Childcare fees and parental fees - calculation

Amount of the childcare fee or parental fee

The amount of the childcare fee or parental fee is generally based on

• the average monthly income of the parents or the parent,
• the number of children entitled to child benefit in the household and
• the agreed care time at the facility

Definition of income

In principle, the income of the parents (also in the case of the alternating model or "50:50 care") and the child concerned is required. If the parents are permanently separated and the child lives exclusively with one parent, their income and that of the child concerned is required.

The adjusted income is calculated from

a) the gross income, less a flat-rate deduction of

• 40% for income subject to tax and social security contributions
• 25 % for civil servants' salaries
• 30 % for income subject only to tax or social security contributions
• 5% for income not subject to tax or social security contributions

b) other income in cash or cash equivalents (e.g. child benefit, alimony, parental allowance, ALG I, etc.)

c) Deduction of maintenance payments to third parties

Income above the upper income limit

If the adjusted income is over 2,861.00 euros (until 30.09.2025) or over 4,130.00 euros (from 01.10.2025), no information on the financial circumstances is required. Only a current proof of child benefit from the 2nd child (e.g. bank statement or similar) must be submitted.

Income below the upper income limit

If the adjusted income is less than EUR 2,861.00 (until 30.09.2025) or less than EUR 4,130.00 (from 01.10.2025), all proof of income in cash or cash equivalents (the income of the calendar year to be determined is decisive) as well as a current proof of child benefit (e.g. bank statement or similar) must be submitted for the calculation. This does not apply to income from loans (e.g. KfW loans).

Child allowances

The number of children entitled to child benefit living in the household is decisive here. For the child to be calculated, the income calculated up to that point is reduced by EUR 1,130.00. For each additional child entitled to child benefit in the household, the income is reduced by a further 400.00 euros (until 30.09.2025) or 580.00 euros (from 01.10.2025).

Calculation of fees/amount of charge

13% (until 30.09.2025) or 10% (from 01.10.2025) of the eligible monthly income (adjusted income minus child allowances) is set as the monthly childcare fee or monthly parental fee.

If the monthly fee/charge is less than EUR 20.00, no fees/charges will be levied.

For the fourth and each additional child attending a kindergarten, no fee/no charge is levied.

Exemption from the kindergarten fee or parental fee

Anyone who, during the current period of care, receives benefits

• to secure their livelihood in accordance with the Second Book of the German Social Code (SGB II),
• for subsistence assistance or basic security in old age and in the event of reduced earning capacity in accordance with the Twelfth Book of the German Social Code (SGB XII),
• according to the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act,
• according to § 6a of the Federal Child Benefit Act (supplementary child allowance) or
• according to the Housing Benefit Act (housing benefit)

will be exempted from the childcare fee or parental fee for the duration of receipt of these benefits upon application and presentation of suitable documentation, at the earliest from the calendar month in which the application is submitted.

Assumption of childcare fee/parental fee

At the request of the fee debtor, the childcare fee or parental fee can be paid in full or in part by the City of Jena in accordance with § 90 Para. 4 SGB VIII if the burden is unreasonable for the parents and the child. Further information can be found on the corresponding service page Childcare fees and parental fees - assumption.

Changes in income

Changes in income of more than 20% beyond the end of the year and changes in the number of children entitled to child benefit in the household must be reported immediately to the Family Service Team.

In these cases, the provisional fee or charge will be adjusted from the month of the change.

If changes in favor of the debtor are not notified at the latest by the time of the final assessment as part of the annual review, they will not be taken into account retroactively for completed periods, unless the notification was omitted through no fault of the debtor.

Change in the amount of fees or charges due to a change in childcare hours

The monthly fee may increase or decrease due to an increase or decrease in the standard daily childcare hours. The care times are regulated separately in the respective house rules or user statutes of the facility. They cannot be settled individually by the debtors with the Family Service. The childcare hours are always based on the agreements in the childcare contract. Special childcare packages are offered by the facilities.

Free pre-school years

All pre-school children in Thuringia are currently entitled to two contribution-free years of daycare. Children who start school early are not entitled to two full contribution-free Kiga years.

Whether your child is a pre-school child depends on when they start school. In Thuringia, all children who are six years old on August 1st of a given year are considered to be of school age. For these children, parents no longer need to pay fees/charges in the 24 months prior to school entry (first day of school for children starting school). A separate application for exemption is not necessary.

Childcare fee calculator

You can use our childcare fee calculator to find out in advance how much the childcare fee or parental fee will be (see links). Two variants are available here. Variant 1 (2025) refers to the calculation parameters according to the new daycare fee statutes from October 2025 and variant 2 (2015) refers to the calculation parameters according to the old daycare fee statutes in the period from August 2015 to September 2025.

Maximum fees/fee amount for a standard care time of 45 hours per week or 9 hours per day

*For the three older children in the household, the maximum fee / charge is € 69.00 (until 30.09.2025) or € 126.00 (with 4 children in the household) and € 68.00 (with 5 children in the household) - from 01.10.2025.

Payment of the fees

The childcare fee or parental fee is payable monthly.

Parents or the parent with whom the child lives will receive a request to submit current income documentation from the month of admission or transfer when the child is admitted to a facility for the first time and/or changes daycare centers.

Initially, a provisional assessment of the daycare fees or the parental fee is made.

After the end of the calendar year, a final assessment is made for the previous calendar year and a new provisional assessment for the new calendar year (based on the documents from the previous year and the current documents).

In the case of existing children, the childcare fees / parental allowance are usually reviewed annually by the Family Service by letter.

From now on, you can use our online service for data entry of childcare fees / parental fees to submit income documents / proof / documents. This online service replaces the previous information sheet in paper form.

As the childcare fees or parental fees are income-dependent, the following applicable proof of income is required to determine the amount of fees or charges (the income of the calendar year to be determined is decisive):

• Gross annual income of the parents / parent (complete payslip for the year, no income tax certificate)
• Current gross income of the parent(s) (current payslip(s))
• Self-employment of the parent(s) (tax assessment notice(s))
• Child benefit from the 2nd child (current proof, e.g. bank statement or similar - not older than 3 months)
• Maintenance / advance maintenance payments (e.g. bank statement or similar)
• Parental allowance / maternity allowance
• BAföG / vocational training allowance (BAB) / scholarship (complete)
• ALG I
• Pensions (e.g. reduced earning capacity pension, disability pension, orphan's pension)
• Other income in cash or cash equivalents

If you are currently receiving the following benefits, please submit the relevant notification of exemption from the payment of fees/remuneration:

• Securing your livelihood in accordance with the Second Book of the German Social Code (SGB II)
• Assistance with living expenses or basic security in old age and in the event of reduced earning capacity in accordance with the Twelfth Book of the German Social Code (SGB XII)
• Asylum seeker benefits in accordance with the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act
• Benefits in accordance with § 6a of the Federal Child Benefit Act (supplementary child allowance)
• Housing benefit in accordance with the Housing Benefit Act

The calculation/collection of the childcare fees or the parental fee itself is free of charge.

• Daycare center usage statutes of the city of Jena
• Daycare center fee statutes of the city of Jena (until 30.09.2025)
• Daycare center fee statutes of the city of Jena (from 01.10.2025)