The Elterngeld income limit

If your taxable income (zu versteuerndes Einkommen) is above €175,000, there is no Elterngeld. For couples the sum of both counts, from the calendar year before the birth. Check it here with your tax assessment.

Which figure counts?

The taxable income from your tax assessment (Steuerbescheid), not gross and not net pay. After work expenses, special expenses and allowances it is usually well below your annual gross pay.

Which year?

The last completed tax year before the birth, so the calendar year before. For a child born in 2027, 2026 counts.

Couples and single parents

Couples add their taxable income together, married or not. Single parents count only their own. The €175,000 limit applies to births from 1 April 2025.

Below the limit

Then the Elterngeldstelle works out Elterngeld as usual from the income of the 12 months before the birth. The Elterngeld calculator or the Elterngeld table shows how much.

Common questions

Is the limit gross or net?

Neither: the taxable income from your tax assessment counts. For employees it is usually well below the annual gross pay.

Which year counts for the income limit?

The calendar year before the birth. For births in 2027, that is 2026.

Does the limit apply to each parent separately?

No. For couples the sum of both counts. Only single parents are looked at on their own.

What if the tax assessment is not there yet?

Then the Elterngeldstelle grants Elterngeld subject to revocation and checks later with the assessment. If the income is then above the limit, it reclaims the Elterngeld.

Does the 2027 reform change the limit?

According to the draft it stays at €175,000. The reform has not been passed.