Kindergeld in Germany

1. How much is Kindergeld?

One rate applies to every eligible child, including the first. Germany used to pay a lower amount for the first two children and more for later ones; that stopped, and the flat rate is now the whole picture.

2. What Kindergeld actually is

Kindergeld is a monthly cash payment intended to cover part of the cost of raising a child. It is not welfare and it is not means-tested: a consultant earning six figures receives the same amount per child as someone on the minimum wage.

Legally it works alongside a tax allowance for children called the Kinderfreibetrag. You do not choose between them. At the annual tax assessment the tax office automatically compares the two and applies whichever leaves you better off, so for most families Kindergeld is simply money in the bank each month and the comparison happens invisibly.

Only one person receives Kindergeld per child. That matters for separated parents, and it is the single most common source of disputes about this benefit.

3. A worked example

The arithmetic is deliberately simple, because the amount does not vary with income. What varies is whether each child is eligible.

4. Who can receive Kindergeld?

The starting point is straightforward: you live in Germany, and the child belongs to your household. From there the detail matters, particularly for residence status.

Parents are the usual claimants, but they are not the only ones. Adoptive parents can claim, and so can step-parents, foster parents and in some cases grandparents, where the child actually lives in their household. The test is the household, not the biological relationship.

5. How long is Kindergeld paid?

Payment is automatic up to 18 and conditional after that. The conditions are where families lose money, usually by not telling the Familienkasse what a school-leaver is doing next.

6. International families and children abroad

This is the part of Kindergeld that genuinely is complicated, and where simplified answers do real harm. Whether Germany pays, and how much, depends on which countries are involved, who works where, and where the child lives.

Inside the EU and EEA, coordination rules prevent the same family being paid twice for the same child. One country is primarily responsible, usually the country where a parent works. If the other country would pay more, it tops up the difference rather than paying in full. Germany calls that top-up a Teil-Kindergeld or Unterschiedsbetrag.

Outside the EU, the position depends on social security agreements and on your residence status. A child living permanently outside the EU or EEA generally does not attract German Kindergeld, but there are exceptions, and the exceptions turn on facts specific to your household.

• Both parents and the child in Germany, foreign nationals: entitlement depends on the residence title
• Parent working in Germany, child living in another EU state: usually a German entitlement, often as a top-up to the other country’s benefit
• Parent working in another EU state, family in Germany: the other state is often primarily responsible
• Child living outside the EU and EEA: generally no German Kindergeld, subject to specific exceptions
• Posted or seconded workers: the country that keeps your social security cover normally decides the outcome

7. How to apply

You apply in writing, once, and payment then continues while the conditions hold. The application is free, and you never need to pay anyone to do it for you.

1. 1

   Find the responsible Familienkasse

   Normally the one covering your place of residence. Public sector employees are sometimes handled by their employer’s own family benefits office instead, so check your payslip or ask HR before applying elsewhere.

   Family and children (Familienkasse) (opens in a new tab)
2. 2

   Get the tax IDs

   You need your own tax ID and the child’s. A child born in Germany is issued one automatically a few weeks after birth registration. If you moved to Germany with a child, the tax ID follows the address registration.

   Tax identification number (Steuer-Identifikationsnummer) (opens in a new tab)
3. 3

   Complete the application and the child annex

   There is a main form for the claimant and a separate annex (Anlage Kind) for each child. Both are needed. If you have moved from another country, expect additional questions about benefits paid elsewhere.

   Apply for Kindergeld online (opens in a new tab)
4. 4

   Submit it, online or on paper

   The Familienkasse accepts online submissions and posted forms. Only one parent applies, as the recipient. Keep a copy of everything you send.

5. 5

   Answer follow-up requests promptly

   Cross-border cases almost always generate a request for more evidence. Deadlines in these letters are real, and missing one can mean a refusal you then have to appeal.

6. 6

   Receive the decision (Bescheid)

   You get a written decision with your Kindergeld number. Check the child details and the start date on it; errors are easier to fix immediately than a year later.

8. Documents you are likely to need

The exact list depends on your situation, and the Familienkasse asks for what it needs in your case. Not every applicant provides the same papers, so treat this as a preparation list rather than a checklist to satisfy in full.

• Photo identification for the claiming parent
• Your tax ID and the child’s tax ID
• Evidence of the birth: a birth certificate, or the multi-purpose certified copy German registrars issue for benefit purposes
• Your residence permit or registration certificate, where you are not a German national
• German bank details for payment
• For children over 18: enrolment certificate, training contract, voluntary service agreement or proof of jobseeker registration
• For cross-border cases: evidence of employment abroad, and confirmation of what another country pays or has refused
• Certified translations where documents are not in German, if the office asks for them

9. How payment works

Kindergeld is paid monthly by bank transfer, in advance rather than in arrears, into the account you named in the application.

The day of the month you are paid depends on the last digit of your Kindergeld number. Low final digits are paid early in the month and high ones later, which is why two families do not receive their money on the same day. The Familienkasse publishes the calendar for the whole year in advance.

Payment can be backdated, but only for a limited period, so applying late is not automatically a full loss. It is not unlimited either, and the backdating window for Kindergeld is short enough that delay costs real money.

10. Changes you must report, and common mistakes

Kindergeld carries a duty to report changes. The Familienkasse does not find out on its own, and overpayments are reclaimed with interest in some cases.

• A child moves out, or moves abroad
• A child finishes or abandons education or training
• A child over 18 changes what they are doing, including finishing a transition period
• You separate, and the child’s main household changes
• You change address, bank account or name
• You or your partner start work in another country
• Your residence status changes