Germany child support (Kindesunterhalt) calculator

How much maintenance you pay for up to three children under the 2026 Düsseldorf Table: with child benefit, self-support reserve and the case where income is not enough.

Child support per month

€512.50

for one child, income group 4 (€2,901 to €3,300)

Group 4
Self-support reserve €1,450.00
Table amount €642.00

Child 1 (6 to 11 years): table amount €642.00 minus half the child benefit of €129.50 = €512.50.

After the maintenance you keep €2,487.50. The needs control amount of group 4 is €1,950.00.

The Düsseldorf Table has no force of law: it is a guideline that courts follow (note A I). The court or the youth welfare office (Jugendamt) decides in the individual case.
The calculation assumes the other parent receives the child benefit and cares for the child: for minors half is offset, for adults the full child benefit (BGB § 1612b). Not included are the child’s health and long-term care insurance, additional needs and special needs.
The guidelines in principle determine the need from the combined income of both parents, limited to the amount the payer owes from their own income (No. 11.2): this page calculates with the payer’s income alone.

Where your income goes

Maintenance for the children€51317%
Stays with you€2,48883%

I’m not an accountant or a financial advisor. This is an estimate, for information only. Check with a professional before you decide.

Your numbers

example: change the numbers

Adjusted net income per month

The net income of the person liable to pay maintenance after deducting documented work-related expenses and recognized debts, and, if the child is not covered by family insurance, after deducting the child’s health and long-term care insurance (Guidelines Nos. 10 and 11.1). A flat 5% usually exists only for fictitious income.

Are you gainfully employed?

The necessary self-support reserve that must remain to you against minor children depends on it: €1,450 for the employed, €1,200 for the non-employed (note A VII of the table).

YesNo

First child

The age group determines the amount (BGB § 1612a para. 1). Adult children living with a parent get the amount of the 4th age group; other rules apply to other adults.

Second child

Third child

Grouping with more or fewer dependants

The table is designed for two dependants (the parents, the children and possibly a spouse count). With more dependants a court may place you one group lower, with fewer one higher (note A I, Guidelines No. 11.2).

As in the tabletwo dependantsOne group lowermore than twoOne group higheronly one dependant

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The calculation
	Adjusted net income	€3,000.00
	Income group€2,901 to €3,300	4
	Child 1: table amount6 to 11 years	€642.00
−	Child benefit offsethalf the child benefit	€129.50
=	Child 1: amount to pay	€512.50
=	Child support per month	€512.50

How it works

The maintenance of a minor child follows the minimum maintenance (BGB § 1612a) and rises with the payer’s income: the Düsseldorf Table has 15 income groups and four age groups (0 to 5, 6 to 11, 12 to 17 years and from 18). The first group, up to €2,100, is the minimum need of €486, €558 and €653; the others rise by percentages from 105 to 200%, rounded up.
From the table amount the child benefit attributable to the child is deducted: for minors cared for by one parent, half (€129.50 at a child benefit of €259), for adults the whole (BGB § 1612b). The remainder is the amount to pay.
The payer must keep their necessary self-support reserve: €1,450 if gainfully employed, otherwise €1,200. If the income is not enough for that, the grouping steps down to the lowest group; if it still is not enough, the remainder after the self-support reserve is divided among the children in proportion to the minimum amounts (shortfall case, note C and Guidelines No. 24).

Worked example

At €3,000 adjusted net, group 4 applies (€2,901 to €3,300): for a child aged 8 it is €642, minus €129.50 half child benefit = €512.50; the payer keeps €2,487.50. The official example of the table: €1,750 income, self-support reserve €1,450, €300 to distribute; children aged 18 (698 − 259 = €439), 7 (558 − 129.50 = €428.50) and 5 (486 − 129.50 = €356.50): the three children get €107.60, €105.02 and €87.38.

Sources

Text checked on October 6, 2026

Good to know

The Düsseldorf Table is a guideline of the higher regional courts without force of law. A new one comes out every year on 1 January; this page calculates with the 2026 one.
The adjusted net income is not the net on your payslip: work-related expenses, recognized debts and the child’s health insurance are deducted first. If in doubt, ask the youth welfare office (Jugendamt).
The care maintenance that the parent the child lives with provides does not have to be paid: the other parent pays cash maintenance (Guidelines No. 12.1). In a shared-care model with equal care shares, other rules apply that this page does not calculate.
Additional needs (for example tutoring or daycare) and special needs come on top of the table maintenance and can be claimed retroactively (BGB § 1613 para. 2).
You can claim maintenance for the past only from the month in which you asked the other parent for information or they were in default (BGB § 1613 para. 1).

Frequently asked questions

How high is child support in Germany in 2026?

It depends on the payer’s income and the child’s age: in the first group, up to €2,100 net, it is €486 (up to 5 years), €558 (6 to 11) and €653 (12 to 17); after deducting half the child benefit of €129.50 that leaves €356.50, €428.50 and €523.50 (Düsseldorf Table 2026).

Is the child benefit offset against the maintenance?

Yes: for minors cared for by the other parent, half, otherwise the whole child benefit (BGB § 1612b). At a child benefit of €259 that is €129.50 or €259.

How much must I keep as the person liable to pay?

The necessary self-support reserve against minor children is €1,450 for the employed and €1,200 for the non-employed (Düsseldorf Table 2026, note A VII).

What is a shortfall case?

After the self-support reserve the income is not enough for the minimum maintenance of all children: the remaining amount is divided among the children in proportion to their contribution amounts (note C of the table).

How long is maintenance paid for a child?

Until adulthood, and afterwards for children in training as long as they cannot support themselves; for privileged adults in general school education up to 21, the rules for minors apply (note A VII).