Jugendamt, VAMV, Caritas — free counseling, childcare, Unterhaltsvorschuss.
Raising a child alone is hard work, and Germany offers several kinds of money and help for single parents. Most of it has to be applied for, so it is worth knowing what exists.
Money
- Unterhaltsvorschuss: if the other parent pays no or too little child support, the Jugendamt pays up to 227 € (age 0–5), 299 € (6–11) or 394 € (12–17) a month in 2026. Apply quickly: it is paid back for only one month before you apply (Familienportal).
- Tax relief: tax class II with a relief amount of 4,260 € a year, plus 240 € for each further child (§ 24b EStG).
- Elterngeld: single parents can take all 14 months (Elterngeld).
- Kinderzuschlag: up to 297 € per child a month on a low income; single parents need a gross income of at least 600 €.
- Basic income support: If your income is not enough to live on, basic income support (Grundsicherungsgeld, formerly Bürgergeld) includes an extra amount for single parents.
Time off when your child is sick
In 2026, single parents with statutory insurance can get Kinderkrankengeld for 30 working days per child a year, at most 70 days in total (§ 45 SGB V; TK overview).
Child support and paternity
The Jugendamt can help you for free to establish paternity and claim child support from the other parent (Beistandschaft, § 1712 BGB).
The other parent lives abroad?
- Unterhaltsvorschuss from the Jugendamt is possible in this case too, if the other parent pays no or too little support (UVG).
- Claiming support abroad: the Federal Office of Justice (Bundesamt für Justiz) is Germany’s central office for child support across borders. It helps free of charge with EU countries and many others, such as the UK, the USA, Norway and Türkiye. Check its list of countries first (Bundesamt für Justiz).
- How: you usually file the application at a specialised local court (Amtsgericht), which passes it on to the Bundesamt für Justiz (Justiz NRW). The Jugendamt can help you with the forms.
- Contact: Bundesamt für Justiz, +49 228 99 410-6434, auslandsunterhalt@bfj.bund.de.
Advice and contact
- Jugendamt: your local office gives advice on custody, contact and support.
- Counselling centres: pregnancy and family counselling centres, run by charities such as Caritas, Diakonie and pro familia.
- VAMV: the single parents’ association VAMV with local groups.
- Hotlines: see Help & Hotlines.
The federal ministry’s 2026 overview for single parents lists all amounts.
Sources