Parents in Germany are to receive child benefit (Kindergeld) automatically after the birth of their child in future, without having to file an application themselves. The Bundestag has passed a corresponding law, with which the coalition of the Union and the SPD is implementing a recommendation to reform the welfare state. As a result, around 300,000 initial applications a year — previously submitted to the family benefits office (Familienkasse) of the Federal Employment Agency — will no longer be necessary. The Bundesrat still has to approve the law.
The change will be introduced in stages: from March 2027 it will initially apply to newborns in families that already receive child benefit for older siblings. From November 2027, the benefit is then to flow automatically for the first child as well. One condition is that the child lives with at least one parent in Germany, that bank details are known, and that at least one parent works in the country.
Less bureaucracy for young families
Payment will be triggered by a digital data exchange between the registry offices, the Federal Central Tax Office and the family benefits office. According to the finance committee's recommendation, this will reduce the annual time citizens spend by around 205,000 hours.
SPD member of parliament Parsa Marvi spoke in the Bundestag of a step towards a modern state that makes life easier for people. CDU politician Anne König said that with application-free child benefit, bureaucracy would be "noticeably" reduced and families relieved in the first weeks after a birth. In 2025, around 55 billion euros were paid out for around 17.6 million children; since January 2026, child benefit has amounted to 259 euros per child per month.