German parental leave — how many months do you have left?

Sources and assumptions

• gesetze-im-internet.de — BEEG § 15 Abs. 2 Satz 1 — tax year 2026, verified on September 28, 2026

  Excerpt from the source : « Der Anspruch auf Elternzeit besteht bis zur Vollendung des dritten Lebensjahres eines Kindes. »

• gesetze-im-internet.de — BEEG § 15 Abs. 2 Satz 2 — tax year 2026, verified on September 28, 2026

  Excerpt from the source : « Ein Anteil von bis zu 24 Monaten kann zwischen dem dritten Geburtstag und dem vollendeten achten Lebensjahr des Kindes in Anspruch genommen werden. »

• gesetze-im-internet.de — BEEG § 15 Abs. 2 Satz 2 — tax year 2026, verified on September 28, 2026

  Excerpt from the source : « zwischen dem dritten Geburtstag und dem vollendeten achten Lebensjahr des Kindes in Anspruch genommen werden »

Calculation assumptions

• The calculation runs in whole months; the Act thinks in dates, so the maternity protection period is entered rounded up to full months.
• For biological children; with adoption and full-time foster care the period runs from placement under § 15 (2) sentence 5.
• Excludes part-time work during parental leave under § 15 (4) to (7).
• The entitlement is worked out for ONE child. With several children it exists for each child separately, even where the periods overlap (§ 15 (2) sentence 4): the carry-over cap and the third birthday apply per child, so work out each child on its own.
• What is worked out is YOUR own entitlement: each parent has an entitlement to up to three years of parental leave, and parental leave may be taken by each parent alone or by both parents together (§ 15 (1) and (3)). The other parent's months do not reduce your entitlement — enter only the months you have taken yourself.
• The child's age is not asked: the months that cannot be carried over are assumed to still fit before the third birthday. The entitlement ends when the child turns three (§ 15 (2) sentence 1); if the child is older, or less time remains until then, the rest has lapsed.