Overview

• Standard rates would stay unchanged for a second year at 563 euros for single adults and 357–471 euros for children, with a ministerial regulation slated for cabinet approval on 10 September that does not require a Bundestag vote.
• Labour Minister Bärbel Bas signaled tougher enforcement, including much larger cuts for missed job-centre appointments, with reports pointing to reductions of up to 30 percent.
• Government plans also foresee splitting the broader overhaul into two packages so that one part can be enacted without Bundesrat consent and a second part would go through the states chamber.
• Reactions diverged as SPD leaders framed the freeze and stricter rules as the start of reform, the CDU/CSU pressed for deeper changes, and the Left party and welfare groups condemned the move as harmful to low‑income households.
• Separately, cash benefits for asylum seekers are expected to rise by 14 euros to 455 euros in 2026, reversing part of a cut made at the start of 2025.