Mutterschaftsgeld: Maternity Pay

Triggered exactly 7 weeks before your due date. Submit the doctor's certificate (Ärztliches Zeugnis) to your Krankenkasse — receive up to €13/day from the insurer plus a top-up from your employer to your full net salary.

✓ Verified: 15/08/2026

WHAT TO DO

Ask your OB/GYN for an Ärztliches Zeugnis über den voraussichtlichen Entbindungstermin — free of charge

Submit the certificate to your Krankenkasse online portal exactly 7 weeks (49 days) before your due date
Tell your employer about Mutterschutz: it runs from 6 weeks before the due date to 8 weeks after birth, or 12 weeks after for premature and multiple births. They calculate the supplement

What and when

Mutterschaftsgeld is a benefit paid by your Krankenkasse during Mutterschutz (maternity protection period): 6 weeks before to 8 weeks after birth.

You can submit the application no earlier than 7 weeks (49 days) before your due date — the system will not accept it earlier.

What you need to do

Step 1: Certificate from your OB/GYN

Request an ärztliches Zeugnis über den voraussichtlichen Entbindungstermin — a medical certificate stating your expected due date. It is free and issued on a standard form.

Step 2: Apply to your Krankenkasse

Exactly 7 weeks before your due date, submit the certificate via:

App or online portal of your Krankenkasse
Or by post with the application form (available on the insurer’s website)

Step 3: Notify your employer

Your employer needs to know the start of your Mutterschutz. They calculate their Arbeitgeberzuschuss (employer’s supplement) independently.

How it works

Payer	Amount
Krankenkasse	up to €13 / day
Employer (Arbeitgeberzuschuss)	difference up to your net salary
Total	full net salary maintained

› Details and tips

👩🏼‍💼

Lea recommends:

Applied via the TK app in 10 minutes. Photographed the certificate with my phone — the quality was accepted. Payment arrived one week after Mutterschutz began.

👨🏻‍💻

Max recommends:

Notified the employer in writing and kept a copy. Important for any later disputes about dates.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How much will I receive? ▾

The Krankenkasse pays up to €13 per day. If your net daily income is higher, your employer pays the difference (Arbeitgeberzuschuss). The result: your full net salary is maintained throughout Mutterschutz.

What if I am not employed or unemployed? ▾

The test is not whether you work, but whether you are in a statutory health fund. Under § 19 (2) MuSchG a woman who is **not a member of a gesetzliche Krankenkasse** — privately insured or covered as a family member, for instance — receives Mutterschaftsgeld from federal funds, capped at **€210 in total** for the whole period. The application goes directly to the Bundesamt für Soziale Sicherung (BAS), not to a health fund. A woman who is in the GKV instead receives Mutterschaftsgeld from her own fund under § 19 (1) MuSchG, on the normal rules — not as a €210 lump sum.

How long does Mutterschutz last? ▾

6 weeks before your due date + 8 weeks after birth (12 weeks in case of preterm or multiple births). The entire period is paid.