FamilienRechner

How much Elterngeld will you get, how long will it last, and what does your health insurer actually pay during maternity leave? Three calculators that model the rules in full — including the places where simpler tools get them wrong.

Where would you like to start?

Elterngeld calculatorTell us what you earned before the birth and we will work out your Elterngeld step by step, naming the statute behind each rule. The first step matters most, because the Elterngeld-Netto is not the net figure on your payslip.Maternity benefit calculatorHow long does maternity protection last, and who pays what during it? Your health insurer pays at most 13 euros a day — by far the larger part comes from your employer. Both halves are shown side by side.Compare Elterngeld scenariosThe same monthly amounts can be arranged very differently. Three arrangements sit side by side here — all spending the same budget, so any difference in the result really does come from the rules and not from one option being handed more months.

Why a dedicated calculator

The Elterngeld-Netto is not the net figure on your payslip. One-off payments such as a Christmas bonus are excluded, social contributions come off as flat percentages with no contribution ceiling, and the tax is computed on a hypothetical case. The gap between the two figures is easily several hundred euros a month.

Every figure names its source

Every rule in these calculators comes from a statute, and we say which section. The parameters live in one file that is updated once a year — the methodology page shows where each value came from and which ones still need checking.

Your data stays with you

There is no server that could do the arithmetic. Everything runs in your browser. There is no account, no enquiry form and nothing for sale — unlike the commercial Elterngeld sites, which end a calculation by offering you a paid consultation.

Guides

Basiselterngeld or ElterngeldPlus?The short answer: if you do not work while receiving it, the two come to the same money, just spread differently. If you do work, ElterngeldPlus is almost always better. The reason is a rule that very few people know about.Tax class before the birthElterngeld is computed from a hypothetical net figure, and your tax class feeds into it. Change class in good time and you can raise your Elterngeld noticeably. Change it too late and nothing happens at all.Maternity protection periodsSix weeks before the due date, eight weeks after. Simple enough — as long as the child arrives on time, which it rarely does.

Going freelance after parental leave? FreiRechner works out hourly rates and net income for the self-employed.