What belongs to the Elterngeld application and what it costs
Elterngeld
Here you fill in the Elterngeld application in your own language. The help with filling in and translating costs 17,90 €; if both parents apply, 22,90 €. At the end you receive the completely filled-in application, ready to sign and hand in.
This means the place where you are registered — not the child's place of birth and not the place where you work. If you live abroad, choose the federal state where you last lived.
Your case needs these official forms
Determined automatically from your answers — before it comes to the PDF.
As soon as your federal state appears above, the matching official form will show here.
How things go on once everything is filled in
The application is not transmitted digitally. You print it out, sign it by hand and submit it to the Elterngeldstelle yourself. You do these steps yourself — no longer here on the screen.
Print everything out
Print out all the sheets you receive here: the Elterngeld application and every annex. White paper in DIN A4 format, printed on one side. Do not fasten anything together and do not staple anything.
Sign by hand
Sign wherever there is a line for a signature — with a ballpoint pen, not on the screen. The other parent signs as well. If they are applying for Elterngeld themselves, they sign their own application. If they are not applying, they sign yours. This confirms that they know about the application.
Enclose the birth certificate as an original
For Elterngeld the birth certificate is required as an original, not as a copy. The registry office issues a special copy for this, which states that it is intended for Elterngeld. Ask for it expressly there — the copy for Kindergeld is a different one. For twins or triplets you need one for each child.
Pass on the sheets that others fill in
The employer's certificate is not filled in by you. Print out the sheet and hand it in to the human resources department — where the payroll is also prepared. It has to come back with a signature and a company stamp. Then put it with your application.
Attach supporting documents
Enclose the remaining supporting documents as copies — payslips, the health insurance fund's certificate about the maternity benefit, and for self-employment the income tax assessment. You may black out anything you do not need. Only the birth certificate goes with it as an original.
Keep a copy for yourself
Copy or photograph the complete form set before you hand it in — including the birth certificate you are giving away. That way you can look up later what you stated.
Submit it to the Elterngeldstelle yourself
Take the application to the responsible Elterngeldstelle or send it there by post. The office has a different name in every federal state. In Baden-Württemberg it is the L-Bank, in Bayern the Zentrum Bayern Familie und Soziales. In Nordrhein-Westfalen it is the district or the independent city. Here is how to find which one is responsible for you: Go to www.familienportal.de and open the page „Beratung vor Ort“ (advice near you). Under „Thema“ (topic) choose „Elterngeld“ and enter your postcode. The application is not sent from here. What counts is the day it arrives at the office.
Look up the responsible office
For this, your postcode goes to the Familienportal des Bundes. Nothing else — no name, no details from your application.
Elterngeldstelle
Please check your details
This is what is in your application. If something is wrong, change it here — after the purchase the set is final.
This is what the first sheet looks like
A view for checking, with a watermark. After payment you get the complete set as a PDF — without a watermark and in full sharpness.
Buy and download
You can buy only once all details are complete.