© Thorben Wengert - pixelio.deIn a legal dispute, costs can start to mount up even before a case has come to court. Costs such as the cost of obtaining legal advice, for example. Under the Beratungshilfegesetz (Legal Aid for Legal Advice Act), if you are not able to pay these costs yourself, you can apply to the Amtsgericht (district court) for legal aid.

© ginasanders - Depositphotos.comDebt problems are often precipitated by adverse events such as unemployment, separation, divorce or illness.

© burdun - Depositphotos.comFor low-income households, it is often worth applying for Wohngeld (housing benefit). For tenants this is paid in the form of a rent subsidy, for owner occupiers in the form of a housing cost payment.

 © GG Berlin - pixelio.de

Both parents have a duty to provide for their child until that child has completed their education or vocational training. A parent who lives with a child who is either under the age of 18 or still attending school provides for their child by caring for that child and is not obliged to provide for the child financially. Conversely, the parent who no longer lives with the child is obliged to provide for the child financially, even where the parents have joint custody of the child.

© photographyMK - Depositphotos.com Under the Bundeselterngeldgesetz (Federal Parental Allowance Act), parents of children born on or after January 1, 2007 can apply for Elterngeld. The idea behind the new law is that parents who work less in order to look after a child should be compensated for the resulting financial loss. In addition, the law aims to provide an incentive for both parents to look after their child by providing for Partnermonate (‘partner months’). Partnermonate are only granted where both parents take at least two months parental leave for the purpose of looking after their child.

© Petra Bork - pixelio.deParents resident in the Federal Republic of Germany are eligible to receive Kindergeld, which takes the form of a child-related tax relief. Over the last few years, the Kindergeld rate has been gradually increased.

Since January 2021, it is € 219 per month for the first and second child, € 225 for the third child and € 250 for each subsequent child.

Kindergeld is paid from birth until the child reaches the age of 18, but can also continue to be paid up to the age of 25 if the child is still attending school or is on a vocational training scheme (Ausbildung).

© Klaus-Uwe Gerhardt - pixelio.deWhen your income doesn’t cover your needs

If your family has no or a low income, your assets do not exceed a set threshold and you are able to work, you can claim Arbeitslosengeld II - Unemployment benefit (ALG II).