Overview
- Wohngeld includes a statutory heating-costs component under Section 12 WoGG that is added on top of the cold rent, with fixed amounts by household size (for example €110.40 for one person, €142.60 for two, plus €27.60 for each additional person) and an average effect of about €1.20 per square meter.
- Concurrent benefits that already cover housing costs generally exclude entitlement (Bürgergeld/SGB II, SGB XII, BAföG/BAB), while payments such as child benefit and child supplement do not count as income and some, like parental allowance, are only partly counted; roughly 1.2 million households receive Wohngeld after an increase took effect in January 2025.
- Applicants must document the eligible rent with a landlord-issued Mietbescheinigung rather than a Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, and landlords are obliged to provide details on request under Section 23 WoGG.
- For owner-occupiers, the Lastenzuschuss can cover loan interest and repayment, a maintenance flat rate of €36 per square meter per year, property tax, administration and building insurance, with income and asset limits reported at about €60,000 for the first household member plus €30,000 per additional person.
- Wohngeld is paid in advance at the end of the prior month; for December 2025 the payment is scheduled for Friday, November 28, because November 30 falls on a Sunday.