The Dusseldorfer Tabelle is a tool for calculating child support. It applies to legitimate and illegitimate as well as minor and adult children.
The amount of child support is determined from the table. The amount depends on the age of the children and the income of the person who is to pay the alimony. The Dusseldorfer Table also regulates how much money must be left for the person liable to pay maintenance if he or she pays maintenance (deductible).
The table is based on a regulation that determines the minimum maintenance for minor children in accordance with Section 1612a (1) of the German Civil Code (BGB). Family court judges of some higher regional courts and the members of the maintenance commission of the German Family Court Conference determine the exact amounts of need and the deductibles.
This article gives you basic information on how to use the Dusseldorfer Tabelle. And here are our explanations of the current needs rates and deductibles of the current Dusseldorfer Table compared to the previous year: Dusseldorfer Table 2022
- Changes to the Dusseldorfer Table in 2022
- Structure of the Dusseldorf Table
- Costs of health insurance
- Is the Dusseldorfer Table a law?
- Dusseldorf table – step by step
- Hotline Dusseldorfer Table
Changes to the Dusseldorfer Table in 2022
As of 2022, the table is divided into a total of 15 income groups and four age groups. Until the year 2021, the Dusseldorfer Table had only 10 income groups and ended at 5500 €. The extension is based on a decision of the BGB from September 2020. Until this decision, the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) had not considered it appropriate to update the table values beyond the highest income group of the Dusseldorf table and instead required a concrete determination of needs in the case of high incomes. With the decision of September 2020, the BGH then suggested that the Dusseldorfer Table be extended up to incomes of 11.000 € to be updated.
As a result, the Dusseldorfer Table was revised for the first time from January 2022 up to income of 11.000 € updated. However, the extension of the table by five income groups and the respective increase of the alimony amounts is not uncontroversial. There are other proposals in the literature that provide for more income groups and arrive at higher maintenance amounts.
Structure of the Dusseldorf table
The lowest income group goes up to an income of 1900 Euros, the highest income group starts at 9501 Euros and ends at 11 Euros.000 Euro. The age brackets are graduated as follows:
- 0-5 years
- 6-11 years
- 12-17 years
- From the age of 18.
The Dusseldorfer Table assumes that maintenance is to be paid to two persons. If there are more entitled persons, the need for maintenance is to be taken from the lower income group – the other way round applies: If there are more than two entitled persons, the need for maintenance is to be taken from the next higher income group. For example, if the father has two children and a wife who is entitled to maintenance, we have three dependents, it goes down one income group. The other way round: If only one child is entitled to maintenance, it goes up one income group.
From the amount resulting from the table, half of the child benefit for the respective minor child is to be deducted: This applies if the parent caring for the child receives the state child benefit. If the parent liable to pay receives the state child benefit, he/she must transfer half of it in addition to the amount resulting from the table. In the case of children of full age, the entire child benefit is to be deducted from the amount of need.
Why is half of the child support deducted?
According to the will of the legislator, the child support should relieve both parents. Therefore, in the case of minor children, half of the amount is deducted from the requirements amounts of the Dusseldorf table.
The complete deduction of the child allowance for children of full age leads to a pro rata sharing of the child allowance by both parents – depending on the amount of their maintenance obligation.
Costs of health insurance
The maintenance amounts in the Dusseldorf table do not include amounts for the child's health insurance. As a rule, children are also insured in the statutory health insurance of one of their parents.
If the children are not co-insured, the contributions for health insurance have to be paid additionally. These cases usually occur with children of civil servants or self-employed persons. The parent liable to pay maintenance in cash must then pay these contributions in addition.
Is the Dusseldorfer Table a law?
No – the Dusseldorfer Tabelle is a guideline, but the courts usually follow it. However, there are cases in which the courts can deviate from the maintenance amounts of the Dusseldorf table. For example, the housing costs attributable to the child could be significantly higher than the share included in the respective maintenance amount for housing costs. Then an increase of the table amount would be considered.
Dusseldorf table – step by step
In order to determine the child support for minor children, the following steps are usually necessary:
- First, the income of the parent with whom the child does not live that is relevant for child support must be determined. On the basis of this income, the child is classified in the corresponding income group of the table.
- Next step: Towards how many persons is there an obligation to pay maintenance?? If there are more than two dependants, the maintenance obligation results from the lower income group, if there are less than two dependants, it results from the higher income group.
- If the parent with whom the child lives receives child benefit? In this case, the debtor may deduct half of the child support from the amount resulting from the Dusseldorf table.
- If, exceptionally, the child has his or her own income (keyword: training allowance)? These are to be credited in half to the remaining amount.
- The remaining amount is the child support to be paid.
- Final examination step: Can the obligor pay this much alimony?? Is his deductible?