Elterngeld deadline calculator
Enter your due date, say who takes Elterngeld when – and every deadline is there, explained and with the law section. As a calendar to download.
The most important deadline
Elterngeld is paid back only for 3 months of life before the month your application (Antrag) arrives. You can apply from the birth. Many apply in the first weeks, then nothing is lost.
Parental leave is not Elterngeld
Parental leave (Elternzeit) is registered with your employer, at the latest 7 weeks before it starts, in text form – an email is enough. Elterngeld is applied for at the Elterngeldstelle. They are separate.
Common questions
When do I have to apply for Elterngeld?
Elterngeld is paid back only for 3 months of life before the month your application arrives. If you want Elterngeld from the first month of life, apply by the fourth at the latest.
When do I register parental leave?
At the latest 7 weeks before it starts, in text form to your employer (since May 2025 an email is enough). If it starts with the birth, count from the due date. For time after the 3rd birthday it is 13 weeks.
When does maternity protection start?
6 weeks before the due date. After the birth it lasts 8 weeks, 12 after a premature or multiple birth.
What is in the calendar file?
Every deadline as an all-day event with a reminder. The file is created on your device and works with any calendar.
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