The Federal Minister for Families, Karin Prien (CDU), announced that she plans to introduce a concept for a family care allowance next year, modeled after the existing parental allowance system. According to Prien, she intends to present a formal proposal during the first half of 2027. The CDU politician added to newspapers in the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” that preparations are currently underway and she hopes that the budget authorities will agree to the plan.
The proposal aims to establish a salary replacement benefit for individuals who need to temporarily step away from their jobs to care for relatives. Given that the majority of people needing care in Germany are supported within their own families at home, this initiative addresses a pressing need. While the coalition agreement between the Union and the Social Democrats (SPD) had only vaguely committed to “reviewing how a family care allowance could be introduced,” the Minister had previously emphasized that such a benefit was contingent on the economic situation allowing it.
In response to questions about whether the project might be scrapped due to current budgetary shortages, Prien strongly opposed this possibility, declaring, “Not at all. I will stand by it.” She argued that while a family care period would initially incur additional costs, these costs would quickly be amortized.
Studies indicate that well-designed financial support for caregivers could ultimately motivate them to work more, leading to positive overall economic effects. Prien pointed out the social problem this would solve: “Women who care for relatives often end up stuck in a part-time trap from which they never escape,” she told the news network. By providing the necessary financial means for a certain period of complete absence from work, the system would prevent this situation.
