The student support (BAföG) rate plays a decisive role for many students when it comes to financing their studies. The amount of BAföG depends heavily on the parents' income. But how exactly is parental income taken into account when calculating BAföG, and what options are there to maximise funding?
Parental income and your BAföG rate
The basic idea behind BAföG is to support students and pupils who are unable to pay for their education. Therefore, BAföG is generally dependent on parents and the parents' income is significantly integrated into the BAföG calculation. The application essentially determines how much your parents earn and to what extent this income is taken into account for your living expenses. It is often helpful to complete the application together with your parents to ensure that all income components are entered correctly and in full.
BAföG allowances: How much of my parents' income is taken into account?
To calculate your BAföG rate, there are fixed BAföG allowances for parents. These allowances ensure that part of your parents' income is not directly offset against your grant. The allowance varies depending on whether your parents are married, separated or have other children to support.
Here are some guidelines for allowances:
Parents living together: 2,540 € per month (as of August 2024)
Parents separated: 1,690 € per month each
For step-parent: +850 €
For other children who are not in an eligible education + 770 €
The income above these allowances is taken into account proportionately and can therefore affect your maximum BAföG rate. The parents' income above the tax-free amounts is taken into account at 50%, i.e. deducted from the annual rate of need. If your parents are in a different life situation, for example due to a recent separation, this could also change the calculation.
Do you want to calculate your school or student BAföG and apply for it directly? We also have a function for your parents' supplementary form. With our BAföG calculator from LeistungsLotse, you can quickly and easily check whether and how much BAföG you are entitled to and send your application directly to us. Check now!
When can you apply for parent-independent BAföG?
Under certain circumstances, you may be able to receive BAföG that is not dependent on your parents. In this case, your parents' income does not play a role in the amount of BAföG you receive. With these regulations, the BAföG office primarily takes into account cases in which students have already achieved a certain degree of financial independence and are less dependent on support from their parents.
This is the case if, for example:
after five years of employment or vocational training and three years of employment. You must also have earned a certain amount of money (at least 120% of the current BAföG requirement rate).
you would like to acquire the general higher education entrance qualification (Abitur) via the second educational pathway.
you are over 30 years old at the start of the programme.
you are an orphan or the whereabouts of your parents are unknown.
Please note: periods of child-raising, maternity leave, FSJ/ FÖJ or voluntary service are also counted as gainful employment.
How an update application can help if your parents' income changes
It can happen that your parents currently earn less than in the tax years that are taken into account in the BAföG calculation of parental income. In such cases, a BAföG update application can be submitted. This application is based on your parents' current income, which can have a positive effect on your BAföG rate if your income has fallen sharply. Form 7 must be completed and submitted for this purpose.
Do you want to calculate your school or student BAföG and apply for it directly? With our BAföG calculator from LeistungsLotse, you can quickly and easily check whether and how much BAföG you are entitled to and send your application directly to us. Check now!