Startup News for Female Entrepreneurs in Europe

Germany Debates Maternity Pay for Self-Employed Women: €5,000 Flat Payment on the Table

About 1.3 million women in Germany are self-employed, and if they have a baby, they have no legal right to maternity leave or maternity pay. On Thursday, 15 October, at 12:30, the Bundestag debates two opposition motions to change that: the Greens want a flat €5,000 payment, Die Linke wants the self-employed brought into the employers' maternity levy. The government promised a solution in its coalition agreement, but no bill has reached parliament yet.
Cover photo: Camylla Battani on Unsplash.

What happens on Thursday

The Bundestag has set aside an hour on Thursday afternoon for four opposition motions on family policy, according to the Bundestag's agenda. Two are about maternity protection for the self-employed: motion 21/8401 from Alliance 90/The Greens and motion 21/8461 from Die Linke, both published in early October, according to the parliament's news service.
Thursday is not a vote on the substance. All four motions are due to be referred to the family committee. The real question is whether the government adds the self-employed to its own family-policy reforms this term.

The gap: no maternity protection for the self-employed

Employees in Germany get statutory maternity protection: a protected period before and after the birth, a daily maternity allowance from their health insurer and a top-up from their employer to their full net pay. Self-employed women get none of this by law.
  • Public health insurance: a self-employed woman only gets maternity pay if she is voluntarily insured with an entitlement to sick pay. She then receives 70% of the income her contributions are based on.
  • Private health insurance: there is no standard maternity benefit.
  • Few use what exists: only 35% of women who had a child while self-employed used insurers' maternity benefits, and 85% want better state rules, according to a 2024 Allensbach study for the family ministry, cited in the Greens' motion.
About 27,000 self-employed women have a child each year, the Greens' motion says. Both motions argue that Germany does not meet EU Directive 2010/41/EU, which requires member states to make possible a maternity allowance for self-employed women covering at least 14 weeks.

What it costs women today

The most detailed data comes from a feasibility study published in June 2026 by the Westdeutscher Handwerkskammertag (WHKT) and the Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM) Bonn, based on a survey of 949 self-employed tradeswomen in North Rhine-Westphalia, according to the final report:
  • Three in four lost revenue around the birth, on average 47%.
  • Their real net monthly income fell from €2,385 to €1,334. Over 14 weeks, that's a loss of about €3,679, the basis for the proposed €5,000 flat payment.
  • About half were back at work within four weeks of giving birth, and one in seven worked until the day she gave birth.

The two proposals

Greens (motion 21/8401)Die Linke (motion 21/8461)
Core ideaA flat "basic maternity compensation" of €5,000 for all self-employed women on maternity leaveExtend the employers' maternity levy (U2) to all self-employed people
Extra supportTop-up grants on application; help paying for stand-ins or business supportCompensation for lost income and fixed business costs, and cover when a doctor rules the work unsafe, as for employees
Financing"Solidarity" financingA levy paid by the self-employed
OtherEvaluation after five yearsAdvice organised by the health insurers
The WHKT/IfM study estimates that flat payments alone would cost about €135 million a year, and a full model €270–325 million. A flat levy on all 3.6 million self-employed people would come to €6.25–7.52 a month each; funding it from taxes would cost €0.27–0.32 per person per month.

What the government says

The CDU/CSU–SPD coalition agreement promises maternity protection for the self-employed "analogous to the maternity protection periods for employees" and a review of how to fund it. In September 2025, Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) said: "I expect that we will present a proposal to parliament at the beginning of next year," according to dts. She also ruled out one option: "A comparable levy for the self-employed would also be an additional financial burden. I don't want that." (Both quotes translated from German.)
A year later, no proposal has reached parliament, and the draft reform of parental allowance (Elterngeld) circulating since the summer contains no rule for the self-employed.
"We now have a lot of data, concrete models and broad support. What else does it take for agreement in principle to become a legal solution?" — Johanna Röh, master carpenter and chair of the campaign Mutterschutz für Alle!, to the Deutsche Handwerks Zeitung (translated from German)
The campaign says it is backed by more than 60 organisations representing over 816,000 people and businesses. North Rhine-Westphalia, whose economy ministry published the feasibility study, has backed the cause too: "Pregnancy must not be a professional risk," said the state's deputy premier, Mona Neubaur. "Now it's Berlin's turn."

How other countries do it

CountryWhat self-employed mothers get
FranceA flat rest allowance of €4,005 plus a daily allowance of up to €65.84, if she stops work for at least eight weeks (rates from 1 January 2026)
NetherlandsAt least 16 weeks of benefit under the ZEZ scheme, up to the minimum wage, if she worked at least 1,225 hours the year before
GermanyNo statutory right; maternity pay only through voluntary public insurance with sick pay (70% of insured income)
France's figures come from the national health insurer, Ameli; for a 16-week leave at the maximum rate, that's about €11,379 in total, by our calculation. The Greens' motion says France, Denmark, Sweden and Finland already protect self-employed mothers in a similar way to employees.

What this means for you

  1. If you're self-employed in Germany and planning a family, check your health insurance now. Only voluntary public insurance with a sick-pay entitlement pays maternity money today. See our guide to insurance for female entrepreneurs.
  2. Build a buffer. The NRW data suggests a loss of about €3,700 over 14 weeks for a tradeswoman, before fixed costs. Plan cover for clients, too.
  3. Plan your business around the leave, not the other way round. Our guide to maternity leave while founding a startup has a step-by-step plan.
  4. Watch the family committee and the Elterngeld bill. Thursday's debate starts the process; the decision will come later.
For more on what women entrepreneurs face across Europe, see our female entrepreneurship statistics and the 2027 budget changes for freelancers and solo founders. Starting up in Germany? Here are the top startup grants in Germany.

FAQ

Do self-employed women in Germany get maternity pay?

Not by law. Only those voluntarily insured in public health insurance with a sick-pay entitlement receive maternity pay, at 70% of their insured income. Privately insured women have no standard benefit.

What is the Bundestag debating on 15 October 2026?

Opposition motions from the Greens (21/8401) and Die Linke (21/8461) on maternity protection for self-employed women. They are due to be referred to the family committee, not voted on.

What do the Greens propose?

A flat basic maternity compensation of €5,000 for all self-employed women on maternity leave, with top-up grants on application and help paying for stand-ins.

How much income do self-employed women lose around the birth?

In a survey of 949 tradeswomen in North Rhine-Westphalia, net monthly income fell from €2,385 to €1,334, and three in four lost revenue, on average 47%.

What do self-employed mothers get in France?

A flat allowance of €4,005 plus up to €65.84 a day, if they stop work for at least eight weeks (2026 rates).

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
2026-10-14 14:18