsible. If you had none, the office at the seat of your employer in Germany is responsible – or at the seat of your spouse’s employer.

Income

Your income counts if it is taxable in Germany or in an EU or EEA country or Switzerland. Pay that is taxed only in a country outside these does not count. Where your pay is taxable during the posting depends on the double taxation agreement; clarify this with your employer or tax office.

Spouses and partners abroad

If you live in one household with a posted or seconded person, you are also entitled as a spouse or registered partner. You must meet all conditions – except residence in Germany. You do not need a residence permit under section 1(7) BEEG for this.

This exception does not apply to unmarried partners; they need residence or habitual abode in Germany.

Civil servants, soldiers and teachers at German schools abroad

Secondment, transfer, assignment: Civil servants, judges and soldiers temporarily sent abroad by their employer are entitled. Proof: certificate from the employer.
In the EU or Switzerland: Civil servants and equivalent persons deployed there by their German employer remain subject to German law, regardless of the duration.
Teachers in the German schools abroad service: Teachers with civil servant status who are given temporary leave to teach at a German school abroad are entitled (not locally hired teachers). Proof: certificate from the employer of the temporary leave and the placement or assignment notice of the Central Agency for German Schools Abroad.
German missions abroad: Members with diplomatic or consular status can receive parental allowance regardless of residence. Local staff hired locally are only entitled if they live in Germany.

How parental allowance is calculated for civil servants: Parental allowance for civil servants.

Development workers and missionaries

Development workers within the meaning of the Development Workers Act are entitled. This requires, among other things, a commitment to a recognised organisation for at least one year. According to the guidelines, seven organisations are currently recognised: AGEH (Cologne), Christliche Fachkräfte International (Stuttgart), GIZ (Bonn/Eschborn), Dienste in Übersee (Leinfelden-Echterdingen), Eirene (Neuwied), Weltfriedensdienst (Berlin) and forum ZFD (Bonn). CIM and political foundations are not recognised organisations.

Missionaries are entitled if they work for a missionary organisation that is a member or contractual partner of the Evangelisches Missionswerk Hamburg, the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Evangelikaler Missionen or the Arbeitsgemeinschaft pfingstlich-charismatischer Missionen. Proof: certificate from the missionary organisation. Missionaries of other organisations are not entitled under this rule.

Germans at international organisations

Germans temporarily working for an intergovernmental or supranational organisation are entitled. This mainly covers civil servants given leave or assigned under the Federal Government’s secondment guidelines. Proof: assignment order or leave granted by the employer; if you are not in the public service, a certificate from the organisation.

Benefits of the organisation comparable to parental allowance or maternity benefits are offset against German parental allowance. As examples of such organisations the guidelines name the United Nations, the EU and the International Labour Organization.

EU staff, EPO and EMBL

EU officials and staff of EU institutions are entitled if they meet the conditions of German law. Their remuneration is treated like domestic income, including household allowance, dependent child allowance and education allowance. Remuneration during parental leave under Art. 42a of the EU Staff Regulations, by contrast, is offset. Months with this remuneration count as used-up months of basic parental allowance.
Contract staff with fixed-term work of up to one year or as a replacement have a choice of which law applies to them.
Civil servants seconded or posted to the EU by national authorities can also be entitled.
European Patent Office (EPO) and EMBL: Salaries do not count as income. Only the minimum amount of €300 comes into consideration. Because these organisations’ own benefits are higher and are offset, permanent staff usually receive no payment. The guidelines mention, for example, an EPO parental leave allowance for 120 days before the child’s 12th birthday of at most €1,385.71 a month and a childcare allowance of €411 a month until the 4th birthday (as stated in the guidelines 07/2026). As long as you do not apply for these benefits, parental allowance is suspended up to their possible amount.

Posted to Germany

If a company from another EU country or Switzerland sends you to work in Germany, your family benefits generally remain governed by the law of the sending country. If you take up residence in Germany, you can have a secondary entitlement to German parental allowance. The same applies to civil servants of another EU country working for its authority in Germany. If your partner works in Germany and is subject to German law, things can be different – Germany may then pay first. See Which country pays first?.

If you come from a country outside the EU, your residence permit also matters.

NATO forces and diplomats of other countries

NATO: Members of a NATO force stationed in Germany, its civilian component and their spouses and partners are generally excluded from parental allowance – even if the spouse is German. Exception: you earned income from employment or self-employment in Germany outside the armed forces in the assessment period. If you are self-employed without income, it is enough if you are insured in all branches of social insurance. The other conditions must be met, including freedom of movement or a residence permit.

Diplomats of other countries in Germany and their family members in the household are also excluded, as are administrative and technical staff and certain domestic staff. Exception: you are in employment that is subject to compulsory German unemployment insurance. If the EU rules apply, they take precedence.

FAQ

I am being posted to Singapore for three years. Do I get parental allowance?: Yes, if the posting is limited in advance, your salary is still owed by the German employer and you are subject to German social insurance law. Outside the EU there is no fixed 24-month limit under section 4 Social Code IV. If there is a social security agreement with the country, according to the guidelines German law usually only applies for a maximum period set out in that agreement. Your employer or health insurance fund can tell you what applies to your assignment.
My posting to France lasts longer than 24 months. What now?: Ask your employer about an exception agreement under Art. 16 of the EU regulation. It can also be concluded retroactively.
I accompany my posted husband and am not an EU citizen. Am I entitled?: Yes, if you live with him in one household and meet the other conditions. A particular residence permit is then not required.
I work at the European Patent Office. Is an application worthwhile?: There is only an entitlement to the minimum amount. Because EPO benefits are offset, there is usually no payment.
I work for the US Army in Germany. Do I get parental allowance?: As a member of the force or its civilian component, generally not. It is different if you or your spouse work in Germany outside the armed forces in employment subject to social insurance.

Sources and legal basis

Same sources as the German page (`U6_entsendung-ausland.de.md`). “RL” = Guidelines on the BEEG, as of 07/2026; “p.” = PDF page.

Posted workers, conditions, proof: section 1(2) sentence 1 no. 1 BEEG; RL 1.2.1 (pp. 49–51).
24 months, A1, binding effect: Art. 12 Regulation (EC) 883/2004; RL Part II 3.2 (p. 402), 3.7 (p. 407); RL 1.2.1 (p. 51).
Exception agreement: Art. 16 Regulation; RL Part II 3.10 (pp. 410–411).
Responsibility: section 12(1) BEEG; RL 1.2.7 (p. 53); RL Part II 4.1.1 (p. 427).
Income: section 2(1) sentence 3 BEEG; RL 2.1.3.2.1, 2.1.3.2.2 (pp. 101–102).
Spouses: section 1(2) sentence 2 BEEG; RL 1.2.6 (p. 53).
Civil servants, teachers, missions abroad: RL 1.2.1 (p. 51), 1.2.2 (p. 51); RL Part II 3.11 (p. 411); RL 1.7.4.1 (pp. 78–79).
Development workers, missionaries: section 1(2) sentence 1 no. 2 BEEG; RL 1.2.3, 1.2.4 (pp. 51–52).
International organisations: section 1(2) sentence 1 no. 3 BEEG; RL 1.2.5 (p. 53); offsetting section 3(1) sentence 1 no. 3 BEEG, RL 3.1.1.3 (p. 216).
EU staff, EPO, EMBL: RL Part II 3.8 (p. 407), 3.9a (pp. 408–409), 3.22 (p. 426); sections 2(4), 3(3), 4(4) sentence 3 BEEG.
Posted to Germany: RL Part II 3.7 (p. 406), 3.11 (p. 411).
NATO, diplomats: RL 1.7.3 (pp. 77–78), 1.7.4.2 (p. 79).

Sources checked: November 2026