Kindergeld application language problems - Germany

I stupidly assumed I wasn't eligible to receive Kindergeld until 9 months after my baby was born and someone then told me everyone can receive this money. So I applied and have received this letter asking for more information. One statement is:

"Teilen Sie mir bitte mit, weshalb Sie erst jetzt Kindergeld beantragen. "

I tried to translate this using the internet and I'm still unsure. Is this asking if this is the first time I'm applying for Kindergeld or is this asking why I'm applying so late?

Can you please help me respond: "I am applying for my Kindergeld now for the first time because I earlier made the mistake believing I was not eligible due to being a foreigner".

Also, what does this mean "insb. der Niederlassungs- bzw Aufenthaltserlaubnis"?

Thanks soooo much for your help. I really appreciate it!

Dawn

Hi Dawn,
In the first sentence, they want to know why you are only applying now for Kindergeld.

Here is my stab at a translation, which I'm sure a pro will tell you isn't perfect, but should get the point across. Das Kindergeld beantrage ich erst jetzt, da ich meine Rechte nicht kannte. Ich dachte, als Ausländer, ich hätte keinen Anspruch darauf. (In English: I am applying only now for the Kindergeld because I didn't know my rights. I thought that as a foreigner, I had no right to claim it.)

The insb. der... etc:

They want you to supply your residence permit.

Hope this helps.

BTW: do you have a German-speaking friend to go along when you deal with them in person?

The latter.

Ich beantrage Kindergeld erst jetzt, da mir bisher nicht bewusst war, dass ich als Ausländer Anspruch darauf habe.

"insb." means "insbesondere" means "in particular".
"Aufenthaltserlaubnis" = "residence permit" (a limited one)
"Niederlassungserlaubnis" = a permanent "residence permit"
Cant say more without context.

Silty1,

Thanks so much! I'm very grateful!
No, I don't have anyone to help me go in person, but we usually manage by being very apologetic.

Dawn

Thank you Freising as well. I always find the abbreviations especially hard to figure out.

Sent you a P.M. to copy and paste

Jeeez, is it always this difficult to get Kindergeld? Admittedly it took the UK six months to send a single letter to confirm I wasn't getting UK Child Benefit...
OK, so Kindergeld are now asking:
Haushaltsbescheinigung mit amtlicher Bestatigung con der fur Sie zustandigen Meldebehorde - what is this stamp I need and where do I get it from? My local Rathaus?
In welcher Hohe haben Sie fur August 2007 noch tatsachlich Kindergeld in England erhalten? - I've already written to say my last England payment was in July? What do they want to know now?

Any help would be gratefully received as we really need this money.

Cheers

Topics merged by admin

Print this form, take it to your local registration office, get it stamped, send it. At least you should get the back pay as well.

Haushaltsbescheinigung mit amtlicher Bestatigung con der fur Sie zustandigen Meldebehorde - what is this stamp I need and where do I get it from? My local Rathaus? :

You need to fill in the form that Miwild provided(Although it now says Sarabyrd provided it, them pesky mods! ) , with the name of your child/children, dates of birth etc and take it to the place where you registered your address, probably your local Rathaus and they will stamp it for you.

In welcher Hohe haben Sie fur August 2007 noch tatsachlich Kindergeld in England erhalten? - I've already written to say my last England payment was in July? What do they want to know now?

They want to know exactly how much "kindergeld" you received in England

You can't get full kindergeld here if you've been receiving some from England, however if the money you receive from England is less than the amount you are entitled to in Germany, you will receive the difference between the two.

Reg. In welcher Höhe haben Sie für August noch tatsächlich Kindergeld erhalten - perhaps they are not sure whether Kindergeld in the UK is paid for the running or for the next month, so don't know if the payment in July was for July or for August?

It should become clear for what time you received Kindergeld if you write something like:

Die letzte Kindergeldzahlung in Höhe von (enter amount) habe ich am (enter date) für den Monat (enter month payment was for, i.e. Jul 2008) erhalten.
(Translation: The last payment of (amount) I received (date) for the month ( month payment was for) ).

If you want to make sure they understand there was no money paid to you for August, you can add:

Für den Monat August (year, i.e 07) habe ich kein Kindergeld bezogen.
(For the month of August (year), I have not received any Kindergeld).

In continues to this thread,
Is it possible to ask for retroactively kidergeld ?
Means, my wife and kids joined me last September and just now I'm going to ask for it.

As well on my homeland we are getting on a monthly base around 50€ a month for our both kids,
Would we get the difference from the German one?
Which kind of certification we need to give the Familienkasse ?

Any help would be great.

Yes, it is that much of a struggle to get Kindergeld for a foreigner (even an EU one!). We came over from the UK last October, still claiming Child Benefit (the UK equivalent) there. Round about Nov-Dec I put my 1st Kindergeld application in. This was duly returned with a pile of questions I didn't understand (my German, although crap now, was non-existent then) and a form to be completed in English (hurrah!), which contained a whole load of baffling, irrelevant, shitey questions, which I dutifully answered. (Incidentally, I also tried to query something on their allegedly-English speaking helpline, and got some incredibly rude bitch telling me I should be speaking German! Doh! Don't you think I would if I could, stupid cow?!)
Then they respond to say they need evidence that I no longer receive Child Benefit from the UK. Cue almost equally faff-some process of cancelling CB from UK. This isn't enough though, they then decide they also need the following:
1) Copy of the form sent to UK confirming cancellation of CB (with the relevant phrase translated into German)
2) Copies of my last 6 months bank statements evidencing my receipt of CB
3) Copies of mine, my husband's and my Son's anmelden forms
4) Copy of my son's birth certificate
5) Grandmothers birth certificate and vital statistics (OK, so I made that one up...!)

In the end they have finally agreed/run out of seemingly random questions to ask and from next month I will receive Kindergeld for my son. After at least 7 months of to'ing and fro'ing...Hoo-bloody-rah! On the plus side though: they will also backdate to when the Child Benefit agency stopped paying CB. Hope this helps? - or at least gives you a drop of hope in the sea of despair that is the Kindergeld application process for foreigners.

Are you surprised that they check and want proof? Benefit fraud seems to be a national hobby in Britain, if you believe what you read in the papers. I happen to think that kindergeld is pretty good here, they pay you the difference between what you get in your home country and what you would get here even if your kids don't live here! They can be slow but they eventually pay up. The system is set up for Germans living in Germany so I don't think you can complain if it takes a bit longer for foreigners.

I´m not sure that the incredibly rude bitch/stupid cow was the lady at the other end of the phone line ...

Oh the towering condescension...