Checklist: Financial and formal matters

There are a few things to think about and take care of before and after the birth. The following list will give you an overview of the most important formalities you need to take care of before and after the birth.

• Inform your employer about your pregnancy as soon as possible. Ideally as soon as you know about it. However, it is also okay to wait for the first 12 weeks and only then let them know.
• Apply for maternity benefit.
• If you are not married: acknowledge paternity and submit a declaration of joint custody. Both are also possible after the birth. However, it is advisable to take care of this before the birth.
• Divide the parental leave between the parents and discuss plans with the employer at an early stage. The application for parental leave must be submitted at least 7 weeks before the start of parental leave.

• Register your baby at the registry office (the maternity clinic may take care of this). The registry office will then issue you with a birth certificate and register your baby with the residents' registration office.

Register the baby with the health insurance company and take out health insurance. You can find more information about this here.

• Apply for child benefit.
• Apply for parental allowance.
• If money is tight: apply for housing benefit and child supplement, for example. You can find out what other financial benefits are available here.