Apply for maternity benefit

Women who are members of the statutory health insurance fund and are entitled to sick pay, or who are not paid wages due to the maternity periods, apply to their health insurance fund for maternity benefits for the period of protection (six weeks before and eight weeks after the birth). The employer then pays the difference to the net pay per calendar day as a supplement. The applications are usually available on the health insurers' websites.

Women who are not themselves members of the statutory health insurance fund (privately insured as well as family-insured) and who are in an employment relationship at the beginning of the protection period (this also includes marginal employment) apply for a one-time payment via the maternity benefit office of the Federal Insurance Office.