Overview
- Care allowance rates for home care stay at 2025 levels in 2026—€347 (PG2), €599 (PG3), €800 (PG4), €990 (PG5)—with the next statutory increase scheduled for 1 January 2028.
- The €131 monthly relief amount and the combined annual relief budget of up to €3,539 for respite and short-term care continue in 2026, with reports that many eligible people do not fully use these benefits.
- The Health Ministry warns of an estimated €2 billion shortfall in long-term care insurance for 2026 as the governing coalition seeks to keep contribution rates stable.
- Officials are examining a possible abolition of Care Level 1 that could affect about 860,000 people, with RWI estimating around €1.8 billion in annual savings, though no decision has been made.
- An earnings-replacement ‘family care benefit’ for relatives is under discussion, but there is no agreed design or draft law at this stage.