Ready to apply for Elternzeit (parental leave) with your employer? Here's a template to use, complete with instructions. The template was provided and approved by our legal expert Jon Heinrich and his colleague Maria Rosenke at MAYR Kanzlei für Arbeitsrecht.
Jon is a specialist lawyer for labor law in Berlin. His specialty is English-language advice to international employees in the Berlin start-up scene.
How to use the template:
Depending on whether your child has already been born or not, and who is applying (the birthing parent or the partner), you will use certain sections and delete the sections that are not applicable to you. You will find these underneath the headings in italics.
Certain sections are marked with blanks ______ or square brackets [ ]. Here you will enter certain information, such as your contact's name or your child's due date. Delete the brackets and information within before submitting the letter.
We have put in some asterisks * to explain how certain dates should be calculated and how certain decisions affect for example your annual leave entitlement. Remove the * before submitting the document.
We hope this helps and let us know any questions (hi(at)kietzee.com)!
Template if you plan to be off completely during your Elternzeit
You can send this via email but make sure you get a written confirmation that your employer has received your letter.
[Your full name and address]
[Employer address]
[Place and date]
Mitteilung der Elternzeit
Sehr geehrte/r __________ [Name of your contact person in HR],
hiermit möchte ich Sie über meine geplante Elternzeit informieren.
If child has already been born: Mein Kind wurde am _____ _____ _______ [birthdate in format day.month.year] geboren.
If child has not been born yet: Der voraussichtliche Geburtstermin meines Kindes ist am _____ _____ ______ [estimated due date in format day.month.year].
For the non-birthing partner:
Die Elternzeit soll vom _____ _____ _______ bis zum _____ _____ _______ dauern.*
For the birthing partner:
Die Elternzeit soll im Anschluss an die Mutterschutzfrist bis einschließlich zum XX Lebensmonat dauern.**
Ich bestätige, dass mein Kind mit mir in einem Haushalt lebt und von mir selbst betreut und erzogen wird.
Bitte bestätigen Sie mir den Eingang dieses Schreibens bei Ihnen.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
_____________________
[Your signature]
*This needs to be in full birth months, for example, if your child is born on 23 April 2023 and you are taking Elternzeit for the first 6 months, your dates will be 23 April 2023 to 22 October 2023.
**For example, if you want to take Elternzeit until your child is 10 month old, you enter "bis einschließlich zum 9. Lebensmonat" as they will have completed their 9th month of life when they turn 10 months old. It is stated here that your Elternzeit will begin when your Mutterschutz ends (8 weeks after the birth of your child.)
Template if you plan to work part-time during your Elternzeit (called Elternteilzeit)
You should sign this letter and send it via post to your employer. Make sure you get a written confirmation that your employer has received your letter.
[Your full name and address]
[Employer address]
[Place and date]
Antrag auf Elternteilzeit
Sehr geehrte/r __________ [Name of your contact person in HR],
hiermit beantrage ich unter Bezugnahme auf § 15 Abs.5 bis 7 BEEG eine Teilzeitbeschäftigung im Umfang von XX Wochenstunden [enter number of weekly hours] beginnend ab dem XX.XX.20XX [starting date of Elternzeit in format day.month.year] bis zum Ende meiner Elternzeit am XX.XX.20XX. [end date in format day.month.year]*
Die verkürzte Arbeitszeit von XX Stunden [hours per week] sollte sich so auf meine XXtägige Arbeitswoche [how many days per week you will be working]** verteilen, dass jeweils XX Stunden am Vormittag abzuleisten sind [how many hours per day], so dass die tägliche Arbeitszeit spätestens um XX.XX Uhr [at what time will your workday end] endet.***
Bitte bestätigen Sie mir den Eingang dieses Antrags bei Ihnen.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
_____________________
[Your signature] *This needs to be in full birth months, for example, if your child is born on 23 April 2023 and you are starting your part-time parental leave after your Mutterschutz, which is 8 weeks, your start date will be 23 June 2023. If you will be on part-time parental leave for 10 months, your end date will be 22 April 2023.
**You should specify how many days per week you will be working as otherwise your employer can decide for you. For example, stating whether your hours will be distributed over 4 or 5 days will make a difference in terms of the number of vacation days you are entitled to (you will be entitled to more if you spread your hours over 5 days). This is something to be aware of. ***Similarly to the above, you should state when you want your work day to end as otherwise your employer can decide for you (and this may clash with Kita pick-up or other obligations).
