Mutterschutz: maternity leave and pay in Germany, in English
Updated October 13, 2026 · sources checked October 13, 2026
In short
In Germany your employer may not employ you in the last six weeks before your due date unless you choose to work, and not at all for eight weeks after the birth, twelve after a premature or multiple birth. Statutory members receive up to 13 euros a day from the Krankenkasse plus an employer top-up to their net pay. Elternzeit can follow until the child's third birthday.
The protection periods
The Maternity Protection Act (Mutterschutzgesetz, MuSchG) protects women working, training or studying in Germany, whatever their nationality. Its centre is the protection periods (Schutzfristen) in section 3:
| Period | What the law says |
|---|---|
| 6 weeks before the expected birth | Your employer may not employ you, unless you expressly declare that you want to work. You can withdraw that declaration at any time |
| 8 weeks after the birth | Your employer may not employ you. This one is not optional |
| 12 weeks after the birth | For premature births and multiple births, and, on your request, if a doctor diagnoses a disability in your baby before the end of the eighth week |
| Baby born early | The days "lost" before the birth are added to the period after it |
| Baby born late | The period before the birth simply lasts longer |
The period before the birth is counted from the expected date of delivery in your doctor's or midwife's certificate. Ask for that certificate in good time: your employer and your Krankenkasse both need it.
After a miscarriage
Since 1 June 2025, women who have a miscarriage from week 13 are also protected. Unless they expressly choose to work, their employer may not employ them for up to two weeks after a miscarriage from week 13, six weeks from week 17, and eight weeks from week 20 (MuSchG section 3, paragraph 5). Mutterschaftsgeld can be paid in these periods if the conditions are met. They also have protection against dismissal until four months after a miscarriage after week 12.
Who pays during Mutterschutz
| Your situation | What you receive |
|---|---|
| Employed and a member of a statutory Krankenkasse | Mutterschaftsgeld from the Krankenkasse: your average net pay per calendar day over the last three months, but at most 13 euros a day. Your employer pays the rest of your average net pay (Arbeitgeberzuschuss) |
| Employed, but privately insured or family-insured | Mutterschaftsgeld from the Federal Office for Social Security (BAS): at most 210 euros in total, paid in one sum, plus the employer's top-up. You need a job before the protection period, a minijob counts |
| Self-employed with private daily sickness allowance | The daily allowance agreed in your contract, if you do not work or work only partly during the protection periods (waiting periods in the contract still apply) |
Sources: SGB V section 24i, MuSchG sections 19 and 20, familienportal.de and the BAS, as of October 2026.
Mutterschaftsgeld covers the six weeks before, the day of the birth and the eight or twelve weeks after. While you receive it, you pay no statutory health insurance contributions on it. Apply to your Krankenkasse (or the BAS online) as soon as you have the certificate with your due date; then the employer's top-up follows.
A simple example
Your average net pay over the last three months was 90 euros per calendar day. Your Krankenkasse pays 13 euros a day and your employer 77 euros a day. In total you keep roughly your usual net pay for the 6 weeks before, the birth day and the 8 weeks after.
Your other rights at work
- Check-ups: your employer must give you time off for prenatal examinations, also if you are privately insured (MuSchG section 7).
- Medical prohibition: if a doctor certifies that working endangers you or your baby, your employer may not employ you to that extent (section 16).
- Breastfeeding: in the first 12 months after the birth, on request, at least twice a day half an hour or once a day an hour; for a continuous working time over eight hours, two breaks of at least 45 minutes or one of at least 90 minutes if there is nowhere to breastfeed nearby (section 7).
- Dismissal: not allowed during pregnancy and until the end of the protection period after the birth, at least four months after the birth, if your employer knew or you tell them within two weeks of the notice (section 17).
Telling your employer
The law says a pregnant woman should tell her employer about the pregnancy and the expected date of delivery as soon as she knows (section 15). There is no fixed deadline, but the protections work only once your employer knows. If your employer asks, you should give a certificate from your doctor or midwife with the expected date.
Good to know
If you receive a notice of dismissal and your employer did not know you were pregnant, tell them in writing straight away. The law gives you two weeks from receiving the notice.
After Mutterschutz: Elternzeit
Mutterschutz ends eight (or twelve) weeks after the birth. If you want to stay home longer with your job protected, you take Elternzeit (parental leave), under the Parental Allowance and Leave Act:
- up to your child's third birthday, and up to 24 months of it can be moved to between the third and eighth birthday;
- the protection period after the birth counts towards the mother's Elternzeit;
- request it in writing at least seven weeks before it starts (13 weeks for the later period), and say which periods you will take within the first two years;
- you may work up to 32 hours a week during it;
- you are protected from dismissal from the time you request it, at the earliest eight weeks before it starts.
To start Elternzeit right after Mutterschutz, send your request no later than about one week after the birth; many mothers send it before. During Elternzeit, Elterngeld replaces part of your income: see Elterngeld for foreigners.
For the partner
Partners have their own Elternzeit with the same notice rules, and can take it at the same time as the mother. There is no separate paid "paternity leave" in the Maternity Protection Act; partners usually combine Elternzeit with Elterngeld.
Related guides
Questions parents ask
How long is maternity leave in Germany?
The Mutterschutz protection period is six weeks before the expected birth and eight weeks after it, or twelve weeks after a premature or multiple birth, or on request if a disability is diagnosed in the baby within eight weeks. Elternzeit can follow until the child's third birthday.
Is maternity leave paid in Germany?
Yes. Statutory members who are employed receive Mutterschaftsgeld of up to 13 euros a day from the Krankenkasse, and their employer pays the difference to their average net pay. Privately insured or family-insured employees receive up to 210 euros in total from the Federal Office for Social Security, plus the employer's top-up.
Do I have to tell my employer I am pregnant?
The law says you should tell your employer as soon as you know, but sets no deadline. The protections work once your employer knows, so choose your moment with that in mind.
Can I be fired while pregnant in Germany?
Dismissal is not allowed during pregnancy and until at least four months after the birth if your employer knew or you tell them within two weeks of the notice. Only the state labour protection authority can approve an exception for reasons unrelated to the pregnancy.
Does Mutterschutz apply to foreigners?
Yes. The Maternity Protection Act applies to women working, training or studying in Germany, whatever their nationality.
Sources
- Mutterschutzgesetz, section 3 — Protection periods checked October 13, 2026
- Mutterschutzgesetz, section 17 — Protection against dismissal checked October 13, 2026
- Mutterschutzgesetz, section 7 — Time off for check-ups and breastfeeding checked October 13, 2026
- Mutterschutzgesetz, sections 19 and 20 — Mutterschaftsgeld and employer top-up checked October 13, 2026
- Sozialgesetzbuch V, section 24i — Mutterschaftsgeld (13 euros a day) checked October 13, 2026
- Familienportal — Mutterschaftsleistungen checked October 13, 2026
- Bundesamt für Soziale Sicherung — Mutterschaftsgeld overview (210 euros, miscarriage periods) checked October 13, 2026
- BEEG, sections 15 and 16 — Elternzeit checked October 13, 2026
Mamavela explains; it does not replace your midwife, doctor or pediatrician, who know your situation. If something worries you, call them. In an emergency, call 911 (US), 999 (UK) or 112.