Overview
- Late September the Bundesrat issued a Stellungnahme that did not block the government draft but asked for amendments, including raising the annual single‑parent income exemption from €1,320 to €1,920.
- The federal draft (Drucksache 474/26) would pause the regular Wohngeld indexation on 1 January 2027, halve the permanent heating‑cost component and add a proposed §42e to keep already‑approved awards in place until the end of their current decision periods.
- If the proposals stand, many low‑income renters, single parents and people with disabilities could see smaller housing subsidies and municipalities may face higher costs as households turn to other local benefits.
- Separate legal and administrative developments are already changing who keeps payments: Sozialgericht Reutlingen used 90 m² as an orientation in an SGB XII asset case, courts have held that the start of a full old‑age pension ends entitlement to Krankengeld, and §51(3a) SGB VI generally excludes Arbeitslosengeld I in the final two years before the 45‑year abschlagsfreie Rente.
- Next steps require Bundestag debate and a later Länder vote because the bill needs Bundesrat consent, so beneficiaries should check when current Wohngeld decisions expire and coordinate claims such as Wohngeld and Kinderzuschlag to protect household support.