Maternity Pay Calculator – Mutterschaftsgeld (2026)
Mutterschaftsgeld (maternity pay) keeps your full net salary during the protection period: 6 weeks before and 8 weeks after birth — 12 weeks for premature or multiple births. The public health insurer pays up to €13 per calendar day; your employer tops up to your full average daily net, as of 2026.
Last updated: August 8, 2026
Protection period = 6 weeks before + 8 (or 12) weeks after the birth + the day of delivery.
Estimate for publicly insured employees with a sickness benefit entitlement, as of 2026 — not financial or legal advice. If the due date shifts, the period shifts too. Only the calculations of your health insurer and employer are binding. Amounts shown in German number format (2.250,00 € = €2,250).
What is Mutterschaftsgeld?
Mutterschaftsgeld (maternity pay) secures your income during theMutterschutz (maternity protection period), when you are not allowed to work. The idea: financially you should be no worse off than before. It applies to employees in Germany regardless of nationality — what matters is your employment and your health insurance status.
How the amount is split
Your net pay of the last three fully settled months is converted to calendar days: the sum divided by 90. Of this daily net, the public health insurer (Krankenkasse) pays at most €13 per day — everything above that is added by your employer as a tax-free top-up (Arbeitgeberzuschuss).
Health insurer: max. €13/day · Employer top-up = daily net − €13
| Situation | Protection period | Approx. days |
|---|---|---|
| Standard birth | 6 weeks before + 8 weeks after | 99 days |
| Premature or multiple birth | 6 weeks before + 12 weeks after | 127 days |
Who gets what
The full scheme applies to women who are publicly insured with their own sickness benefit entitlement. Privately insured or family-insured employees instead receive a one-off payment of at most €210 from the Bundesamt für Soziale Sicherung — but keep the employer top-up on the full daily net. Right after the protection period, many parents move on to Elterngeld; the maternity pay weeks are credited against the mother's basic Elterngeld months.
How to apply
Request the payment from your Krankenkasse with the doctor's certificate of the expected due date (issued from 7 weeks before the date). Your employer pays the top-up automatically through payroll once the certificate is on file. Privately or family-insured women apply online at the Bundesamt für Soziale Sicherung.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Mutterschaftsgeld?
The public health insurer pays a maximum of €13 per calendar day (€390 per month). If your net pay is higher, your employer tops up the difference to your full average daily net — so during the protection period you effectively keep your usual net salary.
How is the daily net amount calculated?
From the net pay of the last three fully settled months before the protection period, divided by 90. On €2,250 net that is 6,750 ÷ 90 = €75 per day: €13 from the insurer plus €62 employer top-up. One-off payments such as Christmas bonus do not count.
How long is the maternity protection period (Mutterschutz)?
6 weeks before the due date and 8 weeks after the birth — 12 weeks after premature or multiple births and for children with disabilities. If the baby arrives earlier than calculated, the missed days before the birth are added afterwards, so it is always at least 14 weeks in total.
Who only receives the one-off €210?
Women who are not themselves publicly insured with a sickness benefit entitlement — for example privately insured or family-insured employees. They receive a one-off maximum of €210 from the Bundesamt für Soziale Sicherung; the employer top-up to the full daily net is unaffected.
Do I have to apply for Mutterschaftsgeld?
Yes. The health insurer needs the doctor’s certificate stating the expected due date, which is issued no earlier than 7 weeks before the date. The employer top-up is paid automatically with your payroll once your employer knows the certificate. Both payments are tax-free but subject to Progressionsvorbehalt, and the weeks count towards the mother’s basic Elterngeld months.