Kindergeld Final-Digit Table 2026 – How to Find Your Payment Day

Updated: May 2026. The Familienkasse — Germany's federal family benefits office — does not pay out Kindergeld in one batch at the start of the month, but staggered by the last digit of the Kindergeld number (the final digit). If you know your own final digit, you can reliably tell when the monthly 259 € per child will land in your account. The legal basis is not the Income Tax Act but the Familienkasse's internal administrative practice together with § 71 SGB I on the due date of cash benefits.

What Is the Final Digit in Kindergeld?

The Kindergeld number appears on every decision and every payment notification from the Familienkasse. It has twelve digits and follows the pattern F 1234567890 1. The last position of this number — the 1 in the example — determines the payment day in the month. The Familienkasse uses the final digit purely for technical load distribution. If all of Germany's Kindergeld payments flowed on the same working day, the banks' payment systems would be overloaded.

Where Do I Find My Kindergeld Number?

• In the upper-left field of every current Kindergeld decision
• In the Familienkasse online portal at familienkasse.de → "Mein Kindergeld", after logging in with your ID card's eID or a user account
• On the most recent postal payment notification (sent annually on request)
• In the Familienkasse's letter when a new child is added

If you have misplaced the number, request a new one by phone via the free service number 0800 4 5555 30 (Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–6 p.m.). Online self-service is also possible after verification.

Payment Days in 2026 by Final Digit

Payment is made on banking days, not calendar days. Banking days are Monday to Friday, excluding nationwide public holidays. The following table applies to every month of 2026:

Important: the Familienkasse initiates the transfer on the stated day. The amount appears in your account either the same day or only the next working day, depending on your bank. Savings banks (Sparkassen), cooperative banks (Volks- und Raiffeisenbanken), and most direct banks book the same day. Some private banks need an extra working day for value dating.

Special Points: Holidays, the Start of the Month, and Extra Dates

If a payment day falls on a nationwide public holiday (New Year, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, German Unity Day, Christmas), the payment shifts to the next banking day. For regional public holidays (Epiphany in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, Corpus Christi, Reformation Day in some states, All Saints' Day), the shift only applies if the responsible Familienkasse is located in the state concerned. Example: a Familienkasse in Hesse does not recognise All Saints' Day as a holiday, but one in Bavaria does.

At the turn of the year, the Familienkasse publishes the full payment calendar on its website in mid-December. If you need a fixed date on a bank statement for your tax return, print this calendar or save it as a PDF.

Case Studies: How the Final Digit Reads in Practice

Example 1: The Hoffmann Family (Düsseldorf, final digit 2, two children)

The Hoffmanns have the Kindergeld number F 1234567892 — final digit 2. The family receives 2 × 259 € = 518 € per month, always on the 4th banking day. In May 2026 that is Thursday, 07.05.2026. In April 2026 (Good Friday and Easter Monday fall in April), the 4th banking day shifts to Friday, 03.04.2026 — Good Friday and Easter Monday are skipped in the count.

Example 2: The Yilmaz Family (Stuttgart, final digit 7, three children)

With final digit 7, the Yilmaz family receives 3 × 259 € = 777 € per month on the 12th banking day. In May 2026 this falls on Wednesday, 20.05.2026. Ascension Day falls in May — Thursday, 14.05.2026, does not count as a banking day, which is why the 12th banking day is one position later than in a month without a holiday.

Example 3: The Müller Family (Magdeburg, final digit 9, one child, single parent)

Mrs Müller has final digit 9 and receives 259 € on the 16th banking day. In May 2026 that is Tuesday, 26.05.2026 — the latest payment date within the month. For her household planning this means: rent, the electricity instalment, and the daycare fee are debited at the start of the month, while the Kindergeld arrives almost four weeks later. Anyone budgeting tightly with final digit 9 should talk to their bank about an overdraft facility or a buffer amount.

Can You Have the Final Digit Changed?

No. The final digit is part of a technical identification number and follows an internal Familienkasse algorithm. It is not changeable on request. If you need the money earlier in the month, you have two realistic options:

1. An overdraft facility from your bank to bridge the short term (mind the interest)
2. Building your own savings cushion to offset the gap between the rent debit and the Kindergeld payment

Applying for a new Kindergeld number (for example on a move or a change of the responsible Familienkasse) rarely results in a different final digit and is, for that reason alone, not permitted.

What Changes in the Payment From 2026?

On 1 January 2026, Kindergeld was raised from 255 € to 259 € per child per month (Tax Development Act of 19 December 2024). The payment rhythm by final digit remains entirely unchanged. No new application is required — the increase applies automatically to all existing Kindergeld recipients from the first payment in January 2026.

What Happens If …

• … the payment does not arrive on the due date? Wait one working day — booking delays at your bank are the most common cause. Only then contact the Familienkasse.
• … the child turns 25 during the current month? The entitlement ends at the end of the birthday month. A late payment caused by the final digit may be the last full payment.
• … a new child joins? It usually receives the same Kindergeld number as siblings in the household. The final digit stays the same, and the amount rises by 259 €.
• … the family moves? When moving within Germany, the responsible Familienkasse changes, but the final digit usually stays. When moving to another EU country, special rules apply under Regulation 883/2004.
• … a parent dies? The Kindergeld number and final digit remain; the other parent continues to receive the benefit. A formal application to adjust the data must be filed.

Common Mistakes With the Final Digit

• Mistake 1: confusing the final digit with the date of birth. Some families assume the child's birthday determines the payment day. That is wrong — only the Kindergeld number matters.
• Mistake 2: expecting payment on the calendar day. "On the 16th" means, for Kindergeld, the 16th banking day, not the 16th calendar day. With many holidays in a month, the payment may only be made at the end of the month.
• Mistake 3: writing a reminder straight away for a late payment. First wait two working days. Booking delays are the sole cause in 80% of complaints.
• Mistake 4: not registering the Kindergeld number in the online portal. If you use the Familienkasse portal, you see the next payment date at a glance — and save yourself the search for the last decision.

Quick Help: Kindergeld Not Received — What to Do?

1. Wait the day after the due date. Bookings take an extra working day at some banks.
2. Check the Kindergeld number and final digit on the current decision. Does the expected payment match the status of the file?
3. Check the online status at familienkasse.de. The portal shows the processing status and the next planned payments.
4. Call the service number 0800 4 5555 30. Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–6 p.m., free from all German networks.
5. A written complaint through the online inbox or by post to the responsible Familienkasse. Deadline for a formal action for failure to act: six months after the application.

Where to Check Other Family Benefits

The payment day of Kindergeld is only one piece of family financial planning. Our Kindergeld calculator works out the annual amount and compares it with the child tax allowance. To check entitlement to other benefits, use the family benefits check for a complete calculation covering Kindergeld, the supplementary child allowance, housing benefit, and Bürgergeld. A full overview of all amounts valid in 2026 is in our guide to family benefits 2026.

The Final Digit and the Annual Tax Assessment

In the annual tax return, the payment day plays a minor role — what is decisive is the tax year in which the Kindergeld was received. A payment at the end of December still counts for the old year for tax purposes, while a payment at the start of January counts for the new one. If you are paid very late in December with final digit 9, you may, with luck, still have the December amount in the current year — relevant for the tax office's favourability check. In practice, though, the final digit has no influence on the annual amount. Anyone who receives twelve monthly payments gets 12 × 259 € = 3,108 € per child, regardless of the final digit.

The Final Digit for Families With Several Children and Separated Parents

If the children live with different parents (after separation or divorce, for instance), each parent has their own Kindergeld number with its own final digit. Take the Demir family: after the separation, the older son lives with the father (Kindergeld number final digit 3), and the younger daughter with the mother (final digit 7). The father receives 259 € on the 5th banking day, the mother 259 € on the 12th banking day. Both payments are independent of each other and are transferred to two different accounts.

When determining the recipient — that is, setting which parent the Kindergeld flows to — the Familienkasse uses form KG 1b. A change of recipient can result in a new Kindergeld number and therefore a new final digit. The old payment ends and the new one begins in the month after approval.

Last Updated

As of 24 May 2026. The final-digit staggering follows the administrative practice the Federal Employment Agency has used for decades. The amounts named are based on the Tax Development Act and are published in detail for each calendar year in December of the previous year at familienkasse.de.