Child’s money (Kindergeld) belong to children until they turn 25 (if a child does not work and is still in school/university). The purpose of Child’s money is to help parents to defray some of the cost of raising children.
Amount of the allowance: if you have one or two children, each child is entitled to 219 EUR per month; the third child is entitled to 225 EUR per month and each subsequent child is entitled to 250 EUR per month.
Necessary documents:
Documents from the employer:
• Copy of form Lohnsteuerbescheinigung or last 6 pay slips from the employer. If you don’t have any of them, we can provide document search service and get them from your employer;
• Original Certificate Arbeitgeberbescheinigung from the employer;
• Copy of Employment contract in Germany (Arbeitsvertrag). Note: If you don’t have it the procedure to get Child Benefit will take longer;
Documents from the German Authorities:
• Copies of Residential areas in Germany check-in / check-out documents (Anmeldung / Abmeldung). If you don’t have it you should provide full address in Germany and the copy of Lease Agreement or document from the employer confirming the address of your stay in Germany.
Your personal documents:
• Copy of Lease Agreement in Germany (Mietvertrag) or document from the employer confirming the address of your stay in Germany. Note: If you don’t have it the procedure to get Child Benefit will take longer;
• Copies of both parents’ passports or ID cards;
• A copy of marriage certificate (translated and certified by a translation agency);
• Copy(-ies) of child(-ren) birth certificate(s) (translated and certified by a translation agency);
• Copy(-ies) of child(-ren) passport (s) or ID card (s) (if any);
• If your child is 18-25 years old, a certificate from the school / university is also required (translated and certified by a translation agency, original document)
Limitation period: according to the new regulations, child benefits from Germany may be returned for 6 previous and current month. Regulation is applied from 1st of Jan 2018.
Important information:
• To apply for German Child Benefit you must file German Income Tax declaration first. If you did not file it yet we will have to do that before starting the Child Benefit procedure. If you just started working in Germany we can apply for the Child Benefits, but we will have to file German Income Tax declaration after the year ends.
• If you stop working in Germany, you have to inform Family Benefits Office (Familienkass) because you will no longer be eligible for Child Benefit allowance. If you stop working in Germany but you still receive Child Benefit allowance, Family Benefits Office may calculate a debt for you.
• According to the limitation period, you are eligible for an allowance for prior months. A full allowance will be deposited at once when Family Benefits Office confirms that you meet the requirements for the allowance.
• Family Benefits Office considers if you are eligible for Child Benefit allowance in Germany. RT Tax is not responsible for the timeframe, outcome or the amount of allowance.
Register for child benefits