Before and after childbirth
Support for graduates
IMPORTANT NOTE
The information provided here is non-binding. Legal and financial regulations
may differ significantly depending on your nationality. Some measures may be
accessible to EU citizens but not to third-country nationals.
FOR NON-EU CITIZENS, APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE CAN LEAD TO CONSIDERABLE PROBLEMS WITH THEIR RESIDENCE PERMIT.
In such cases, the Frankfurter Verein zur Unterstützung internationaler Studierender e. V.
Special rules currently apply in many areas for
Ukrainian refugees.
If in doubt, please contact the respective
advisory services linked to this website.
With the
help of the Information Tool for Families (Infotool für Familien) of Germany's
Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, you can
quickly establish which benefits and assistance you and your family can claim.
Unfortunately, there is no English translation. If in doubt, please request
help.
The Family Portal of the FederalMinistry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
(familienportal)
provides a good overview of family benefits in different circumstances. It is
available in several languages.
The
Ministry's service hotline can answer any specific questions:
+49-(0)30-201-79130. It is not clear whether staff speak languages other than
German.
You can find an overview of advisory services at Goethe University Frankfurt here.
Parental allowance (Elterngeld) is a form of compensation for loss of income due to parental leave (Elternzeit).
The amount depends
on the person's income in the last 12 months before the child's birth and
is on average about 65% of their net income. Parents with a low income are
eligible for up to 100% of their lost net income.
Parents who
had no earned income prior to the child's birth are eligible for the minimum allowance.
The Parental Allowance Calculator and Planner (Elterngeldrechner mit Planer),
which you can find in the Family Portal (familienportal) of Germany's Ministry
for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, can help you to calculate
how much parental allowance you are likely entitled to. Unfortunately, the
calculator is only available in German.
You can
find a detailed overview of the rules on parental allowance in the Family Portal of the FederalMinistry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
(familienportal).
It is available in several languages.
Parental leave and parental allowance for foreign nationals are explained on the following website of the Federal Government: make-it-in-germany.com.
Child
benefit can be paid for own, foster or adopted children, grandchildren,
children of the spouse or the civil partner from birth until the age of 18 – in
certain cases also beyond that age. Furthermore you have to belong to one of
the following groups of persons:
This list is not exhaustive. Possible claims based on international and supranational law or the Federal Child Benefits Act are not taken into account here.
You can find more information about this in the Family Portal of the FederalMinistry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (familienportal).
You can
find details of the current amount as well as further information on the
website of the Federal Employment Agency.
You can
submit your application online after the birth.
The hotline
of the Family Benefits Office (Familienkasse) is at your disposal under +49-(0)-800-4555530
(free of charge within Germany's fixed-line network).
Child allowance for salaried employees at Goethe University
Frankfurt
The Collective Wage Agreement for Goethe University Frankfurt grants all working parents a child allowance. You can submit an informal application for this allowance by notifying the relevant HR administrator and presenting your child's birth certificate. The amount paid is determined by the rules of the collective agreement and can be adjusted to these.
The amount
of the allowance is specified in Section 23a of the Collective Wage Agreement for GoetheUniversity Frankfurt
(Tarifvertrag für die Goethe-Universität, in German only).
Note: Only
one parent working as a public service employee is entitled to receive this
allowance. Payment is also relative to the respective full-time equivalent
(FTE). Thus, for a 60% FTE, the allowance for one child is €60.
Maternity allowance (Mutterschaftsleistungen)
Maternity
allowance compensates for loss of income when an (expectant) mother is not
allowed to work during her pregnancy or after childbirth, e.g. during the maternity
protection periods.
You can
find out more about the different types of maternity allowance in the Family Portal of the FederalMinistry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
(familienportal).
Foundations and scholarships
You can
find an overview of support measures for graduates on the website of the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer
Austauschdienst (DAAD)), for example.
GRADE –
Goethe Research Academy for Early Career Researchers – has published a brochure
entitled Financing your doctorate, which provides an overview of current
funding opportunities for doctoral researchers. It also contains information
about financial support for scholarship holders with children. However, you
should always enquire about the exact regulations directly with the sponsor.
Family Portal (familienportal) - overview
You can
find an overview of all the services potentially available for students and
doctoral candidates in the Family Portal of the Ministry forFamily Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (familienportal). The information is available in
several languages.
The purpose
of education and participation benefits (also known as “Educational Package"
(Bildungspaket)) is to support children whose parents are drawing unemployment
benefit (Arbeitslosengeld II), social benefit (Sozialgeld), social welfare
(Sozialhilfe), supplementary child allowance (Kinderzuschlag) or housing
benefit (Wohngeld). For example, the cost of nursery, pre-school and school
excursions or dinner money can be covered.
You can find more information on the website of the City of Frankfurt (in German only).
Bundesstiftung Mutter und Kind (Federal Foundation - Mother and Child)
The Federal
Foundation – Mother and Child provides
assistance in financially difficult situations for expenses related to
pregnancy and birth, such as maternity clothes or a baby layette. There is no
legal entitlement to this support, benefits depend on the respective emergency
situation and are means-tested.
Applications for financial support should be submitted to pregnancy counselling centres, e.g. pro familia, Arbeiterwohlfahrt (Workers' Welfare Association), Caritas, Deutscher Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband (Federation of Welfare Associations in Germany), Deutscher Rotes Kreuz (German Red Cross), Diakonisches Werk (a charitable organisation of Protestant churches in Germany), donum vitae, Sozialdienst katholischer Frauen (Catholic Women's Welfare Service) or the pregnancy counselling centres of the cities and districts (and not to the foundation).
The
Frankfurt Pass is a service provided by the City of Frankfurt for low-income
households with their first place of residence in Frankfurt. It entitles
families to many concessions at public institutions in the city and on public
transport.
You can find detailed information on the website of the City ofFrankfurt (in German only).
As a supplement to child benefit, parents on a low income can receive supplementary child allowance if they have enough income for themselves but it does not cover all the family's needs.
You can
find more about this in the Family Portal of the Ministry forFamily Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
(familienportal).
Culture Pass (Kulturpass)
The purpose
of the Culture Pass (Kulturpass) is to enable unemployed
persons and people on a low income in Frankfurt to participate in the city's
rich cultural portfolio. The pass, which is issued by the association Kultur
für ALLE e. V., costs €1 per year for adults and 50 cents
for children and enables holders to visit about 200 cultural institutions.
Detailed
information can be found on the association's website: Kultur für ALLE e. V. (in German only).
Reduced fees for childcare in Frankfurt
Children in
after-school facilities and extended school care (Erweiterte Schulische
Betreuung) as well as children newly admitted to nursery school up to 3 months
before their third birthday (early admissions (vorgezogene Aufnahmen)) can be
entitled to a reduction in fees. Applications for a reduction in fees (in German only) can be submitted to the Municipal
Education Authority of the City of Frankfurt (Stadtschulamt Frankfurt am Main).
Maintenance advance for single parents (Unterhaltsvorschuss for Alleinerziehende)
All
information about advance maintenance payments can be found in the Family Portal of the Ministry forFamily Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (familienportal).
Housing benefit (Wohngeld)
To ensure adequate and family-friendly accommodation, there is the possibility to apply for housing benefit. It can make sense for those persons to apply for housing benefit who are drawing unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld ALG I), have a “mini job" or are supported by their partner or family. Whether housing benefit is granted depends on the following factors:
A
combination of housing benefit and unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld ALG
II) within a benefit community (Bedarfsgemeinschaft) is possible under certain
circumstances.
Note: You
can use the housing benefit calculator on thewebsite of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (Wohngeldrechner) (in German only) to find out whether you are in
principle eligible for housing benefit.
You can
find further information about housing benefit on the website of the City of Frankfurt (in German only).
Please direct enquiries
for consultations to beratung-familie@uni-frankfurt.de.
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Sara Schnier
Family-Service Officer
+49 69 798-18688
Visitor's address
Equal Opportunities Office
Goethe University Frankfurt a.M.
SKW-Building
Rostocker Str. 2
60323 Frankfurt am Main
Postal address
Equal Opportunities Office
Goethe University Frankfurt a.M.
Postbox 227
60629 Frankfurt am Main