Parental leave and parental allowance
After the birth of a child, parental leave and parental allowance are an important support for families in Wolfsburg.
Parental leave
Parental leave is intended to enable mothers and fathers to take intensive care of their child in the first weeks and months of life. The unpaid leave from work can be compensated by entitlement to parental allowance and child benefit.
Working mothers and fathers who look after and raise their child themselves are entitled to parental leave. During parental leave, the employment relationship remains in place and there is an entitlement to return to work at the previous working hours.
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Who is entitled to parental leave?
You are entitled to parental leave under the following conditions:
- You are an employee
- You live with your child (biological child; in special cases also foster child, adopted child, grandchild and siblings) in the same household
- You look after and bring up your child yourself
You are entitled to parental leave regardless of whether the other parent is also entitled to parental leave.
In principle, each parent can claim the statutory parental leave of up to a maximum of 36 months until the child reaches the age of 3. This is independent of the extent to which the other parent takes parental leave. -
How do I apply for parental leave?
Applications for parental leave must be submitted to the employer in writing and signed by the employee. The following deadlines must be observed:
- Parental leave before the 3rd birthday must be applied for at least 7 weeks before the start of parental leave. The employer's consent is not required (§ 16 Para. 1 Federal Parental Allowance and Parental Leave Act).
- Parental leave in the period from the 3rd birthday to the day before the 8th birthday must be registered at least 13 weeks before the start of this parental leave.
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How and where can I get more information about parental leave?
You can find extensive information on the subject of parental leave on the family portal of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
or from our staff at the parental allowance office, who can be contacted in person, by phone or by email at the following contact points:
City of Wolfsburg
Parental allowance office
Telephone: 05361 28-2824
E-mail: elterngeld@stadt.wolfsburg.de
Opening hours:
Mon, Tue, Thu 08:30 - 16:30
Wed, Fri 08:30 - 12:00
Parenting Benefit
Parental allowance enables families to take time for their child by providing financial support for a good start to life together after the birth.
Both working and non-working parents can claim parental allowance during this initial period. It secures the economic existence of families and helps fathers and mothers to better reconcile family and career. Parental allowance gives working parents in particular the opportunity to interrupt or reduce their employment.
Parental allowance is available in three variants, which can also be combined:
- Basic parental allowance
- Parental allowance plus
- Partnership bonus months
You can find more detailed information on parental allowance on the website of the Federal Ministry for Families, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.
Explanatory film - Parental allowance
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Where can I get free advice on all aspects of parental allowance?
You can obtain advice on all aspects of parental allowance and the application process either by telephone or by making an appointment in person at the parental allowance office of the City of Wolfsburg.
Please contact us using the following contact options:
City of Wolfsburg
Parental allowance office
Telephone: 05361 28-2824
E-mail: elterngeld@stadt.wolfsburg.de
Opening hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 08:30 to 16:30
Wednesday and Friday: 08:30 to 12:00 -
Who is entitled to parental allowance?
Mothers and fathers are entitled to parental allowance if they
- are resident in Germany,
- live in the same household as the child,
- care for and bring up the child,
- are employed for a maximum of 32 hours per week and
- have earned a maximum of 250,000 euros in taxable income in the calendar year before the birth as a single parent and a maximum of 300,000 euros as a couple.
Parental allowance, parental allowance plus and parental leave can also be claimed for adopted children and children in foster care. As soon as the adopted child reaches the age of eight, this entitlement no longer applies. Children living in foster care, on the other hand, are not eligible for the above benefits.
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How high is the parental allowance?
Parental allowance is paid in the following amounts, depending on your income before the birth:
- Basic parental allowance between 300.00 and 1,800.00 euros per month
- Parental allowance plus between 150.00 and 900.00 euros per month
- You will always receive the minimum amount of parental allowance (300.00 euros for Basic Parental Allowance and 150.00 euros for Parental Allowance Plus), even if you had no income at all before the birth.
You can also calculate the amount of parental allowance yourself in advance using the Family Ministry's parental allowance calculator. It is also possible to calculate in advance if part-time income is taken into account while you are receiving parental allowance.
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How long can I receive parental allowance?
You can receive parental allowance on a monthly basis from the birth of your child. However, it is not paid for calendar months, but for the so-called "months of your child's life". The start of these months depends on the day your child is born.
For example:
Birth of the child on May 10
1st month of life from May 10 up to and including June 9,
2nd month from June 10 up to and including July 9 and so on.- You can receivebasic parental allowance for up to 12 months within the first 14 months of your child's life. Months in which you are entitled to maternity benefit or a comparable benefit must always be basic parental allowance months. The maternity allowance is deducted from the parental allowance on a daily basis during this period.
- You can receiveParental Allowance Plus for twice as long as Basic Parental Allowance: Instead of one month of Basic Parental Allowance, you can also opt for two months of Parental Allowance Plus, i.e. a maximum of 24 months. Parental allowance must be applied for continuously (without interruptions) from the 15th month of life.
- You can receivepartner months if both partners apply for parental allowance and at least one of you has less income after the birth than before. In this case, you can receive Basic Parental Allowance for a further 2 months or Parental Allowance Plus for a further 4 months. The partnership bonus months are to be distinguished from this. These are up to 4 additional months of Parental Allowance Plus for both parents if you both work part-time between 24 and 32 hours per week. You can also receive both the partner months and the partnership bonus months if you are a single parent and meet the relevant requirements on your own.
- Please note that the minimum period of parental allowance is generally 2 months.
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How and where do I apply for parental allowance?
For children born from 01.01.2023:
You can download your application from the website of the Lower Saxony Ministry and fill it out in writing or directly online at ElterngeldDigital (elterngeld-digital.de)Please note! Submit your application in good time, no later than 3 months after the birth of your child, as parental allowance can only be granted retroactively for a maximum of three months!
You can only apply for parental allowance at the parental allowance office in your main place of residence. If you have your main residence in Wolfsburg, please submit your application as follows:
Please submit your complete application in person:
City of Wolfsburg
Youth Division,
Town Hall D
Service office for Wolles Welt and parental allowance
First floor room 3
Pestalozziallee 1a
38440 Wolfsburg
or drop them in the mailbox of the
City of Wolfsburg
Youth Division,
Town Hall D
Pestalozziallee 1a
38440 Wolfsburg,
or send it by post to:
City of Wolfsburg
Youth Division
Parental allowance office
Pestalozziallee 1 a
38440 Wolfsburg
For further questions or appointments, please contact our staff during the opening hours listed below:
City of Wolfsburg
Parental allowance office
Telephone: 05361 28-2824
E-mail: elterngeld@stadt.wolfsburg.de
Opening hours:
Mon, Tue, Thu 08:30 - 16:30
Wed, Fri 08:30 - 12:00 -
What documents do I need to enclose with my application?
The documents required always depend on your individual situation. If you check a box in the application, you will usually find a →note to the right indicating which documents must be enclosed.
As a rule, the following documents are required
- Application form completed in full in the original (please ensure that the application is signed by both parents)
- Original birth certificate "To apply for parental allowance"
- Certificate from the health insurance fund regarding maternity benefit after the birth (full period of entitlement and amount) or a certificate stating that there is no entitlement to maternity benefit.
- or for civil servants: Certificate from the employer confirming the final maternity protection period (issued after the birth)
- Proof of the employer's maternity allowance (copy of the corresponding statement, if applicable)
- Copies of payslips for the 12 months prior to the birth or prior to the start of maternity leave. In the case of self-employed persons, however, the payslips for the calendar year prior to the birth are required.
- Confirmation of parental leave from the employer for the respective months of the child's life (only required if the child's father is applying)
- Copy of the residence permit, if the child is not a German citizen (if applicable with a copy of the supplementary sheet to the residence permit).
- Copy of the tax assessment from the tax office for the calendar year prior to the birth