The SPD is aiming to reform the parental benefit, where parents can receive full parental benefit for up to 18 months instead of the current 14 months, as per a concept paper. The paper, reported by the Funke Media Group, suggests a “6+6+6” model, which would “better consider the reality of millions of working parents” by providing more flexible parental leave.
Currently, the parental benefit can be received for up to 14 months, as long as both parents take at least two months of leave. However, the SPD believes this is “simply too short” in many families, as, for example, a kindergarten place may not be available by the child’s first birthday or a child may need more time to adjust.
According to the SPD’s proposal, each parent would have a non-transferable six months of parental benefit, and the remaining six months could be divided freely between the parents, totaling up to 18 months of parental benefit.
This would also strengthen the partnership in childcare and work, as well as the career opportunities of women. The SPD plans to allow partners to take parental leave simultaneously for up to three months, up from the current one month. The parental benefit rate would also increase to 80% in the six freely divisible months, if both parents take the benefit for the same period of time.
Additionally, the SPD plans to increase the basic allowance of 300 euros per month, which has not been adjusted since 2007, and the upper limit of 1,800 euros per month. The previous government coalition had agreed on these changes, but they were never implemented.