In Germany, Kindergeld will be paid from 2027 without an application

From 2027, Germany will start automatically paying Kindergeld after the birth of a child without a separate application to the Familienkasse. The reform will be introduced gradually, and not all families will be able to completely do without applications.

The Bundestag approved the law on July 9. According to estimates by the Federal Ministry of Finance of Germany, after the new system is launched, around 300,000 initial applications for Kindergeld can be avoided each year.

The first stage is planned for 2027 for families who already receive Kindergeld for an older child and who have another child. In this case, the Familienkasse can use existing data and automatically award the payment for the newborn to the same person.

In the second stage, automatic payment is planned to be extended to firstborn children as well. For this, at least one parent must live with the child in Germany, at least one parent must work in the country, and government agencies must have an IBAN bank account for transferring the money.

After the birth is registered, the child's data will be sent to the Federal Central Tax Office, which assigns the child a tax identification number. The necessary information will then be passed on to the Familienkasse, which will check the family's entitlement to the payment.

If government agencies do not have all necessary data or the case requires additional verification, automatic allocation will not occur. Such families will continue to receive notifications with the option to fill out a pre-populated application.

For Ukrainians in Germany, this means that automatic payment will also depend on meeting the general conditions for receiving Kindergeld and whether the Familienkasse has all necessary data. The mere fact of residing in the country does not mean automatic granting of benefits.

In 2026, the Kindergeld amount is 259 euros per month for each child. As part of a separate tax reform, the German government proposes to increase it to 267 euros in 2027 and to 272 euros in 2028.

Based on materials from: Tagesschau, Federal Ministry of Finance of Germany, Bundestag