Düsseldorf table amended guideline 2024 – this is how much maintenance for your child costs
The new Düsseldorf child support table for 2024 shows the guideline values for separated parents. How much do the amounts for dependents change? A current overview.
When parents separate or divorce, one parent usually has to pay child support to the other. The parent with whom the child lives receives the money. The Düsseldorf table gives guidelines that can help determine child support. This monthly payment is intended to cover the child’s ongoing and necessary living expenses. This includes the costs of housing, food, clothing, school supplies and toys.
Düsseldorf table 2024: This is how high child support is in Germany
What is the Düsseldorf table?
The Düsseldorf table is a recognized guideline for maintenance requirements and indicates the minimum maintenance for underage children. The table is regularly updated by the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court (OLG) with the German Family Court Day.
What does child support in the Düsseldorf table depend on?
The Düsseldorf table is intended to be a guideline that shows the monthly maintenance requirements. In doing so, it takes into account the own income of the persons obligated and entitled to maintenance and the age of the child. From this, income levels for the maintenance and age levels were formed. Depending on how many children are dependent, discounts or surcharges may apply, as a classification into a lower or higher group is then made.
Who has to pay maintenance?
The parent with whom the shared minor child does not permanently reside is obliged to pay so-called cash maintenance according to Section 1612a of the German Civil Code (BGB). Both parents are also obliged to pay maintenance for children who are already adults and are in training or currently studying.
What is the minimum maintenance and does child maintenance increase in the Düsseldorf table in 2024?
The minimum maintenance is intended to ensure the child’s minimum subsistence level and was increased by the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court in 2023. There will also be an increase in 2024. According to the Düsseldorf table 2024, the minimum monthly requirement is a net income of up to 2,100 euros for children up to the age of five at 480 euros. For children between For those aged six and eleven, the amount will be 551 euros from 2024. For children between the ages of 12 and 17 the minimum maintenance is 2024 at 645 Euro. 689 Euro must for children from 18 years pay.
After the amounts have increased significantly since 2022, they are now increasing again. As a result of the publication of the new Federal Minimum Maintenance Ordinance (Section 1612a Paragraph 1, BGB), which forms the basis of the Düsseldorf table, it was assumed that the amounts this year would increase by more than nine percent compared to 2023 and by 20 percent compared to increase in 2022. This has now been confirmed. In figures, the increase compared to the previous year is around 9.8 percent.
By the way: For the exact calculation basis you have to look a few steps further: The minimum maintenance regulation as the basis of the Düsseldorf table is in turn based on the so-called material subsistence minimum. This is regularly redefined by the federal government and is part of the so-called subsistence minimum report that the federal government publishes.
How much maintenance do I have to pay according to the Düsseldorf table 2024?
After a separation or divorce, maintenance must be paid for children together. The Düsseldorf table helps to find out how much maintenance is due. To do this, simply look in the Düsseldorf table for your income group under net income and the age of the child. The monthly maintenance can be determined from this. However, it should be noted that the income groups will also change in 2024. Among other things, the table stipulates that the income groups only begin with a higher net income. Among other things, the second income group now starts at 2,100 euros instead of 1,900 euros. This means that the maintenance amounts increase, but only become due when your income increases.
Düsseldorf table 2024: maintenance payments according to net income and age groups
LevelNet income
Age levels in years
Demand control amount
0-5
6-11
12-17
Ab 18
1.Bis 2.100€
480€
551€
645€
689€
1.200/1.450€2.2.101€ bis 2.500€
504€
579€
678€
724€
1.750€3.2.501€ bis 2.900€
528€
607€
710€
758€
1.850€4.2.901€ bis 3.300€
552€
634€
742€
793€
1.950€5.3.301€ bis 3.700€
576€
662€
774€
827€
2.050€6.3.701€ bis 4.100€
615€
706€
826€
882€
2.150€7.4.101€ bis 4.500€
653€
750€
878€
938€
2.250€8.4.501€ bis 4.900€
692€
794€
929€
993€
2.350€9.4.901€ bis 5.300€
730€
838€
981€
1.048€
2.450€10.5.301€ bis 5.700€
768€
882€
1.032€
1.103€
2.550€11.5.701€ bis 6.400€
807€
926€
1.084€
1.158€
2.850€12.6.401€ bis 7.200€
845€
970€
1.136€
1.213€
3.250€13.7.201€ bis 8.200€
884€
1.014€
1.187€
1.268€
3.750€14.8.201€ bis 9.700€
922€
1.058€
1.239€
1.323€
4.350€15.9.701€ bis 11.200€
960€
1.102€
1.290 €
1.378€
5.050€
by Susanne Thonemann-Micker
However, the child benefit credit must be taken into account: half of the child benefit is credited towards the maintenance payable. This applies until you reach adulthood. Once the child reaches the age of majority, the full amount of child benefit will be credited. The child benefit will continue to be a uniform amount of 250 euros per child in 2024.
The changed maintenance can be seen in the following table.
Düsseldorf table 2024: maintenance payments after child benefit credit
LevelNet income
Age levels in years
0-5
6-11
12-17
Ab 18
1.Bis 2.100€
355€
426€
520€
439€
2.2.101 bis 2.500€
379€
454€
553€
474€
3.2.501 bis 2.900€
403€
482€
585€
508€
4.2.901 bis 3.300€
427€
509€
617€
543€
5.3.301 bis 3.700€
451€
537€
649€
577€
6.3.701 bis 4.100€
490€
581€
701€
632€
7.4.101 bis 4.500€
528€
625€
753€
688€
8.4.501 bis 4.900€
567€
669€
804€
743€
9.4.901 bis 5.300€
605€
713€
856€
798€
10.5.301 bis 5.700€
643€
757€
907€
853€
11.5.701 bis 6.400€
682€
807€
959€
908€
12.6.401 bis 7.200€
720€
845€
1.011€
963€
13.7.201 bis 8.200€
759€
889€
1.062€
1.018€
14.8.201 bis 9.700€
797€
933€
1.114€
1.073€
15.9.701 bis 11.200€
835€
977€
1.165€
1.128€
What is the demand control amount?
The needs control amount contained in the Düsseldorf table has the task of ensuring an equal distribution of income between those liable for maintenance and those entitled to maintenance. This is intended to prevent the person liable for maintenance from being financially disadvantaged. For the first group of those liable for maintenance, the needs control amount is identical to their own needs. From group 2 onwards it is no longer identical and is intended to ensure a balanced distribution of income between the person liable for maintenance and the dependent children.
How high is the personal requirement or deductible for maintenance payments?
The personal requirement, also known as the deductible, is based on the subsistence minimum and was to 1450 euros determined if maintenance for school-age children until their 21st birthday is paid. However, this only applies if the person liable for maintenance works and is therefore gainfully employed. In case of unemployment remains 1200 euros left monthly. For accommodation, utilities and heating are included 520 Euro of the 1200 Euro intended. In contrast to the needs control amount, the deductible serves as financial security for the person obliged to pay maintenance.
Do I have to pay child support retroactively?
In principle, maintenance cannot be claimed retroactively. There is only one exception: if the person obliged to pay maintenance has been informed of his obligation to pay maintenance by a lawyer or a lawsuit has been filed, maintenance must be paid from this month. Then the child support must also be paid retroactively. Maintenance can also be claimed retroactively if the person liable for maintenance is in arrears and has been reminded of this.
Can I deduct child support from taxes?
Maintenance can be claimed as an extraordinary burden in the tax return. For the In 2024 that will initially be 11,604 euros – The amount is to be adjusted retroactively to 11,784 euros during the course of the year (2023: 10.908 Euro) – which can be used. The maximum amount corresponds to the basic allowance for the respective year. However, the maximum amount can only be specified if maintenance is paid from January onwards.
However, there is one prerequisite for tax consideration: If the person liable for maintenance or the other partner receives child benefit or benefits from the child tax allowance for the child, the maintenance is not taken into account as a tax deduction. This means that the tax deduction usually only plays a role for adult children if they no longer receive child benefit. If the child earns their own income, the maintenance taken into account in the tax can also be reduced.
Accordingly, with regard to child benefit and its calculation, the following constellations are common:
The child liable for maintenance is not of legal age. Then you are usually entitled to child benefit or child allowance, so no tax deduction for maintenance payments is possible. Half of the child benefit is usually deducted from the maintenance to be paid. The child liable for maintenance is of legal age and is still entitled to child benefit or child allowance, for example due to initial training. The child benefit will then be fully offset. A tax deduction of the maintenance paid is not possible here either. The child liable for maintenance is of legal age and is no longer entitled to child benefit or child allowance. Since the entitlement no longer applies, nothing is offset, but the maintenance paid can be recognized as an extraordinary burden for tax purposes (within the limits of the maximum amounts).
How meaningful is the Düsseldorf table?
The Düsseldorf table is more of a general guideline, it has no legal force and is therefore not legally binding. However, it is used by courts nationwide when it comes to calculating child support. It can also help the person liable for maintenance and the person receiving maintenance and can serve as a maintenance guideline, as it provides information about the amount of maintenance.
Transparency note: This article first appeared in WirtschaftsWoche in January 2022. We’ve updated it and are showing it again based on reader interest.
Also read: Child benefit 2024: This is how much child benefit parents can receive this year