One of the benefits parents in Germany are entitled to is Kindergeld, literally kids money ;)
Kindergeld a monthly allowance paid out by the government to families with kids.
For this article, we’ve teamed up with Karla and Tarik from Get In Expat, who have created a digital tool to apply for Elterngeld.
(Update from October 2023: While the Kindergeld application used to be one of the easy ones in Germany, it seems to be getting harder and harder to claim this benefit. For more information and assistance, see Baby in Berlin's Instagram post.)
Please tell us a little bit about yourselves?
Hi, I am Karla, Mexican-French and part of a multicultural family along with my French husband, two girls (8 and 10 years old) – and very soon a cute little dog! I came to Germany in the summer of 2020 because my husband found a new job in Frankfurt, and so I followed him!
Hi, I’m Tarik, Moroccan and Belgian (born in Casablanca). I moved to Germany in 2020 with my wife and my two boys (5 and 8 years old). Before starting Get In Expat with Karla, I worked in IT for 12+ years in a bunch of different countries.
You’ve created an online tool for filling out Kindergeld. How does it work and how does it help (international) parents?
The Kindergeld tool is a service to help internationals to fill in their Kindergeld application in English, following a step-by-step process.
At the end, we provide parents with the application document filled with all their information, ready to print with the checklist of the documents you need to prepare and submit with the application.
Can you give us some background on Kindergeld? What is it, who can get it and when can families apply for it? Also, how much is it?
Kindergeld is the child allowance provided by the Family Office (Familienkasse) for all the families living in Germany. From January 2023, the allowance will be 250€ per child per month.
Families can apply both when they have a newborn child or when they come to live in Germany.
One important point is that the allowance starts from the date of birth of the child or from the date of arrival in Germany. However, the application must be sent within 6 months of the birth / arrival to get the allowance backdated.
There is no online application, but you can use our Kindergeld application tool to facilitate the application process online and in English. Families then then send it by postmail. This service costs 29.90€ for up to 3 children.
What are the criteria to receive Kindergeld?
Anyone living in Germany can apply for Kindergeld.
In the general case, the official age limit is 25 years (depending if your child is working or not between the ages of 18 and 25 years).
Important to note: The Kindergeld bank transfer must be done to a German bank account.
After families have filled in the form, what do they need to do next and how long does it take before they receive the money in their bank account?
Once the application is filled with the Get In Expat tool, they must check the data inside the document, add any additional documents listed in the Move-In checklist and send everything to their local Familienkasse – we’ll tell you how to figure out which one to send it to.
Generally, families should receive a letter within 6 weeks either to confirm the application has been accepted or to ask for additional information or documents.
It will take a minimum of two months before families will start receiving the allowance in their bank account.
Finally, what is Get In Expat? When and why did you start the company?
Get In Expat is one of the first digital relocation company in Germany. We help internationals to have a successful move to Germany with paperwork and home search support.
The idea for Get In Expat developed by sharing our relocation experiences in different countries as well as in Germany: we wanted to make relocation digital but with a personal touch. We launched the company in 2021.
Thanks Karla and Tarik!
