Maternity leave calculator (Mutterschutz)

Enter your due date to see when your maternity leave (Mutterschutz) starts and ends. If you like, also how much money you get during it.

The protection periods

Maternity leave starts 6 weeks before the due date and ends 8 weeks after the birth. After a premature or multiple birth it is 12 weeks, and on application also for a child with a disability. If the baby comes early, the missing days are added at the end. If it comes late, only the time before the birth gets longer.

Money during maternity leave

Employees with statutory health insurance get up to €13 a day from their health insurer; the employer tops this up to your net pay (Zuschuss). With private or family insurance, the Federal Office for Social Security pays up to €210 for the whole time, plus the employer top-up. Civil servants keep their pay.

Maternity leave and Elterngeld

Maternity pay and the top-up after the birth count against Elterngeld, and these months of life count as the mother’s Basic months. Maternity pay from the federal office does not count against it.

Common questions

When does maternity leave start?

6 weeks before the due date, so 42 days before. Before the birth you may keep working if you expressly want to; after the birth, as a rule, not.

How long is maternity leave after the birth?

8 weeks, 12 weeks after premature or multiple births. If the baby came before the due date, the time is extended by the days that were missing before.

How much maternity pay will I get?

Employees with statutory health insurance get roughly their net pay of the last three months, together with the employer top-up. The health insurer pays up to €13 a day of it.

What about a minijob or private insurance?

Then the Federal Office for Social Security pays up to €210 for the whole time on application. If your net pay is above €13 a day, your employer pays the difference as a top-up.

Does maternity leave count towards parental leave?

For the mother, maternity leave after the birth counts towards the three years of parental leave (Elternzeit). Parental leave itself usually starts the day after.