Kindergeld

Disclaimer: Just because I am writing about kids in this post does not mean that Brian and I are planning to have one. It does not mean we are not planning to have one. It's just a topic that I find interesting. Don't read into it, just read it.

Our friends Andy and Anne are due to have a large baby any day now. That got me asking about something I'd heard rumors of before... that when you have a kid in Germany, the government pays you for it.  So, to get the real story I did not look on the internet as I usually do, but talked to a real person, my friend Susanne.

My questions went like this, "so when you have a baby, the government just gives you money? like every month? cash?". I was skeptical. But yes, Susi explained, they give you money. And mom and dad both get paid leave. Here's how it works:

• When a woman is pregnant and employed, she stops working 6 weeks before her due date. Then she stays home until 8 weeks after the baby's birth. During these 14 weeks, her employer pays her full salary. This is called Muttershaftsgeld.
•  The parents then have the option to take extended leave. If just one parent takes it, mom or dad can get a maximum of 12 months off and will receive 64% of her/his salary from the government during that time. If they choose to share the leave time, then they can get a combined 14 months off (e.g. mom takes 8 months and received 64% of her salary, dad takes 6 and gets 64% of his).
• If you leave your job because you had a baby, the employer has to hold a position for you for up to three years. In some instances, the employer is obligated to take you back as a part-time employee if you request it.
• Once you have a kid, the government pays you Kindergeld (child money. I love how literal German is) every month. They desposit 184 euros in your bank account for each child, no matter what your income is. This continues until the kid is at least age 18, and longer in some cases if he/she goes to university.
• If you send your kid to a public day care center, the cost is subsidized by the government.
• There are also tax breaks at tax time, which are separate from the Kindergeld the family receives.

Parents in the U.S. are now shouting, "What a deal - let's move to Germany!".  The reason it's such a deal is that Germany doesn't have enough Germans. In fact, birth rates in Germany haven't been this low since 1946. This time I did look online. Here is a cool map: map of birth rates
and an article

So the German government is trying to make having kids really attractive, and decrease the financial burden on families. They also do it in reverse - public health insurance does not pay for contraceptives.

I haven't noticed that there's a shortage of kids here. Maybe it's because I spend a lot of time in a school. Maybe it's because I always see moms who are taking a year of maternity leave walking around with their babies. Is having kids is some sort of public service for patriotic Germans? Maybe. Somehow I don't think patriotism will be on Anne's mind when that big baby decides to arrive.