Child support in Germany: who pays, and how much.

In Germany, the parent a child lives with usually pays in kind, by caring for the child. The other parent pays money, every month, in advance. How much follows a published table, the Düsseldorfer Tabelle: the paying parent's net income and the child's age set the amount, and half the Kindergeld comes off it. In 2026 the lowest rates are 486, 558 and 653 euros a month, by age.

Below: who pays, how the table works, what the paying parent always keeps, why back payments only run from a written request, what the state pays when the other parent doesn't, and how to get an enforceable title. This page explains the general rules; it can't work out the amount for a particular family.

1. Who pays, and how

Parents owe their children maintenance (Unterhalt) (§ 1601 BGB). For a child under 18, the parent who looks after the child normally meets that duty by the care itself (§ 1606(3) BGB). The parent the child doesn't live with pays cash maintenance (Barunterhalt), as a monthly sum paid in advance (§ 1612 BGB).

It makes no difference whether the parents were ever married. Child maintenance is the child's own claim. While married parents live apart or are divorcing, the parent the child lives with claims it in their own name; otherwise that parent claims it for the child (§ 1629(2) and (3) BGB). Who has custody is a separate question, covered in our guide to child custody after separation.

If the child lives roughly half the time with each parent, the simple split above no longer fits, and both incomes count. That is one of the situations where a family lawyer's calculation is worth having.

2. How much: the Düsseldorfer Tabelle

The amount is what the child needs (§ 1610 BGB), measured by the paying parent's net income. To keep this consistent, the higher regional courts publish the Düsseldorfer Tabelle, usually updated every 1 January. It is not a law, but family courts across Germany use it as their guideline.

The table has two axes:

• The paying parent's net income, in 15 groups, from up to 2,100 euros a month to 11,200 euros. It means net income after certain deductions (the "bereinigtes Nettoeinkommen"), which is itself often argued over.
• The child's age: 0–5, 6–11, 12–17, and 18 or over. A child moves up from the start of the month of the sixth and twelfth birthday (§ 1612a(3) BGB).

The first income group is the legal minimum maintenance (Mindestunterhalt), set by federal regulation (§ 1612a(1) BGB). From 1 January 2026 it is:

Each higher income group adds a percentage, up to 200% of the minimum in the top group. The table assumes the parent pays for two people; with more or fewer, courts may move the parent down or up a group. Above 11,200 euros the table stops.

3. Kindergeld comes off the table amount

The table shows the child's needs, not what is paid. Kindergeld is 259 euros per child per month in 2026 (§ 66 EStG), and it is usually paid to the parent the child lives with. For a child under 18, half of it counts towards the cash needs; for a child over 18, all of it (§ 1612b BGB).

So in the first income group in 2026, the amounts actually paid for a child under 18 are 356.50, 428.50 and 523.50 euros, by age. The official table has an annex with the payment amount (Zahlbetrag) for every group.

4. What the paying parent keeps

A parent only has to pay what they can afford without endangering their own maintenance (§ 1603 BGB). Towards children under 18, the Düsseldorfer Tabelle puts the amount the parent keeps (Selbstbehalt) at:

• 1,450 euros a month for a parent in work;
• 1,200 euros for a parent not in work.

These include up to 520 euros for rent with heating. The same applies to children aged 18 to 20 who live at home and are still at school.

The obligation towards children under 18 is stricter than any other: a parent has to use all available means for themselves and the children equally (§ 1603(2) BGB), and these children come first if there isn't enough for everyone the parent supports (§ 1609 BGB). When the money above the Selbstbehalt doesn't cover every child, it is shared between them in proportion.

5. Back payments only from a written request

This is the rule that costs people the most money. Maintenance for the past can generally only be claimed from the month in which the paying parent was asked for information about their income in order to claim maintenance, was put in default (Verzug), or was taken to court (§ 1613(1) BGB). Months before that are generally lost, however clear the entitlement was.

So the first step is a letter to the other parent, sent in a way you can prove, that asks for information about their income and assets for the purpose of claiming child maintenance. Each parent has to give that information on request, with documents such as payslips, and can be asked again after two years (§ 1605 BGB).

6. If the other parent doesn't pay: Unterhaltsvorschuss

When the other parent pays nothing, or less than the minimum, the state can step in with Unterhaltsvorschuss (maintenance advance) for a child who lives with a single, separated, divorced or widowed parent (§ 1 UVG):

• for children under 12;
• for children aged 12 to 17, if the child doesn't receive Bürgergeld (SGB II benefits) or the advance makes it unnecessary, or if the parent they live with has at least 600 euros a month of income, not counting Kindergeld.

It is the minimum maintenance minus the full Kindergeld for a first child (§ 2 UVG), so in 2026: 227 euros (0–5), 299 euros (6–11) and 394 euros (12–17). Payments the other parent does make are deducted.

Apply in writing to the office for your area, usually the Unterhaltsvorschussstelle at the Jugendamt (§ 9 UVG). It pays back at most for the month before the month you apply (§ 4 UVG), so apply early. The state then pursues the other parent for what it paid (§ 7 UVG). Families from outside the EU need a qualifying residence title, along the same lines as for Kindergeld (§ 1(2a) UVG); our guide to refused family benefits explains how that works.

7. Getting it in writing: Jugendamt and family court

A promise to pay is not enough if payments stop. What you want is an enforceable title. There are three usual ways to get one:

• A Jugendamt certificate (Jugendamtsurkunde). The paying parent can commit to the amount in a document recorded at the Jugendamt, for children under 21 (§ 59(1) SGB VIII).
• The Jugendamt as Beistand. On a written application by the parent the child lives with, the Jugendamt becomes the child's Beistand and claims the maintenance on the child's behalf (§ 1712 BGB).
• The family court. For a child under 18 and an amount up to 1.2 times the minimum, there is a simplified procedure on official forms (§ 249 FamFG), and the application can be made at the court office without a lawyer (§ 257 FamFG). Other maintenance cases at the family court need a lawyer, unless the Jugendamt represents the child as Beistand (§ 114 FamFG).

If your income is low, you can apply for legal aid for the court case (Verfahrenskostenhilfe, § 76 FamFG).

8. Children over 18

Maintenance doesn't stop at 18, typically while the child is in school, training or studying. From 18 both parents pay in cash, each according to their income (§ 1606(3) BGB), and the full Kindergeld comes off the needs. An adult child claims in their own name. For a student who no longer lives with a parent, the Düsseldorfer Tabelle puts the usual needs at 990 euros a month, including up to 440 euros for rent with heating.

9. What to do now