Overview

• A new analysis by the Paritätischer research unit estimates that at most 19.2% of eligible 6–15-year-olds in Bürgergeld households used the benefit.
• Participation rates differ widely, falling below 10% in Rheinland-Pfalz and Hamburg but reaching about 60% in Schleswig-Holstein.
• The subsidy, part of the 2011 Bildungs- und Teilhabepaket, provides €15 per month for activities such as club fees, music lessons or excursions.
• Researchers point to onerous expense-by-expense documentation and fragmented municipal implementation as primary obstacles.
• The Union–SPD coalition plans to raise the allowance to €20 and roll out a Kinderkarte and a Teilhabe-App, yet no automatic disbursement is planned.