If you search for a BAföG calculator, you usually want to know how much funding is left once your parents’ income is taken into account. This guide walks through the calculation with the allowances that apply in October 2026 and works through an example. It is not a finished calculator but a method you can use to make a rough estimate yourself. BAföG (Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz) is the German federal training grant.
Short answer: Part of your parents’ income stays exempt from BAföG. Married parents who live together have 2,540 euros per month exempt, and in other cases each parent has 1,690 euros exempt. Half of the income above that amount is counted towards your need. If you live away from home, your need is 855 euros per month. Last updated: October 2026. Sources: sections 13 and 25 BAföG.
The most important points
- If you do not live with your parents, your monthly need is 855 euros: 475 euros basic amount plus 380 euros housing allowance (section 13 BAföG, as of October 2026).
- If you live with your parents, the housing allowance is only 59 euros, so your need is 534 euros per month.
- Married parents who live together have a shared allowance of 2,540 euros per month. In other cases, each parent has an allowance of 1,690 euros (section 25 subsection 1 BAföG).
- Half of the parental income above the allowance is counted. This share determines how much the grant shrinks.
- The planned reform would change some amounts from 2027. The bill has not been passed yet, so today’s amounts still apply.
- The binding calculation is made by the responsible office for training support. This guide gives an estimate, not a decision.
How is parental income counted towards BAföG?
The calculation has two steps. First, the allowances are deducted from the income. Then half of the remainder is counted. The size of the allowances depends on whether the parents are married and live together, and on whether other people are being supported. The values are set out in section 25 BAföG and explained in our German glossary entry on the parental allowance (in German).
| Case | Allowance per month | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Married parents who live together | 2,540 euros | Section 25 subsection 1 no. 1 BAföG |
| All other cases, per parent | 1,690 euros | Section 25 subsection 1 no. 2 BAföG |
| Spouse or partner of the income earner who is not a parent | plus 850 euros | Section 25 subsection 3 no. 1 BAföG |
| Per further child or other person entitled to maintenance without their own eligible training | plus 770 euros | Section 25 subsection 3 no. 2 BAföG |
Status of the allowances: 1 August 2024 (bafög.de, status December 2025).
Worked example: studying away from home
Assumption for this example: your parents are married and live together. Their income that counts for BAföG is 4,000 euros per month. You do not live with them and have no income of your own.
- Deduct the allowance: 4,000 euros minus 2,540 euros gives 1,460 euros.
- Count half: 1,460 euros divided by 2 gives 730 euros.
- Set the need: 475 euros plus 380 euros housing allowance gives 855 euros.
- Calculate the grant: 855 euros minus 730 euros gives 125 euros per month (assumption, simplified).
Half of the 125 euros is an interest-free state loan. The loan share is 50 percent of the grant (bafög.de, loan repayment, status October 2026). If you lived with your parents, your need would be 534 euros, and the 730 euros counted would use up the whole grant. The example leaves out health and care insurance supplements and further children. It does not replace a decision.
Variant with parents who live apart (assumption): One parent earns 2,000 euros per month, the other earns nothing. The earning parent has an allowance of 1,690 euros, which leaves 310 euros. Half of that, 155 euros, is counted. The grant therefore drops from 855 to 700 euros per month.
Which amounts apply in October 2026?
The order matters: first the need is set, then parental income and your own earnings are counted. What remains is the grant, of which half is an interest-free loan. This order explains why even moderate parental incomes can reduce the grant considerably.
The table lists the amounts used in the calculation. They apply to funding periods starting from 1 August 2024. Our glossary entry on the BAföG need (in German) explains the need in more detail.
| Item | Amount per month | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Basic amount for students at universities | 475 euros | Section 13 subsection 1 no. 2 BAföG |
| Housing allowance if you do not live with your parents | 380 euros | Section 13 subsection 2 no. 2 BAföG |
| Housing allowance if you live with your parents | 59 euros | Section 13 subsection 2 no. 1 BAföG |
| Assets allowance for trainees under 30 | 15,000 euros (assets) | Section 29 subsection 1 no. 1 BAföG |
What does the 2027 BAföG reform change?
The government bill for the 30th amendment of the BAföG is printed as Bundestag document 21/8405 (status 7 October 2026). It plans to raise the housing allowance for students living away from home from 380 to 440 euros from the summer term 2027. The basic amount would rise to 503 euros from the winter term 2027/28. The housing allowance for students living with their parents would fall to 41 euros and be removed in 2029. This is a draft. Until it is promulgated, the amounts in this guide apply.
Frequently asked questions
What applies if my parents do not live together?
Then each parent has an allowance of 1,690 euros per month (section 25 subsection 1 no. 2 BAföG). In individual cases, the office checks which income is actually counted. Submit all requested evidence in full.
How does my living situation affect the calculation?
If you live with your parents, your need is 321 euros lower per month, because the housing allowance drops from 380 to 59 euros (section 13 subsection 2 BAföG). This affects only your need. The parents’ allowances stay the same. That is why your living situation matters for any estimate.
Can I calculate my grant exactly myself?
Only roughly. The exact amount often depends on deductions from income, such as taxes and social insurance contributions, and on further maintenance obligations. The responsible office for training support sets the entitlement in a binding way. An estimate helps you decide whether an application is worthwhile and which documents you need.
When is advice worth it?
If your parents live apart, if you pay or receive maintenance, or if your income does not come from employment, the calculation quickly becomes complicated. Then the student services organisation, the advice centres at your university or the responsible office can help. The responsible office is the one at your place of residence (section 46 subsection 2 BAföG).
What to do now
- Collect your parents’ income documents and details of your family status and living situation.
- Use the example above to make your own estimate and label it as an assumption.
- Check whether your need changes with your living situation, and keep an eye on the 2027 reform.
- Apply at the responsible office for training support where you live. Funding starts at the earliest in the month of application (section 15 subsection 1 BAföG).
Related reading
- BAföG Rates 2026/27: Figures, Allowances and Limits
- BAföG 2026: Eligibility, Amount and Repayment Explained
- BAföG Reform 2027: What Is Changing and When
- Elternfreibetrag BAföG (parental allowance, in German)
- BAföG-Bedarfssatz (BAföG need, in German)
Sources: Section 13 BAföG, gesetze-im-internet.de (German), status October 2026, Section 25 BAföG, gesetze-im-internet.de (German), status October 2026, Bundestag document 21/8405 (German), status 7 October 2026, bafög.de, allowances (German), status December 2025.
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
