Child benefits

Applications for child benefits must be submitted to the Familienkasse (Family Welfare Office) at the appropriate local Agentur für Arbeit. Cross-border workers and employees whose children are not residents of Germany must file their applications with the Familienkasse assigned responsibility for your home country. The Familienkasse will evaluate your entitlement to child benefits.

The retroactive payment period for child benefits is six months. This limitation to a period of six months applies to payment only, and not to the actual entitlement to child benefits. Even if the Familienkasse has determined that entitlement extends retroactively beyond the six-month period, the Familienkasse will pay only for the last six months from the date of receipt of the application and inform the recipient accordingly in the payment notice.

From January 1, 2026, the child benefit for each child will be 259 euros.

Detailed information and application forms in various languages are provided at: Agentur für Arbeit