Calculating Maternity Protection: Dates, Start and End
Maternity protection (Mutterschutz) protects expectant and new mothers at work — from health risks, from dismissal and from financial disadvantages. At the heart of the German Maternity Protection Act (MuSchG) are two protection periods around the birth, during which work is not permitted. Their exact length depends on the estimated due date.
The <a href="/en/due-date-calculator">due date calculator</a> automatically works out your expected maternity-protection dates as soon as you have determined your estimated due date.
The protection period before birth
Under § 3 MuSchG, the protection period begins six weeks before the estimated due date. During this time you may only continue to work if you expressly agree to do so — and you can withdraw that consent at any time. The protection is therefore for you, not against you: you decide whether you want to keep working in the final weeks before birth.
The start of this period always follows the estimated due date, not the actual birth date. Exactly six weeks before, prenatal maternity protection begins — the <a href="/en/due-date-calculator">due date calculator</a> shows you this date directly.
The protection period after birth
After delivery comes an absolute protection period: in the first eight weeks after birth you may not be employed — this protection is mandatory and cannot be waived. For premature and multiple births the period is extended to twelve weeks. Twelve weeks also apply if a disability is diagnosed in the child within eight weeks of birth and the mother applies for it.
What happens if the baby comes earlier or later?
Only about 4% of babies are born exactly on the estimated due date — so the actual birth date almost always differs from it. The MuSchG balances this out fairly: if the baby arrives before the estimated due date, the "lost" days of the prenatal period are added to the protection period after birth. That way you keep the full 14 weeks of protection in total. If the baby arrives later than calculated, the period before it extends accordingly, without shortening the eight weeks afterwards.
Maternity protection, parental allowance and parental leave
Maternity protection is only the first building block. For many parents, the protection period after birth is followed by parental leave — the unpaid but job-protected leave to care for the child. How long your parental leave can last and how it interlocks with the parental allowance is best planned with the <a href="/en/parental-leave-calculator">parental leave calculator</a>.
Conclusion
Maternity protection covers six weeks before and eight (or twelve) weeks after birth, counted from the estimated due date under § 3 MuSchG. If the actual birth date differs, the total duration is adjusted fairly. Calculate your expected periods without obligation in the <a href="/en/due-date-calculator">due date calculator</a> and get advice on your individual situation from your employer, your health insurer or an advice centre — this guide does not replace legal advice.