As long as you live with your parents, they have to take care of you. This does not only apply to your general well-being. Your parents are obligated to provide you with everything you need. This also means that they must provide the financial means for housing, food, education, school supplies, and recreational entertainment for you.

No one is exempt from this. Even parents who don’t have much money must provide for you. If necessary, they will receive support from the state if they cannot manage on their own or if you also have siblings.

Even if you no longer live with your parents, they have to take care of you. Even if your relationship with each other is not good, they have to cover the cost of your living until you complete your education and can support yourself. Today, we’ll explain exactly what that means for you and your parents.

Duration Of The Maintenance Obligation

Child support refers to the costs you have to cover for a living. Your parents must cover these costs and support you in this way until you are an adult and have a job.

In Germany, family members must support each other financially. Women get alimony from their husbands under certain conditions when it comes to divorce. Kids get alimony from their parents when they are no longer living at home.

The amount and duration of alimony payments are specified in detail in the law and must be strictly adhered to. Unlike most other maintenance claims, child maintenance is regulated uniformly throughout Germany.

You can find out exactly how much you receive from your parents to cover your maintenance in the Düsseldorf tables.

Children Of Full Age Can Also Receive Maintenance Payments

In Germany, you are considered to be of age when you reach the age of 18. Full age means that you have become a young adult. This means that you have more rights than before. However, some duties are also added.

First and foremost, it is important for you to know that under certain conditions you can still receive alimony payments after reaching the age of majority.

This is the case if you are still in training or have not yet completed your studies. Only when you have qualified for a profession do your parents no longer have to pay you anything.

Until the age of 21, you are then considered a privileged adult child. Being privileged always has something to do with having certain advantages. You must still live with your parents and be unmarried to be considered privileged.
This has the advantage for you that the parents have to pay maintenance for you in any case. If you are still in education, but are not considered a privileged child in the sense of the maintenance law, this can result in disadvantages for you.

Because then the order of priority of the maintenance law comes into effect. The parents must then bear the maintenance obligation for the minor children (if you have siblings). Only then do you come into play as an adult child.

More detailed information on this topic can be found here:
http://www.unterhalt.net/kindesunterhalt/kind-volljaehrig.html

Worksheet For The Text

1) Explain the difficult words in the text.
What does…

• Alimony
• of age
• privileged

2) How long do your parents have to support you? At what point do they no longer have to support you?

3) How long do your parents have to support you?

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