Cologne Kita Fees: Free Under 24,542 Euros, and Siblings Aren't Just Discounted
Since a fee schedule that took effect August 1, 2025, Cologne charges no parent contribution at all if your household's annual income is 24,542 euros or below. Above that, fees rise on a sliding scale by income bracket, weekly care hours (25, 35, or 45 hours), and your child's age group, up to a top bracket starting above 160,000 euros. Fees for children under 2 run as high as 830.02 euros a month at the highest bracket and longest hours, 2-to-3-year-olds up to 638.48 euros, and over-3s up to 479.91 euros. The last two years before school entry are entirely fee-free regardless of income, a rule in place since August 1, 2020. The sibling rule is stronger than a simple discount: if more than one child from the same paying household attends Kita at the same time, only the child with the highest calculated fee is actually charged, every other sibling attends free.
The Official Rule
Since a fee schedule (Elternbeitragssatzung) that took effect August 1, 2025, Stadt Köln’s own fee page states that families with an annual household income of 24,542 euros or below pay no parent contribution at all. That’s the headline change, and it’s a meaningfully larger free-care population than the schedule replaced.
Above that threshold, fees rise on a sliding scale, but this isn’t a single number-per-income-bracket system. Three variables combine to determine what you actually pay: your income bracket, your child’s weekly care hours (25, 35, or 45 hours), and your child’s age group.
| Age group | Maximum monthly fee |
|---|---|
| Under 2 years | 830.02 EUR |
| 2 to 3 years | 638.48 EUR |
| Over 3 years | 479.91 EUR |
| OGTS (after-school care) | 234 EUR |
Notice the pattern: fees actually decrease as children get older, with over-3 care costing families less at every income level than under-2 care, not just at the free tier. If you’re budgeting for a newborn’s eventual Kita costs, don’t assume the fee you’ll pay stays flat as your child ages, it should trend down.
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels
The Fee-Free Final Years
Separate from the income-based exemption, the last two years before a child starts school are entirely fee-free, regardless of household income, a rule in effect since August 1, 2020. Because the German school year starts in August, this window is tied to your child’s actual enrollment date rather than a fixed birthday: a child starting school on August 1, 2026 would have been fee-free since August 1, 2024, two full years earlier.
This means a genuinely high-income family and a genuinely low-income family pay the same amount, zero, during those final two pre-school years, even though they’d be on opposite ends of the fee scale for a younger child.
The Sibling Rule: Bigger Than a Discount
This is worth being precise about, because it’s easy to assume “sibling discount” means a modest percentage reduction, the way it works in some other cities. Cologne’s rule is stronger. Under the city’s Satzung, if more than one child from the same paying household attends a covered facility at the same time, fees are charged for only one child, called the Zahlkind (paying child), defined as whichever child’s specific age-and-hours combination would produce the highest fee. Every other sibling attending simultaneously pays nothing at all, not a reduced rate.
Practically, that means once you have two or more children in Cologne’s covered childcare system at the same time, your total monthly bill is capped at whatever the single most expensive child would cost alone. A third or fourth simultaneously-enrolled sibling doesn’t add anything to your bill either.
Step by Step
- Calculate your household’s annual income using Stadt Köln’s official income declaration form (Erklärung zum Einkommen), this determines your bracket.
- Check whether you fall at or below 24,542 EUR/year, if so, your fee is zero regardless of hours or age group.
- Identify your child’s age group and planned weekly hours (25, 35, or 45), both affect the fee within your income bracket.
- Check whether your child is in their last two years before school, if so, the fee is zero regardless of income.
- If you have more than one child in covered care simultaneously, confirm which child is the Zahlkind (highest calculated fee), and remember the others attend free.
- If your child attends Kindertagespflege rather than a Kita, check Stadt Köln’s separate fee schedule for childminders instead of assuming these figures apply.
Compliance Note
This page explains general practice around Kita fees in Cologne, but it is not financial or legal advice, and specific amounts can change with each new fee schedule. For your specific situation, confirm current rates directly through Stadt Köln’s official fee calculator and channels.
FAQ & Common Pitfalls
How is the income threshold for free care calculated?
Stadt Köln's fee schedule, effective since August 1, 2025, sets the free threshold at annual household income of 24,542 euros or below. Above that figure, you move into a sliding scale of income brackets where fees increase step by step, up to a top bracket that begins above 160,000 euros a year. The city's income declaration form (Erklärung zum Einkommen) is what determines which bracket applies to your household.
Do fees depend only on income, or on other factors too?
Three factors together determine your fee: your household's income bracket, how many weekly hours of care your child attends (25, 35, or 45 hours), and your child's age group. A family in the same income bracket pays a different amount depending on whether their child is under 2, between 2 and 3, or over 3, and whether they've booked 25, 35, or 45 hours a week. Don't assume a single number applies across all these variables, check the specific combination that matches your situation.
Why are fees for children over 3 actually lower than for younger children?
Stadt Köln's published fee tables show exactly this pattern: at the highest income bracket and 45 hours a week, fees top out at 830.02 euros a month for children under 2, 638.48 euros for children between 2 and 3, and 479.91 euros for children over 3, the lowest ceiling of the three age groups. The exact policy reasoning isn't detailed on the fee page itself, but the pattern is consistent across the published brackets, younger children's care costs the city more to provide, and that's reflected in what families pay at every income level, not just the free tier.
Which years are completely fee-free, and does that depend on income?
The last two years before a child starts school are fee-free for every family, regardless of income, a rule that's been in place since August 1, 2020. The exact calendar window depends on your child's school enrollment date, since Germany's school year starts in August, a child starting school on August 1, 2026 would have been fee-free since August 1, 2024. This is separate from, and more generous than, the general low-income exemption discussed above.
How exactly does the sibling rule work, is it a discount or something bigger?
It's bigger than a typical percentage discount. Stadt Köln's rule states that if more than one child from the same paying household attends a covered facility at the same time, fees are charged for only one child, the "Zahlkind" (paying child), defined as whichever child's income-and-care-hours combination produces the highest fee. Every other sibling attending simultaneously pays nothing. If you're used to a modest sibling discount from another city, recalibrate: in Cologne, once you have two or more children in covered care at the same time, you're only ever paying for the most expensive one.
Does this fee schedule apply to childminders (Kindertagespflege) too?
Cologne publishes a separate fee schedule specifically for Kindertagespflege (childminders/family daycare), distinct from the Kindertageseinrichtungen (Kita) and OGTS (after-school care) fees covered on this page. If your child is or will be cared for by a registered childminder rather than a Kita, check Stadt Köln's dedicated Kindertagespflege fee page rather than assuming the figures here apply directly.