Because of the coronavirus, I have to take care of my child at home. Do I continue to receive money from my employer?

Parents have to do everything in their power to ensure that their children are looked after. Under certain circumstances, you can receive part of your net wage (67%; but no more than € 2016 net) for a period of up to 10 weeks (for single parents up to 20 weeks), if you have no other way of looking after your children (e.g. through another parent or caretaker). You will continue to receive the money from your employer. However, before you can claim this payment, you must first use up your vacation from the previous year, the vacation you have already planned and reduce overtime hours.

This is a new regulation that the federal government has adopted because of the corona crisis. This rule applies to parents who have a child under the age of 12. This rule does not apply to vacation periods (e.g. periods in which the kindergarten / school would have been closed anyway). If you have any questions, contact a Fair Integration advice center!

Attention: If you work in a so-called "systemically relevant profession" (e.g. as a doctor, police officer, elderly or nursing staff etc.), your child may be entitled to emergency care (Notbetreuung). In this case, you can take your child to the school / day care center that they normally attend. In order to send your child to emergency care in some federal states it is sufficient if one parent works in a systemically relevant profession.

If you make less due to the Corona crisis, for example because you receive short-time work allowance and your wages are not sufficient to support your family, you can get a child supplement (Kinderzuschlag) of up to € 185 a month under certain circumstances. As of April 2020, families who apply for the child supplement must provide proof of the income of the month before the application. This regulation is to apply until September 30th, 2020. You must submit the application for the so-called "emergency child supplement" (Notfall-Kinderzuschlag) to your “Familienkasse”. You can apply online. You can find more information on the website of the Employment Agency  (Agentur für Arbeit).