The of the Federal Government, published on the same day. They show both increased participation in the has approved a reform of parental allowance and maternity protection. It announced this on 13 November 2026. The draft bill provides for parents to continue to receive up to 14 months of basic parental allowance between them. However, four months would in future be reserved for each parent. The minimum and maximum amounts are also to rise, and rules for breastfeeding employees are to change.
According to the Federal Government, the Cabinet took the decision by written procedure. The reform is therefore not yet law. Under current plans, the new rules on parental allowance are due to come into force on 1 November 2027.
Of the 14 months of basic parental allowance, six would be freely shared between the parents. Single parents would still be able to claim up to 14 months. For each of the four months reserved for a parent, the replacement benefit would be 80 per cent of their previous income. The rate for the other months would be 50 per cent. The maximum amount would be €1,900 a month.
The minimum amount of basic parental allowance is to rise from €300 to €330, and the maximum from €1,800 to €1,900. The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs states that this would be the first increase in the amounts since the benefit was introduced. Parents would also once again be able to receive basic parental allowance at the same time, without a time limit.
By increasing the replacement rate for the reserved months, the Federal Government aims in particular to give fathers a financial incentive to take time to care for their children. Whether parents actually share the months more equally depends, however, on their decisions and financial circumstances. The lower rate for the other months also changes the financial calculation for families in which one parent receives parental allowance for longer.
The calculation is also to change. According to the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, for employees and self-employed people the calendar year before the birth will in future serve as the assessment period Christmas bonuses and other similar payments from this period are to be taken into account. For employees, this would be a departure from the current assessment period before the birth or maternity protection.
For maternity protection, the Government plans to set a time limit on certain working-time restrictions for breastfeeding women. Restrictions on, for example, overtime, night, Sunday and public holiday work would be limited to the child’s first year. The Ministry also cites a planned change for self-employed people with private daily sickness allowance insurance: they are to receive better protection following a miscarriage from the 13th week of pregnancy.
The German Bar Association had already assessed the draft on 30 October 2026. It saw some modest improvements, but continued to regret the absence of fully paid leave for the second parent immediately after the birth. The statement concerned the draft at the time and was not a final assessment of the subsequent Cabinet decision.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).