Application for child benefit no longer necessary after birth: Federal Council passes law
In the future, child benefit will be paid out automatically in many cases. The new regulation is scheduled to come into force in 2027 and save around 300,000 applications per year.
Quick Look
- In many cases, after the birth of a child, parents will no longer have to apply for child benefit.
- The Federal Council passed the relevant law.
- The automatic payment should take place in two stages from 2027 and save around 300,000 applications per year.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Until now, parents generally have to apply for child benefit. The Federal Ministry of Finance expects the reform to eliminate around 300,000 applications per year.
In many cases, parents will no longer have to apply for child benefit after the birth of a child. The Federal Council passed the relevant law. The Bundestag had already agreed before the summer break. The new regulation is scheduled to come into force in 2027.
Up to now, child benefit has generally had to be applied for. In the future, the family fund should generally be able to pay out the benefit automatically if it has all the necessary information and there are no doubts about the entitlement. According to the Federal Ministry of Finance, this could eliminate around 300,000 applications per year.
Introduction in two stages
The application-free payment is to be introduced in two stages over the next year. Initially, the new procedure applies to families that already receive child benefit for at least one child. If another child is added, the payment should automatically go to the person who already receives child benefit.
In a second step, automatic payment should also be possible for the first child. The prerequisite is that at least one parent lives with the child in Germany, at least one parent works in Germany and the bank account details are known.
The exchange of information between authorities should become more intensive
The family fund will continue to check whether you are entitled to child benefit. The necessary information should be increasingly exchanged between the authorities so that parents do not have to re-transmit existing data.
After birth, every child receives a tax identification number from the Federal Central Tax Office. The Federal Central Office is informed of the birth by the registration authorities and passes on the relevant data to the family fund.
An account details must also be available for automatic payout. Parents can already deposit their IBAN with the Federal Central Tax Office via the ELSTER tax portal or the IBAN+ app.
If all the necessary information is not available or there are doubts about the claim, the current procedure remains. The parents will then receive a letter from the family fund and can add missing information in a pre-filled application.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The new regulation will come into force in 2027
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- When exactly next year will the stages start?
- What is the procedure for changing accounts?
