The term "Elterngeldtrick" is used widely – mostly without a clear explanation of what lies behind it. This creates confusion and, sometimes, false expectations.
What is meant by Elterngeldtrick?
The term refers in essence to one thing: the deliberate use of the legal rules for shifting the assessment period (Bemessungszeitraum) when claiming Elterngeld for a second child.
Elterngeld is calculated from the income of a defined period. If that period contains months in which Elterngeld was received or Mutterschutz applied, those months can be excluded on request under § 2b BEEG. The period then shifts back – ideally into months with higher income.
This is not a loophole. § 2b BEEG explicitly provides for exclusions. They were deliberately introduced by the legislator to avoid penalising parents who previously received Elterngeld.
Why is this relevant for a second child?
With the first child, the assessment period is usually unproblematic: the twelve months before the birth contain normal employment income.
With a second child, things are different. Those twelve months often contain parental leave from child one – months with no or very low income. The exclusion rules can compensate for this by bringing earlier, higher-earning months into the calculation window.
Employees vs. self-employed
For pure employees, the scope for planning is limited. Only the months listed in § 2b can be excluded.
For people with mixed income (employment plus self-employment), different rules may apply. This is complex and needs to be assessed case by case.
→ Business income and Elterngeld · Mixed income
What the term "trick" suggests – and why that is misleading
Some providers advertise with phrases like "100 % legal", "guaranteed more Elterngeld" or fixed euro amounts. This is problematic for several reasons:
- There are no guarantees. Whether shifting the period helps depends entirely on whether income in the earlier period was actually higher.
- Prerequisites must be met. If there are no eligible exclusion months, there is nothing to exclude.
- A business registration is not automatic. Registering a business alone does not shift the assessment period.
What the term does describe accurately
What the term does capture correctly is that the exclusion rules in the BEEG are unknown to many families – even though they are explicitly provided for in law.
Common misconceptions
"I need to register a business." For the exclusion under § 2b BEEG, no business registration is needed.
"It works whenever you get pregnant quickly enough." No. The gap between children influences which months fall in the assessment period – but whether the shift is beneficial always depends on the actual income history.
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This content is general information only.