As of: March 29, 2024, 10:22 a.m
By: Bona Hyun
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There will be new regulations for parental allowance from April. Many people are not aware that there are legal ways to do a little trickery.
Berlin – From April 1st there will be changes to parental allowance. With the new income limit, parents with particularly high incomes will not be entitled to parental allowance. In addition, both parents are only allowed to receive parental allowance for a maximum of one month and within the first twelve months of the child's life. But there are tricks to get something out of it for your family despite the parental allowance reform.
Changes to parental allowance from April: These are the tricks
This allows you to adjust the level of income. Actually, parents with a joint income of 200,000 euros should no longer be entitled to parental allowance. According to the
Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ)
, couples should note that the basis for assessment is not the gross income, but rather the taxable income from the calendar year before the birth.
Tricks with parental allowance: Parents can avoid some of the changes that will apply from April. © Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez/dpa
For example, special expenses such as childcare costs, church tax or donations, as well as expenses for retirement provision or insurance contributions, are deducted from the gross amount. A tax advisor or expert from the income tax assistance association can help you determine which items you can claim and to what extent.
Parental allowance income limit will fall from April: Avoid higher incomes
There is also the possibility of avoiding high income and reducing it. Verena Dias, a consultant for parents on parental allowance and parental leave, suggests a sabbatical, unpaid leave or switching to part-time work. Mothers and fathers must calculate on a case-by-case basis whether the parental allowance will compensate for the amounts lost in this way. Larger income from capital gains can be avoided, for example, if investors between the parents do not sell stocks and securities in the year before the birth.
Regardless of parental allowance, parents can hope for the introduction of the family start time. The law is intended to allow the second parent up to ten days of paid leave from work after the birth. But the project is still on hold in the traffic light coalition. The FDP announced at the time that it “still needed clarification”. The government agreed on the paid two-week leave of absence in the coalition agreement in 2021. So far, however, the financing is unclear - and with it the future of the project as a whole.
Receive parental allowance from April: Parental Allowance Plus as an alternative
Since 2015, parents have also been able to have Parental Allowance Plus paid out as an alternative to basic parental allowance. The model is particularly suitable for part-time situations. The parental allowance is usually 67 percent of the monthly net income for the year, but at least 300 euros and a maximum of 1,800 euros per month. With Parental Allowance Plus, the contributions are halved, but parents can receive it for twice as long. For example, a parent could continue to receive parental allowance for a month and then claim parental allowance Plus.
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Since one month of basic parental allowance corresponds to two months in the Plus version, there is then another month left of the partner months. “The second parent can take this immediately afterwards, but also much later, for example to get used to daycare,” Dias told
SZ
.
This will change with parental allowance from April 2024
Another overview of what will change with parental allowance from April:
Income limit drops in two steps: The income limit will be lowered in two steps, first to 200,000 and then to 175,000. The limit for single parents has been reduced from 250,000 euros to 150,000 euros.
The child's birthday is important: Nothing changes for parents whose children are born by March 31, 2024. From April 1, 2024, the new 200,000 euro limit will apply to couples and the 150,000 euro limit to single parents, and from April 1, 2025 the new limit of 175,000 euros will apply to couples.
Shared parental leave will be limited: From April, it will no longer be possible for both parents to take seven months of work time off for the child and receive parental allowance at the same time.
A maximum of one month together at home: Staying at home together and receiving parental allowance at the same time should only be possible for one month within the first twelve months of the child's life.
Common mistakes when it comes to parental allowance: What needs to be taken into account
In general, if you want to get the most out of parental leave, you should think about your personal situation, your own needs and goals. But there are also challenges that all parents have to face equally. “Parental couples often don’t even have the latest parental allowance application because there are a lot of different documents circulating on the internet,” says Maren Schmielau, pregnancy advisor at Pro Familia in Wolfenbüttel. There are five tips to keep in mind when applying for parental allowance.
Some questions about understanding also arise again and again during the consultations. For example, it is sometimes forgotten that the first two months of parental leave due to maternity protection must always be taken in the form of basic parental allowance if maternity allowance is paid out at the same time. (bohy with material from the dpa)