Elterngeld
Applying for Elterngeld in Bayern — which official form applies
Bayern issues its own Elterngeld application. The responsible body is the Zentrum Bayern Familie und Soziales, not the Familienkasse.
The Bavarian official form bundles the application and the annexes in one document. The separate annexes of the federal standard application do not exist there.
Which official form applies depends solely on where you live. That is why the federal state is the first question here.
What the Bavarian official form combines
Details on nationality and on residence abroad are in the application itself. There are separate annexes for income: one for employment, one for profit income, and one for both together. In addition there is an annex for Elterngeld Plus and the Partnerschaftsbonus.
The other federal states
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern also has its own version. In all other federal states the federal standard application applies. Baden-Württemberg, Hessen and Nordrhein-Westfalen do issue their own official forms; here the federal standard application is filled in for these three states.
Why this is permissible
The Federal Parental Allowance and Parental Leave Act requires written form for the application and no particular official form. Official forms provided „should" be used — that is an obligation to cooperate, not a condition of validity. The references are on the Elterngeld explanatory page.
What that costs
The price depends on how many applications are needed. If both parents apply for Elterngeld, each submits their own application with their own signature. For twins or triplets it remains one application per parent — for multiple births there is one entitlement, not one per child. The sample calculations are on the page about Elterngeld.