If your baby is born prematurely, you're entitled to additional Basiselterngeld months. The earlier the birth, the more extra months:
The weeks are counted from your due date (errechneter Geburtstermin), not from when a full-term pregnancy would end.
Example: Due date was April 15, baby born February 20. That's about 8 weeks early → 2 extra months.
You'll need documentation from your doctor confirming the due date and actual birth date.
The extra months go into your shared pool. If you would normally have 14 Basiselterngeld months and your baby was born 8 weeks early, you now have 16 months to share.
You decide together how to allocate them, just like the regular months.
The extra months are Basiselterngeld months. They can be converted to ElterngeldPlus like any other month (1 Basis = 2 Plus).
This means a very premature birth could give you significant extra time if you use ElterngeldPlus.
For self-employed, the last completed tax year before birth is the assessment period (not 12 months before birth). The tax assessment or income statement serves as proof. Income during the benefit period is calculated based on a forecast and later reconciled with actual income.
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