Having migrated to the United States at 8 years old, my family and I always believed that the states was “the” place to be. This new place came filled with opportunities and promises of a new better life – which, in some ways it did. Life was good back home and I felt fortunate to have migrated there and have access to new opportunities. The U.S. had it all for me and I never imagined wanting to leave to go anywhere else.

Fast-forward some years later after having graduated from University and had experience working towards what I thought was my own “American Dream”, priorities began to shift. I reflected often about my future and where I wanted to raise a family – and to be honest, Germany was not necessarily at the top of my list. Simply because I never had much exposure to it! I only briefly learned about the perks of raising a family in Germany from online articles or stories from my husband (who is German).

Now being twice an immigrant (came to Germany in my late 20s), I am relieving this feeling of newness and the hope that comes with migrating to a new place. I am living a new chapter in my life, this time with a family of my own and I could not imagine being anywhere else at the moment other than Germany.

Rumors are true that Germany does have laws and resources in place that in some ways, make it easier to raise a child here. There is a lot of information out there, often using complicated language, about the resources available to families. Here is my understanding and quick review from the Familienportal, of the 7 key benefits available to families in Germany.

1. Parental Allowance (das Elterngeld): Both parents are eligible to receive Parental Allowance and there are 3 types (Basic Parental Allowance, Parental Allowance Plus, and Partnership Bonus). You can receive the Basic Parental Allowance anywhere between 2-12 months if one parent takes time off. Otherwise, you can split up to 14 months between both parents (additional time is also given if your child was born prematurely or you are a single parent). The amount you receive each month can vary between 300-1800 euros). However, usually, it depends on your income before your child was born and usually amounts to 65% of your net income. There are other factors that affect the amount you receive such as, if you have twins or other small children, if you work part-time or if you had no income before your child was born. With Parental Allowance Plus, you can remain at home for up to two years and receive half the amount each month that you would receive with Basic Parental Allowance. Monthly allowance can range between 150-900 euros and ideal for parents who typically work part-time as they may end up receiving g about the same monthly income as they would otherwise if working. Lastly, with the Partnership Bonus, you can combine Basic Parental Allowance and Parental Allowance Plus. This allows for maximum flexibility for parents who want to split their time at home and at work evenly. You can easily alternate freely between the two options (Basic or Plus Parental Allowance)
2. Child Benefit (das Kindergeld): Every family receives a Child Allowance of 250 euros per month/per child, typically up to age of 18. Parents have to submit an application via the Family Benefits Office (Familienkasse).
3. Supplementary Child Allowance (der Kinderzuschlag): An additional stipend paid per month/per child (maximum of up to 250 euros) to low-income families who need additional financial support. These families can also receive additional financial support for education and activities, such as free communal lunch at school and school supplies.
4. Protection of Working Mothers (das Mutterschutz): Protects a working mother’s right to adequate maternity leave and job security. Pregnant mothers are allowed a minimum of 6 weeks of maternity leave before due date and 8 week after birth in addition to, extended leave if there was a premature birth.
5. Maintenance Advance or Child Support (der Unterhaltsvorschuss): Provided to children and single parents who are not receiving child support. The government in this case, provides a total of 187 euros per month for children up to the age of 5 and 252 euros per month for children ages 6-11. After this, if family meets the low-income criteria and are not receiving any other type of financial support from the government, the child could be eligible to receive 338 euros per month up to the age of 18. A written application must be completed and submitted to the local Youth Welfare Office or Jugendamt.
6. Tax Allowances for Children (die Freibeträge für Kinder): Guarantees that child allowances is tax free typically until the child is 18 years old (25 years old in particular cases).
7. Tax Relief (der Entlastungsbetrag für Alleinerziehende): Grants additional benefits to single parents such as the tax relief for single parents.

To learn more about what resources your family could be eligible for, check out InfoTool from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs- a great resource for families to learn more about which benefits they personally qualify for!