Overview
- The Familienkasse reported €54.54 billion in Kindergeld for 17.62 million children and €2.96 billion in Kinderzuschlag for more than 1.33 million children.
- Officials link the higher outlays to reworked Kinderzuschlag rules and increased awareness that boosted take-up from roughly 270,000 children in 2019 to about 1.33 million in 2024.
- The standard Kindergeld rose to €255 per month in 2025 after €250 in 2024, and agencies say growth in the number of recipient families has slowed since late 2024.
- Kinderzuschlag pays up to €297 per month based on income, is typically granted for six months before reassessment, and more than half of applications are submitted digitally.
- EU coordination rules can reduce German payments when a parent works in another member state, and family benefits may be retroactively adjusted after eligibility checks.