An app designed in Bremen simplifies the application process for child and parental allowance. However, numerous laws had to be changed for success.

(Image: Henning Rathjen)

E-Government: Why software alone is not enough Win-win-win situation Six legislative changes for an app Senseless typing For now only for employees Article in c’t 22 / 2020 read When a child is born, the parents have better things to do than For mulare to be filled out. But it has to be: the birth has to be registered, parental allowance has to be applied for, as well as child benefit, possibly also the child allowance. The application for parental allowance alone (in Lower Saxony) comprises nine pages. Various documents must be attached, including a birth certificate, the most recent twelve pay slips and a certificate from the health insurance company.

But if everything goes well, this paperwork will soon be over. In future, parents in Germany should be able to apply for parental allowance and child allowance within five minutes using a web application. Without complicated forms, without proof. Bremen wants to put it online this year under the title “ELFE – Simple Benefits for Families”. The remaining federal states are to follow.

It would be a small miracle. In the current e-government ranking of the EU Commission, Germany ranks 22 from 29 – behind countries like Cyprus and Slovenia. After all, in the Federal Republic of Germany 2020 you usually go to the Office or send a letter. And even the few online applications that exist, for example for tax returns, don’t really make life any easier: Users save paper and postage, but not a lot of time because the same forms have to be filled out online as offline.

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