[26.11.2010] All parents, who provide for parental allowance to be disbursed over a period of 24 months, instead of 12 months, forfeit their right to a residual claim. See further information in AGF press release.
The Federal Government’s savings package will treat the parental allowance for recipients of SGB II benefits, as personal income. In practice, from 2011 all parents, who provide for parental allowance to be disbursed over a period of 24 months, instead of 12 months, forfeit their right to a residual claim. Affected parents should withdraw this “extension option” immediately and withdraw their money.
“The settlement also affects parents who currently receive parental allowance, as well as those parents who have opted for an extended payment with the so called, ‘halved parental allowance’ of 150 €. They are threatened by the loss of the remaining amount”, according to the chairwoman of the Association of German family organizations eV, Edith Schwab.
Affected parents, who receive unemployment benefit II, should therefore immediately withdraw the parental-allowance, extension option and thus enable themselves to withdraw their remaining parental-allowance entitlements.
Haste is greatly encouraged as the date of payment is the deciding factor. The additional payments remain free of charge only if they have been received into the accounts of the parents by the 31st December, 2010.
“The elimination of the parental allowance for parents with ALG-II from 01/01/2011, is a huge burden for the affected families. To punish unemployed parents retroactively for their precautionary planning, borders on humiliation, “criticized the AGF-chairman.”At least the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs have to make sure that existing parental allowance claims will also be paid freely (i.e. unaffected by the new savings package) after 2010. The cancellation of parental allowance, which parents are entitled to, under current legislation, simply cannot be.”
An example shows what parents have to lose: On the birth of a child on 30/11/2009 and a claim to parental allowance of € 3,600, they have acquired via partial payment of 150 € for 24 months until 31.12.2010 only 1,950 Euros. Loss without timely objection would then be: 1.650 €. The German Association of Single Parents provides an example for cancellation