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Use case · For HR software

Enter maternity protection periods in HR software automatically

The expected due date gives you the start and end of the maternity protection period (Mutterschutzfrist) in your system.

With an expected due date of March 15, 2027, the protection period starts on February 1, 2027. If the baby is born on the due date, it ends on May 10, 2027 (§ 3 Abs. 1 und 2 MuSchG). After the birth, you add the actual date and the calculator moves the end date.

1

Record the expected due date from the medical certificate.

2

Calculate start and end with hr_mutterschutz and enter them in the absence calendar.

3

After the birth, add the actual date and any special case. The end date adjusts.

Two dates, two calculations

The protection period starts six weeks before the expected due date and ends eight weeks after the actual birth. If the baby arrives early, the days not taken before the birth are added at the end. For premature and multiple births, it is twelve weeks after the birth, and the same applies on request if the child has a disability.

So your software calculates twice: once with the due date for planning, and again with the real date after the birth. The rules are on the maternity protection calculator page.

Special cases the calculator knows

  • Premature and multiple births, with twelve weeks after the birth.
  • A disability of the child diagnosed by a doctor within the first eight weeks, at the woman's request.
  • Miscarriage from the 13th week of pregnancy, since June 1, 2025: two, six or eight weeks.

The woman may shorten the protection period before the birth at her own request. That is her decision, not a calculation rule.

What the call looks like

Example with the dataset Maternity protection calculator. The response comes from the same code as the API.

api.quellenkontor.dev/v1/hr/mutterschutz?termin=2027-03-15
Zur API-Doku →
curl "https://api.quellenkontor.dev/v1/hr/mutterschutz?termin=2027-03-15" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $QK_KEY"
Antwort200 OK · JSON
{
  "datensatz": "mutterschutz",
  "termin": "2027-03-15",
  "geburt": null,
  "fall": "standard",
  "beginn": "2027-02-01",
  "ende": "2027-05-10",
  "wochen_nach_entbindung": 8,
  "verlaengerung_tage": 0,
  "dauer_tage": 99,
  "rechtsgrundlage": "§ 3 Abs. 1 und 2 MuSchG",
  "hinweise": [
    "Vor der Entbindung darf die Frau beschäftigt werden, wenn sie sich ausdrücklich dazu bereit erklärt. Die Erklärung ist jederzeit widerrufbar (§ 3 Abs. 1 MuSchG).",
    "Nach der Entbindung besteht ein Beschäftigungsverbot.",
    "Berechnet mit dem errechneten Termin. Das Ende verschiebt sich, sobald das tatsächliche Geburtsdatum feststeht."
  ],
  "quelle": {
    "titel": "§ 3 MuSchG (Schutzfristen vor und nach der Entbindung)",
    "url": "https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/muschg_2018/__3.html"
  },
  "quellen": [
    {
      "titel": "§ 3 MuSchG (Schutzfristen vor und nach der Entbindung)",
      "url": "https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/muschg_2018/__3.html"
    }
  ],
  "stand": "2026-09-23",
  "lizenz": "Berechnung nach den genannten Normen. Nutzung nach den Nutzungsbedingungen von Quellenkontor.",
  "zitat": "Mutterschutzfrist: 01.02.2027 bis 10.05.2027, 99 Kalendertage. Rechtsgrundlage: § 3 Abs. 1 und 2 MuSchG. Quelle: § 3 MuSchG (Schutzfristen vor und nach der Entbindung), https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/muschg_2018/__3.html. Daten: Quellenkontor (quellenkontor.dev).",
  "datenstand": "2026-09-23.1"
}

Frequently asked questions

What happens if the baby arrives late?

The protection period after the birth starts from the actual date of birth, so it is extended accordingly.

Does maternity protection reduce vacation?

No. Time off due to maternity protection counts as time of employment, and vacation is not reduced for it (§ 24 MuSchG).

Datasets used

Maternity protection calculator

Start and end of the maternity protection periods from the expected due date.

APIMCPwhen the law changes

Vacation entitlement calculator

Statutory minimum vacation for part-time work and for joining or leaving during the year.

APIMCPwhen the law changes

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