FamilienRechner

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.

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The simple case: no earnings

One monthly amount of Basiselterngeld converts into two ElterngeldPlus months, and ElterngeldPlus is at most half the Basiselterngeld.

With no earnings that simply means half the amount over twice the time, for the same total. Someone entitled to 1,300 euros of Basiselterngeld receives 650 euros of ElterngeldPlus — twelve months of the one or 24 months of the other. The same money arrives either way.

The decision is then not about money. It is about whether your household would rather plan one year with more per month or two years with less.

The case where ElterngeldPlus wins

As soon as you work while receiving it the picture changes completely — because of § 4a Abs. 2 Satz 2 BEEG.

That provision does not say ElterngeldPlus is half your actual Elterngeld. It says ElterngeldPlus is at most half the Basiselterngeld you would have received had you earned nothing at all during the period.

That distinction has consequences. If you work part-time, the Basiselterngeld falls, because it now only replaces the difference between your former and current income. The ceiling for ElterngeldPlus does not fall with it — it is defined on a hypothetical with no income, and it stays exactly where it was.

An example. 2,000 euros of Elterngeld-Netto before the birth, 900 euros earned during the period. The Basiselterngeld drops to 65 % of 1,100 euros, so 715 euros, and it burns a whole monthly amount to do it. ElterngeldPlus stays at 650 euros and burns only half of one. Across the whole budget that is roughly 15,600 euros instead of 8,580.

How to make the decision

If you are planning a longer stretch with no paid work at all, only your household budget decides: more money over less time, or less over more.

If one of you plans to return to part-time work early, the numbers point almost always to ElterngeldPlus for exactly those months. That is what it was introduced for in 2015.

A mixed arrangement is expressly permitted and usually the best of the three: Basiselterngeld for the early period with no income, ElterngeldPlus from the return to work.

What not to overlook

Mutterschaftsgeld from the day of birth is offset in full against Elterngeld. The mother’s first one or two months of life are consumed without any Elterngeld being paid — and they cannot be moved to later.

For births from 1 April 2024 both parents may draw Basiselterngeld simultaneously in only one of the child’s first twelve months.

Basiselterngeld ends with the 14th month of life and ElterngeldPlus runs to the 32nd — but from the 15th month onwards only if at least one parent draws ElterngeldPlus continuously.

Common questions

Can I switch from Basis to Plus partway through?

Yes. The split is set in the application and can be changed later within limits. The common and sensible arrangement is Basiselterngeld for the period with no income and ElterngeldPlus from the return to part-time work.

Does the ceiling still apply if I earn a lot?

The ceiling stays where it is, but the § 2 amount falls as your earnings rise. At some point it drops below the ceiling and becomes the operative figure. Beyond that point ElterngeldPlus offers no advantage over plain halving.

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.

Related guides

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.