Mutterschaftsgeld
First Elterngeld payment too low? It's often the maternity pay
Maternity pay (Mutterschaftsgeld) and the employer's top-up to it are deducted from the mother's Elterngeld day by day. A low first payment is therefore often not a mistake.
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What is deducted: the health insurer's maternity pay and the employer's top-up (Zuschuss zum Mutterschaftsgeld), each for the days from the birth; for civil servants, their pay during maternity protection (§ 3(1) sentence 1 no. 1 and 2 BEEG). What is not deducted: the maternity pay from the Federal Office for Social Security for privately or family-insured women, a one-off payment of at most €210 (§ 19(2) MuSchG).
The months of the child's life in which the mother is entitled to such deducted benefits also count as her months of Basiselterngeld (§ 4(4) sentence 3 BEEG). The calculator shows every month with this deduction.
If the amount still doesn't add up, ask your Elterngeldstelle (the parental allowance office). It advises free of charge.