Child benefit table 2020 - how much child benefit per month?

From the child benefit table 2020 you can see how much child benefit you are entitled to each month in 2020. The amount of child benefit depends on how many children entitled to child benefit live in the household. The parents’ income, on the other hand, is irrelevant to child benefit entitlement and the amount of child benefit. For the first and second child, parents receive 204 euros a month from the family fund. For the third Child is paid 210 euros. From the fourth child, there is a monthly child benefit of 235 euros. The following Child benefit table gives an overview of how much child benefit parents receive per child from the family fund per month.

Number of children	Child benefit 2019
1 child	204 euros
2nd child	204 euros
3rd child	210 euros
4th child	235 euros
Every additional child	235 euros

However, the amounts stated in the child benefit table above have only been valid since the second half of 2019, because there was a child benefit increase on time at the beginning of the second half of 2019. At this point the child benefit was increased by ten euros a month for each child. It follows that the child benefit for the first and second child before July 1, 2019 was 194 euros per month. For the third child, parents previously received 200 euros a month from the family fund. From the fourth child, there was an amount of 225 euros per month before the child benefit increase. The following child benefit table compares the new and old child benefit values.

Child benefit table from July 2019

Number of Children	Child benefit after July 1, 2019	Child benefit before July 1, 2019
1 child	204 euros	194 euros
2nd child	204 euros	194 euros
3rd child	210 euros	200 euros
4th child	235 euros	225 euros
All other children	235 euros	225 euros

When is the child benefit paid??

If parents are entitled to child benefit, they will receive it in accordance with the Child benefit table due amount paid out once a month by the family fund. However, the money is paid out on different dates. The monthly child benefit transfer dates are always based on the final digit of the child benefit number. The Family Benefits Office allocates this child benefit number to the parents when applying for child benefit. On the following page you will find a transfer plan with all current payment dates for 2020.

When are parents entitled to child benefit?

Parents are definitely entitled to child benefit as long as their offspring are still minors. However, children over the age of 18 can still be entitled to child benefit. However, the right to child benefit for children of legal age is subject to additional conditions. So parents get for an adult child continued child benefit, if your child is unemployed and registered as a job seeker with the Federal Employment Agency. In the case of unemployed children, child benefit will continue to be paid until the child reaches the age of 21. Parents can receive child benefit for a longer period of time if their offspring is training or completing a degree. In this case, however, the following restriction applies: If it is a matter of a second education or a second degree, the child may work a maximum of 20 hours per week. Otherwise, the child benefit claim would expire. But it ends at the latest Child support payment for children of legal age in training or studying if they have reached the age of 25.

An extension of the child benefit entitlement is also an option if the child has a voluntary social year. The same upper limit applies to child benefit as for an apprenticeship or study. At the latest when the child reaches the age of 25, the end of the child benefit payment is normally over. Parents are only able to receive child benefit for a longer period of time if their child suffers from a severe disability and as a result is unable to make a living on their own. Then the child benefit can be paid indefinitely. A prerequisite for the continued existence of the child benefit is that the child’s disability occurred before the child was 25 years of age.

Child allowance as an alternative to child benefit

German law provides that parents can take advantage of the tax-free child allowance instead of paying child benefit. The child tax credit reduces the taxable income of the parents, so that they have to pay less tax. The child allowance in 2020 is exactly 7,812 euros per child for both parents. If the parents live separately, half the amount will be added to each parent. The child allowance is made up as follows:

2,640 euros for childcare, education and training needs
5,172 euros for the neuter subsistence level of the child

If the parents want to exhaust the child allowance, they cannot do it at the same time also Have child benefit paid out. This is because the use of the allowance basically precludes the payment of child benefit. Parents must therefore always choose one of the two alternatives. But don’t worry, the tax office automatically carries out a so-called cheaper check for the taxpayer to determine whether the child allowance or child benefit payment is the financially more favorable choice in each case.

Child supplement for low-income families

Child benefit is paid to all parents regardless of how much they earn. Low-income families can also receive the child supplement. The child supplement is intended to prevent low-income families with children from falling into unemployment benefit II. In 2020 it will amount to a maximum of 185 euros per child per month. The child benefit subsidy must be applied for in the same way as child benefit from the local family funds.