The children bonus in the 2026 EV grant
Children affect the grant twice: they raise the amount and lift the income limit. Who counts is decided by Kindergeld and by the day the car is registered.
Worked through by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
What each child changes at the same income
With two children
€4,000
| No children | €0 (limit €80,000) |
| One child | €3,500 (limit €85,000) |
| Two children | €4,000 (limit €90,000) |
| Three children | €4,000 (limit €90,000) |
Children count if under 18 on the day of first registration and Kindergeld is paid to your household; from the third child on nothing changes.
Children change Germany’s 2026 EV grant in two ways. First, the amount rises by €500 per child in every income band, so a battery electric car in the first band goes from €5,000 to €5,500 and €6,000. Second, each child lifts the household income ceiling by €5,000, from €80,000 to €85,000 and €90,000. At most 2 children are counted. A child qualifies if they live in the household, Kindergeld (child benefit) is received for them, and they are under 18 on the day the car is first registered. The application date plays no part for age. With shared care (Wechselmodell), the child counts in the household to which the parents have assigned Kindergeld. You prove the number with the Kindergeld notice, a certificate from the family benefits office (Familienkasse) or an extended registration certificate (erweiterte Meldebescheinigung). A household with two children and €88,000 income still receives €4,000; without children it would be €0.
Two effects of one child
The funding guideline gives children their own columns in the table. For battery electric cars and plug-in hybrids, the amount rises by €500 per child. On top of that, each child moves the limit up to which any grant is paid at all. For households on middle to higher incomes, that second effect is usually what decides.
| Household income | No children | 1 child | 2 children |
|---|---|---|---|
| €40,000 | €5,000 | €5,500 | €6,000 |
| €55,000 | €4,000 | €4,500 | €5,000 |
| €75,000 | €3,000 | €3,500 | €4,000 |
| €83,000 | €0 | €3,500 | €4,000 |
| €88,000 | €0 | €0 | €4,000 |
| Household income | No children | 1 child | 2 children |
|---|---|---|---|
| €40,000 | €3,500 | €4,000 | €4,500 |
| €55,000 | €2,500 | €3,000 | €3,500 |
| €75,000 | €1,500 | €2,000 | €2,500 |
| €83,000 | €0 | €2,000 | €2,500 |
| €88,000 | €0 | €0 | €2,500 |
At €40,000 each child is worth €500. At €83,000 the first child decides whether there is any grant at all. At €88,000 it takes two. The small calculator above shows the four cases side by side for your own income.
When a child qualifies
BAFA names three conditions that must all be met:
- The child lives in the applicant’s household.
- There is an entitlement to Kindergeld for the child in that household.
- The child is under 18 on the day the funded car is first registered.
Birth children, adopted children and foster children all qualify as long as Kindergeld is paid for them in your household. Children’s income never counts towards household income, not even an apprentice under 18.
The 18th birthday and the registration date
Because age on the day of first registration counts, the appointment at the registration office can be worth hundreds of euros. An example: a child born on 10 December 2008 comes of age on 10 December 2026.
| Registration | Child’s age | Children counted | Grant at €50,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 December 2026 | 17 years | 1 | €4,500 |
| 15 December 2026 | 18 years | 0 | €4,000 |
If household income is above €80,000, the stake is not €500 but the whole amount. The date of the purchase contract and of the application make no difference to age. You can apply up to 12 months after registration, and the child still counts.
Shared care and separated parents
If parents live apart and share care of a child, the child can only count in one household. The Kindergeld notice decides: under section 64 EStG, Kindergeld is paid to the person who has taken the child into their household, and with several households the parents choose together. The grant follows that assignment without exception. For the other parent the child does not count, even if they pay maintenance or the child lives with them half the week.
If both parents are planning an electric car, it helps to look at this calmly beforehand: the child only works for one of them. Switching Kindergeld just for the grant has consequences far beyond the car and does not belong in a calculation about €500.
Proof for the application
According to BAFA’s leaflet on supporting documents, three documents are accepted for the number of children:
- a Kindergeld certificate from the Familienkasse,
- an extended registration certificate showing who is registered at your address,
- the Kindergeld notice, in which case you confirm in the form that it is still current.
The Kindergeld recipient, the child’s name and date of birth, the Kindergeld number, the date of the notice and the full address must be legible. You may and should black out everything else on the copy. Uploads are PDF only, at most 5 MB per file.
Special cases
- Child not living at home: a child at boarding school or with grandparents only counts if Kindergeld is paid to you and the child is treated as part of your household. BAFA decides individual cases.
- Child abroad: without German Kindergeld for your household, the child does not qualify.
- Two applications in the household: both partners can each apply, and the child counts for both because they belong to the same household.
- Child born after registration: the number of children is set on the day of first registration; on the wording, a child born later cannot be added.
Worked example: one family, two cars
A married couple with two children aged 9 and 13 has household income of €87,000. Without children they would be over every limit. With two qualifying children the ceiling is €90,000, and a battery electric car brings €4,000. If they buy a second electric car registered to the other partner, that partner can also apply: same income, same children, so €8,000 together. For a plug-in hybrid it would be €2,500 each. If income changes later, the approved amounts stand. Where both children matter, each car simply has to be registered before the older child turns 18.
Children and the other rules
Children change nothing else in the procedure. The holding period stays at 36 months, deadlines stay the same, and a child who comes of age or moves out during the holding period does not affect the approved grant. How household income is built is under household income; the full table with every band under income limit. For a calculation with the car you want and its net price, use the grant calculator.