🚀 Meet LiGa, our cutting-edge chat bot for all things about living in Germany! 🇩🇪 Personalized and interactive, LiGa outshines traditional searches. It’s in beta phase, and your feedback will shape LiGa into the ultimate companion for your inquiries! 🤖✨ #LiveinGermany
If there is an expectant mother who is reading this article, you will be amazed to know that the healthcare system of Germany is top-notch and always there for you when you need it most. There are a great deal of offerings available for pregnant women in terms of clinical care. This ensures that parents and their newborn babies receive the best service and care. Expectant mothers enter maternity leave when they are due to give birth. The maternity protection (Mutterschutz) covers them during this time period.
Expectant mothers enter maternity leave when they are due to give birth. The maternity protection (Mutterschutz) covers them during this time period. This explains that mothers are not allowed to go to work. But this doesn’t mean that they can’t get salaries. While a mother is on maternity leave, they can get maternity benefits i.e., (Mutterschaftsgeld).
🔶 Related Topic: Elternzeit (Parental Leave) in Germany
All the women who are pregnant and those who breastfeed can avail maternity leave if they are working in Germany or working somewhere else under a German contract. This facility is not dependent on nationality or marital status.
The above considerations do not apply for those who are:
The beginning of maternity leave is six weeks before the birth of a child. It ends eight weeks after the birth of a child. In case of multiple birth or premature delivery, mothers are entitled for 12 weeks after birth.
Pregnant women are not allowed to attend work when they are on maternity leave. The leave period comprises six weeks before birth and eight weeks after the birth. If a pregnant woman insists on working, they are allowed to attend work but only during the six weeks before the birth. During the eight weeks after birth, there is a strict ban.
German health insurance offers a maximum of 13 euros a day for maternity allowance. This allowance is paid in line with calendar days. The maximum amount for this becomes 390 euros. In case of maternity leave, the employer is bound to make up the difference for maternity allowance of maternity and previous salary.
The German health insurance calculates the maternity allowance from net salary. Usually, taxes are removed from this calculation. The maternity benefit for pregnant women who are insured amounts up to 13 euros per calendar day. This amount is paid by the concerned health insurance company.
A pregnant woman has to inform the health insurance company at least seven weeks before the expected delivery date. It is also required to submit a medical certificate. If the health insurance company is not informed on time, the pregnant woman won’t be entitled to the benefits.
The maternity allowance per calendar day is 13 euros. If the net income of an employee is exceeding that amount, the employer tops it up with a subsidy. On the other hand, subsidy won't be entitled if the mother is utilizing parental leave.
The subsidy amount is calculated using the difference between 13 euros and the average wage minus net wage. In this instance, last three months salaries are used for calculation purposes
The Maternity Protection of Germany is very favorable and patient-centric which keeps mothers from performing any tasks that can risk their health or their children's.
Children's development is very important in Germany and breastfeeding is a cornerstone of it. Nursing mothers are allowed to take as much time as they want to breastfeed their newborn child.
If a mother joins back at work while they are breastfeeding, the employer must provide them ample time to take breaks for breastfeeding. This can be allowed till the child's 1 st birthday.
The nursing breaks can be either one hour a day or two periods of 30 minutes. If in any case, breastfeeding is not possible near the office, a 90-minute break can also be requested.
If a pregnant woman is not able to work during the pregnancy protection law, they receive benefits from the employer. These benefits link with the normal salary.
If a pregnant woman has taken sick leave, she will get benefits from the employee under the act of Continued Remuneration. The employer pays the initial 6-week illness. After that, the health insurance company takes over. When the period of pregnancy protection begins, employees can get maternity benefits. Also, subsidies will be entitled.
If the student has taken student health insurance and is not availed of sickness benefits, they can be entitled to maternity benefits.
If the pregnant woman is jobless at the start of their maternity leave and they are entitled to unemployment benefits, they will get maternity benefits in the amount of unemployment benefits. This amount will be paid by the health insurance company. The employer in this scenario will not be held responsible.
Even if the baby is not born as per the calculated date, the rights of maternity leave remain active. For premature births, the days which were left unused prior to delivery are allowed to be consumed in time after birth.
If the baby is found to be premature medically, the leave for maternity is extended to twelve weeks after birth. This instance happens in multi pregnancies as well.
If a mother gets pregnant for the 2 nd time and their parental leave for the first baby is covered with maternity leave, the following rules will apply:
📢 Important Note: As much as we love sharing insights, it’s crucial to clarify that we’re not experts – just enthusiasts eager to help! 🤓💼 Our recommendations, including any affiliate links, stem from personal experiences, not professional endorsements.
Before taking any steps based on our suggestions, we highly recommend conducting your own thorough research. 🕵️♂️📚 Your unique needs and circumstances deserve tailored attention, and we’re here to support you in making informed decisions. Thanks for entrusting us as part of your journey! 🌟🙏
If you’ve found our content super helpful, we’d be over the moon if you could show some love and support our website! 🚀💙 Just a little click right here 👉 and you’ll be magically whisked away to our support page. 🪄 Your support means the world to us and helps keep the expat community thriving with valuable info about life in Germany. 🌍🇩🇪
Embark on your German expat journey with an edge! Our exclusive Facebook group offers a unique blend of human connection and AI-driven insights.
Why Join Us?
Be part of a community where AI complements human experiences.
