BAföG
Family responsibilities play an important role in applying for BAföG. If you raise your own child under the age of 10, you will receive a childcare supplement of 130 euros per child. The childcare supplement is granted as a full subsidy, which means that no further BAföG debts accumulate as a result of the childcare supplement. You do not have to provide proof of childcare costs to receive the childcare supplement. The childcare supplement is applied for via Anlage 2 zu Formblatt 1 - Zusatzblatt für den Kinderbetreuungszuschlag (Annex 2 to Form 1 - Supplementary sheet for the childcare supplement) and can also be obtained as a full subsidy if you already receive BAföG as a bank loan.In addition, you should know that the BAföG childcare supplement neither excludes the application for other social benefits nor leads to a reduction in other social benefits.
In addition to financial recognition of your child-rearing, BAföG also takes into account periods of child-rearing. This means that you can apply for an extension of the maximum funding period. If you are considering applying for an extension of the maximum funding period, please consult us beforehand. You have no legal claim to the following "time credits", so you must prove that bringing up children was the main reason for the delay in your studies.
The maximum funding period can be extended:
- one semester for pregnancy
- one semester per year for the first 5 years of life
- for the 6th and 7th year of life one semester in total
- for the 8th to 10th year of life one semester in total
The funding that you receive beyond the actual maximum funding period is paid as a "grant", i.e. this does not increase your BAföG repayment amount.
What else should you know about BAföG?
- If you interrupt your studies longer than for maternity leave (e.g. with a vacation semester), you will no longer be entitled to BAföG from the time of the interruption. If you have received too much BAföG, you must repay it; you cannot apply for other social benefits retroactively. If you are considering a vacation semester, please contact the BAföG office for advice.
- If both parents are entitled to BAföG, only one of them can receive the childcare supplement or the extension of the maximum funding period. When extending the maximum funding period, you can divide the periods (for example, one parent applies for an extension of the maximum funding period for pregnancy, the other parent applies for the first year of life).
- Your BAföG entitlement may decrease due to the birth of your child. Many student parents are surprised that their BAföG rate can decrease with the birth of the child. This is due to the fact that BAföG contains a rent subsidy. Through the birth, the apartment now gets one inhabitant more, so that the proportion of rent per inhabitant - i.e. also your own - is reduced. Even if your child naturally does not pay any rent, the per capita rent counts for the BAföG calculation. Your child may be entitled to another social benefit in return.
- Your asset allowance and the income limit will increase. If you have a child, you can have more assets and income without this having a negative impact on your entitlement.
- Children are also taken into account in the repayment of your BAföG, i.e. you may have more income than childless persons if you wish to be exempted from the repayment.
Contact
Studentenwerk Göttingen
Department of Study Financing
Zentralmensa
Platz der Göttinger Sieben 4
37073 Göttingen
E-Mail: bafoeg@studentenwerk-goettingen.de
The contact person depends on your field of study.
FAQ
I'm afraid not. If you are married, the BAföG calculation takes into account your family income and, if applicable, your parents' income. This means that marriage does not improve your chances of receiving BAföG.
I'm afraid not. The supplement is only available for your own and adopted children. It does not matter who mainly looks after the children.
Yes. However, you shouldn't get your hopes up too high for success. The BAföG office will argue in such cases that pregnancy was not the main reason for the delay in the course of your studies.