Benefits for Families
Child Benefit
Parents are eligible to receive child benefit (“Kindergeld") for children aged up to 18 at the youngest. Parents from foreign countries can also apply for child benefit under certain circumstances. It is usually paid to those parents who are currently residing in Germany or who are normal residents of Germany. Applicants who are not actually living in Germany may be eligible to receive child benefit if they are subject to unlimited income taxation in Germany. This means that the bulk of their income is exclusively earned in Germany. Child benefit currently amounts to approx. €184 per month for the first and second child, €190 for the third child and €215 for each additional child. You need to send a hand-written application to the local Family Benefits Office ("Familienkasse") to be assessed for eligibility.
Family Allowance
If you are a citizen of an EU member state, the EEA states or Switzerland, you are usually eligible to receive family allowance if you are employed or simply living in Germany.
Non-EU citizens can receive family allowance if their residence in Germany has been deemed permanent according to the residence title they possess and their access to the employment market. If you hold a residence permit you automatically fulfil this requirement. If you hold a settlement permit, you only fulfil the requirements if you are also entitled to take up employment in Germany or have already worked here legally. Those parents from foreign countries who possess a residence permit for the purpose of studying, or only in connection with a work permit for a specified maximum period of time do not qualify for family allowance.
Guide for International Researchers, chapter 10:
Concerning benefits for families. Read more here (page 128) (2.2 MB)Source: passages taken from EURAXESS
Partly translated by Dr. Lynda Lich.Knight, ResearchComm Ltd.
