Maintenance (Unterhalt) Germany 2025

Child maintenance (Kindesunterhalt) is the statutory entitlement of minor children — and, under certain conditions, adult children — to financial support from their parents. The obligation to pay maintenance arises from sections 1601 ff. of the German Civil Code (BGB) and exists regardless of whether the parents were married. The parent with whom the child does not reside typically pays cash maintenance (Barunterhalt), while the parent providing day-to-day care contributes through care and upbringing (Naturalunterhalt).

Important: child maintenance takes priority over spousal maintenance in the ranking of maintenance claims (section 1609 BGB). Minor children and privileged adult children (under 21, in general secondary education, living in a parent's household) occupy the first rank.

The Düsseldorfer Tabelle is the authoritative guideline for determining child maintenance amounts in Germany. It is updated annually by the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf (OLG Düsseldorf) and serves as a reference for family courts:

• 15 income brackets: from up to 2,100 euros adjusted net income (bracket 1) to over 11,000 euros (bracket 15).
• 4 age groups: 0-5 years (group 1), 6-11 years (group 2), 12-17 years (group 3), and 18 years and over (group 4).
• Minimum maintenance 2025: 0-5 years: 480 euros, 6-11 years: 551 euros, 12-17 years: 645 euros, 18 and over: 689 euros.
• Needs control amount (Bedarfskontrollbetrag): ensures that the maintenance obligor retains an adequate amount for their own living expenses.
• Child benefit offset: half of the child benefit (127.50 euros in 2025) is deducted from the table amount for minor children.

The calculation of child maintenance follows a fixed methodology:

1. 1Determine adjusted net income: gross income less taxes, social security contributions, work-related expenses (flat rate of 5%), and certain liabilities.
2. 2Identify the income bracket: classification within the Düsseldorfer Tabelle. The table assumes two dependants — where the number differs, an upward or downward adjustment may apply.
3. 3Assign the age group: select the appropriate group according to the child's age.
4. 4Offset child benefit: for minor children, half of the child benefit (127.50 euros) is deducted from the table amount.

The self-retention amount (Selbstbehalt) is the minimum amount the maintenance obligor must retain for their own living expenses:

• Towards minor children (employed): 1,450 euros (necessary self-retention).
• Towards minor children (non-employed): 1,200 euros.
• Towards adult children: 1,750 euros (appropriate self-retention).
• Towards a spouse: 1,475 euros (employed) or 1,200 euros (non-employed).
• The self-retention amount includes a warm rent component of 520 euros (necessary) or 650 euros (appropriate).

A shortfall case (Mangelfall) arises when the adjusted net income, after deducting the self-retention amount, is insufficient to cover the full maintenance for all entitled dependants. The available amount is distributed proportionally among those with equal-ranking claims.

Assessment: in a shortfall case, each child's maintenance is reduced proportionally. Additionally, maintenance advance payments (Unterhaltsvorschuss) under the Unterhaltsvorschussgesetz (UVG) may come into consideration, provided by the youth welfare office (Jugendamt) upon application.

In a genuine alternating residency model (equal shared care), each parent cares for the child for an equal share of the time. Both parents are obligated to pay cash maintenance in proportion to their respective incomes (BGH XII ZB 599/13).

Important: an alternating residency model only exists where care is shared approximately equally. A 60:40 arrangement is generally not sufficient according to established case law. The calculation under the alternating residency model is considerably more involved than under the standard residency model.

In addition to child maintenance, spousal maintenance exists in two phases: separation maintenance (Trennungsunterhalt, section 1361 BGB) is owed from the date of separation until the divorce becomes final. Post-divorce maintenance (nachehelicher Unterhalt, sections 1569 ff. BGB) requires a statutory basis — such as childcare maintenance, old-age maintenance, illness maintenance, or top-up maintenance.

Assessment: since the maintenance reform of 2008, the principle of personal responsibility applies (section 1569 BGB). Post-divorce maintenance is only granted where a statutory ground exists. In the priority ranking, it comes after child maintenance.

Retroactive Maintenance (Section 1613 BGB)

Maintenance may, under certain conditions, be claimed retroactively — from the point at which a request for disclosure of income was made, from the date the obligor was placed in default, or from the date maintenance proceedings became pending (section 1613 BGB).

Practical tip: to be able to claim retroactive maintenance, it is advisable to send a written request for income disclosure by registered post as early as possible. The youth welfare office (Jugendamt) can provide free assistance as an advocate (section 1712 BGB) in pursuing maintenance claims.

Frequently Asked Questions About Maintenance (Unterhalt)

The 15 most important questions — answered clearly and concisely

Sources and Further Information

• Sections 1601-1615 BGB — Maintenance obligations between relatives (gesetze-im-internet.de)
• Sections 1569-1586b BGB — Post-divorce maintenance (gesetze-im-internet.de)
• Düsseldorfer Tabelle 2025 — OLG Düsseldorf (olg-duesseldorf.nrw.de)
• Unterhaltsvorschussgesetz (UVG) — (gesetze-im-internet.de)
• Federal Ministry of Justice — Information on maintenance law (bmj.de)