The Kita system, explained — your legal claim, real fees by Bundesland, and how to get a place
Germany gives every child an enforceable legal claim to childcare from age 1 — but fees range from 0 € in Berlin to several hundred euros in Baden-Württemberg. The full per-Land picture and the waitlist playbook.
You have a legal RIGHT to a Kita place. Getting one is still a campaign.
§24 SGB VIII gives every child a claim to childcare from age 1 — enforceable against the Jugendamt, with damages case law. What parents pay, though, is decided by 16 different Bundesländer. Berlin: 0 €. Baden-Württemberg: several hundred a month.
legal claim to a childcare place (Rechtsanspruch, §24 SGB VIII)
Age 1
The claim is against the Jugendamt and courts have awarded damages for unmet claims. It does NOT guarantee a place in your preferred Kita — it guarantees A place.
Krippe, Kita, Kindergarten, Hort — the words
- Krippe — under-3 care. Kindergarten — age 3 to school. Kita covers both; Hort is after-school care.
- Tagesmutter/-vater (childminder) also fulfils the legal claim — often the realistic under-3 option in tight cities.
- Opening hours vary hugely (half-day vs Ganztag) — check before you rely on full-time work.
What you'll pay — all 16 Länder
"Free" below means the parental contribution is abolished — food money (~23–80 €/month) is usually still charged. Recipients of Kinderzuschlag, Bürgergeld or Wohngeld get fees waived everywhere (§90(4) SGB VIII).
| Provider | Parental contribution | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Berlin Best | FREE all ages (since 2018) | Only food money (~23 €/mo) |
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Best | FREE fully — Krippe, Kita, Hort (since 2020) | |
Hamburg | FREE 5 h/day basic slot from birth | Income-scaled fees for longer hours |
Rheinland-Pfalz | FREE from age 2 | |
Niedersachsen | FREE from age 3 | Krippe (< 3) charges |
Bremen | FREE from age 3 | |
Hessen | FREE from age 3 for 6 h/day | Beyond 6 h charged |
Nordrhein-Westfalen | Last 2 Kindergarten years free | Otherwise municipal, income-scaled — big city-to-city spread |
Brandenburg | Last Kita year free; expansion staged | ⚠ verify current stage |
Thüringen | Last 2 Kita years free | ⚠ re-verify staging |
Bayern | Fees, offset by 100 €/mo state Zuschuss (age 3+) | Krippengeld 100 €/mo income-dependent; several hundred €/mo possible for Krippe |
Baden-Württemberg | No statewide relief — among the most expensive | Municipal fees, income-scaled |
Sachsen | Fees apply | |
Sachsen-Anhalt | Fees apply | |
Saarland | Fees apply; phasing down | ⚠ re-verify staging |
Schleswig-Holstein | Fees apply; statewide fee cap | ⚠ re-verify cap details |
- Parental contribution
- FREE all ages (since 2018)
- Notes
- Only food money (~23 €/mo)
- Parental contribution
- FREE fully — Krippe, Kita, Hort (since 2020)
- Notes
- Parental contribution
- FREE 5 h/day basic slot from birth
- Notes
- Income-scaled fees for longer hours
- Parental contribution
- FREE from age 2
- Notes
- Parental contribution
- FREE from age 3
- Notes
- Krippe (< 3) charges
- Parental contribution
- FREE from age 3
- Notes
- Parental contribution
- FREE from age 3 for 6 h/day
- Notes
- Beyond 6 h charged
- Parental contribution
- Last 2 Kindergarten years free
- Notes
- Otherwise municipal, income-scaled — big city-to-city spread
- Parental contribution
- Last Kita year free; expansion staged
- Notes
- ⚠ verify current stage
- Parental contribution
- Last 2 Kita years free
- Notes
- ⚠ re-verify staging
- Parental contribution
- Fees, offset by 100 €/mo state Zuschuss (age 3+)
- Notes
- Krippengeld 100 €/mo income-dependent; several hundred €/mo possible for Krippe
- Parental contribution
- No statewide relief — among the most expensive
- Notes
- Municipal fees, income-scaled
- Parental contribution
- Fees apply
- Notes
- Parental contribution
- Fees apply
- Notes
- Parental contribution
- Fees apply; phasing down
- Notes
- ⚠ re-verify staging
- Parental contribution
- Fees apply; statewide fee cap
- Notes
- ⚠ re-verify cap details
Comparing cities for a move? Kita fees can swing a family budget by 3,000–6,000 €/year — weigh them next to rent in our city guides.
The waitlist playbook
Apply during pregnancy or immediately on arrival
12+ months ahead is normalMany cities run central portals (e.g. Kita-Navigator); elsewhere you apply to each Kita. Apply to 5–10, not 2.
Keep written proof of every application
ongoingEmails, portal confirmations, dates. This paper trail is your legal leverage.
No place by your needed date? Go to the Jugendamt
2–3 months beforeFormally request a place under §24 SGB VIII, citing your applications. The claim is against them, and they know the case law.
Escalate if needed
last resortWiderspruch, then administrative court — courts have ordered placements and awarded damages (e.g. lost wages) for unmet claims.
Eingewöhnung — the settling-in month
German Kitas phase children in slowly (Eingewöhnung, often the "Berlin model"): a parent stays nearby for days to weeks, hours build up gradually. Budget 2–4 weeks where one parent cannot work full days — right when Elterngeld may be ending. Plan the overlap with the Elterngeld calculator.
Sources
source source source⚠-flagged rows could not be confirmed on a primary source at last verification — treat as directionally right and re-check your municipality's current fee table.
Last updated: 2026-07-20