A child has arrived – and with it a stack of forms. So you don't have to work out what comes first: here is every step in the right order, with deadlines and the documents you'll need.
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In the first weeks after a birth, many things interlock: no parental allowance without a birth certificate, no child benefit without a tax ID. The good news: there's a fixed order, and most deadlines are more generous than they feel. Work through the points one by one.
The clinic usually reports the birth itself. If not, report it within a week to the registry office of the place of birth. This is where you get the birth certificate – the document that triggers almost all further steps.
You'll need several copies: for parental allowance, child benefit and the health insurer. Order them right away – there are usually cheaper copies “for social purposes”.
The child is usually covered under a parent's family insurance. Register it promptly so doctor visits are covered from the start.
Parental allowance is paid backdated for a maximum of three months. So apply early at the parental allowance office of your federal state. You'll need the birth certificate, proof of income and the maternity pay certificate.
The application goes through the family benefits office. You'll need the child's tax ID – it arrives automatically by post, usually a few weeks after the birth. Child benefit is paid up to six months backdated.
If the parents aren't married, acknowledgement of paternity and joint custody can be arranged at the youth welfare or registry office – often even before the birth, which simplifies a lot.
The child is automatically recorded at the residents' registration office via the birth notification. Check that everything is correct, and think about a future daycare place – in many cities early registration pays off.
Usually the clinic does this. For a home birth or on request, you report it yourself within a week.
You can still submit the child benefit application and add the tax ID later. It arrives automatically by post.
Formally there's no hard cut-off, but it's only paid three months backdated. The earlier the application, the less is lost.
After a birth, certificates, notices and applications pile up faster than you can file them. FamilyOrg helps you digitise these documents, sort them automatically and find them in seconds – and everything stays in your own cloud, not on someone else's servers.
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As a PDF to print or check off – so you don't forget anything on the go or at the office.
Download checklist as PDF