Overview
- The government has advanced a reform package that would eliminate entitlement when a calculated monthly Wohngeld payment is under €15 and suspend or alter planned increases, a change officials say could drop roughly 300,000–400,000 households from the roll.
- About 1.2 million households now receive Wohngeld and more than half are pensioner households, so the proposal risks cutting aid for many retirees who currently rely on the supplement to cover rent or owner burdens.
- Current statutory rules remain in force while the law is debated: capital income up to €100 per person per year is exempt, earnings from minijobs are counted in full, and recipients must notify authorities of significant income changes that can trigger recalculation.
- The reform is framed as a joint federal and state cost saving—officials project roughly €1 billion in savings for each level of government—but tenant groups, the Deutscher Mieterbund and social welfare organizations have sharply criticized the measures.
- If the bill moves through parliament recipients should expect changes to benefit calculations, shorter or smaller payments for low‑amount cases, and new guidance from local Wohngeldstellen on applications and reporting rules as the legislative details are finalized.