Basiselterngeld: The Complete Guide

Basiselterngeld is the 'classic' form of parental allowance. It replaces a significant portion of your income so you can stay home with your baby.

You receive 65% of your average net income from the 12 months before birth. If you earned less than €1,200/month, you might get up to 67%. The minimum is €300 (even if you had no income), and the maximum is €1,800.

Here's the crucial rule: Basiselterngeld can only be received during your child's first 14 months of life. Life month 1 starts on the day of birth.

• This means:
• •Baby born January 15 → Life month 1 = Jan 15 - Feb 14
• •Basiselterngeld must end by baby's 14-month 'birthday'

After month 14, any unused Basiselterngeld months are lost. You can't save them for later.

Both parents together have a maximum of 14 Basiselterngeld months. How you split them is up to you, but there are rules:

• •One parent alone can take maximum 12 months
• •To unlock months 13 + 14, the other parent must take at least 2 months
• •Single parents can take all 14 months themselves

You can take months at the same time (both parents home together), consecutively (one after the other), or in any combination.

Basiselterngeld makes the most sense when:

• •You want to stay home full-time (or work very little) in the first year
• •You don't plan to work during your Elterngeld months
• •You want the highest monthly payment possible

If you're planning to work part-time, ElterngeldPlus might actually pay you more total – it's worth comparing.