Family and Work

Balancing your job and your family’s needs can be challenging at times. The university’s Family Office provides advice and assistance to members of the university in balancing the demands of family with studies, research, and working life. Its services are available to all university members regardless of their status. The Family Office has been audited by the “familiengerechte Hochschule” organization and is part of the university’s Equality Office.

The following family-related aspects might be of special interest:  

Maternity protection (“Mutterschutz”) is a legal entitlement and must be granted regardless of the type and scope of work, employment contract, nationality, or marital status. Even if you are a part-time or temporary employee, you are entitled to maternity protection. Maternity protection consists of a paid leave of absence to protect a mother and child 6 weeks before and 8 weeks after birth. In the case of multiple births (twins), until 12 weeks after giving birth.  

Upon the birth of a child, mothers and fathers are entitled to a paid parental allowance (“Elterngeld“) for up to 14 months, split between the two parents. The parental allowance is paid on a dynamic scale and replaces wage compensation for the period it is taken. The amount of allowance is based on the parents’ previous income, and is generally 67% of net income per month. Parents who were not employed prior to the birth of their child receive a minimum amount of €300 per month. Scholarships do not count as income, so recipients living on scholarships alone are eligible for the €300 minimum. Parents who earned less than €1,000 can benefit from low-income compensation, which can increase the percentage of parental allowance up to 100% of income.  

According to the current system, one parent is entitled to up to 12 months of parental allowance. The entitlement is extended by two additional months if the other parent also takes parental leave or reduces their employment in accordance with the conditions of the Parental Allowance Act. Similarly, single parents receive parental allowance for 14 months. At the parents’ request, the monthly parental allowance payments can be halved, thus doubling the number of months payment can be received. It is also possible for both parents to receive parental allowance at the same time during the first seven months after birth. Parental allowance must be applied for in writing to the parental allowance office after the birth of the child. Beginning in April 2025, the eligibility for parental allowance is subject to a household income limit of €175,000 (previously €300,000). Households exceeding this threshold are no longer entitled to receive parental allowance.

In addition to paid parental leave, all mothers and fathers who are employed can also take unpaid parental leave (“Elternzeit”) for a total of up to three years to devote themselves to childcare. The use of parental leave is independent of the receipt of the parental allowance. For births up to June 30, 2015, up to 12 months of parental leave may be transferred to the period up to the child’s 8th  birthday if the employer agrees. For births on or after July 1, 2015, up to 24 months of parental leave may be claimed between the child’s third and eighth birthdays. The employer’s consent is no longer required.

The birth of a child also entitles parents to receive a paid child benefit (“Kindergeld”), which is granted irrespective of the parents’ income. After the child’s 18th birthday, this child benefit is only paid under certain conditions, up to a maximum of the child’s 25th birthday. Foreigners residing in Germany can only receive child benefits if they have a valid settlement permit. In some cases, a residence permit is also sufficient. As of January 2025, the child benefit is paid monthly at a rate of €255 per child.

The University of Tübingen supports its employees in balancing work and family. One aspect of this is a retention management program during family-related time off, such as parental and maternity leave. The university has also developed a “Guide to Family-Related Time Off” (“Leitfaden zur familienbedingten Auszeit“) for HR managers, which provides guidance and advice for the time off, shows how employees on parental leave can maintain an active connection to the university, as well as how their reintegration into work life can be optimally supported. You can obtain a hard copy of the guide from the Family Office. The guide can also help employees structure and plan their career break and re-entry in advance.  

In the event of a child’s illness, parents have a legal right to take a leave of absence to care for their children (up to the age of 12) upon presentation of an appropriate doctor’s certificate. Each parent is entitled to up to 15 days off work per child and calendar year to deal with illness. However, there is an upper limit of work-free days allowed per calendar year for each parent. This limit is currently 35 days, even if the parents have three or more children. Single parents are entitled to 30 days off per child and calendar year. If they have several sick children, there is an upper limit of 70 work-free days per calendar year.  

For further and more specific information, please get in touch with Team Equity.