Overview
- The CSU and Free Voters coalition has dropped the planned €3,000 one‑off payment per child that was slated to start with first birthdays from 2026.
- Savings from the cancelled benefit will go to kindergartens for personnel, equipment and operating costs, according to Markus Söder and Family Minister Ulrike Scharf.
- Online protests have swelled, with the largest petition surpassing roughly 135,000 signatures and combined Change.org petitions topping a little over 225,000.
- Parents say they structured parental leave and household budgets around the promised payment and describe the reversal as a breach of trust.
- Söder is due to address the decision in a government statement next week, as opposition parties condemn the move and studies cite more than 70,000 missing Kita places.