Overview

• The federal cabinet kept the 2026 standard Bürgergeld rate unchanged at €563 for single adults, with formal Bundesrat approval still pending.
• Verivox calculates an implicit electricity allowance of €45.70 a month versus average single-household costs of €50.33, leaving an annual shortfall of about €56.
• The gap has narrowed from €129 in 2024 to €74 in 2025 and €56 in 2026 as electricity prices receded from post-invasion highs.
• Regional differences are stark, with higher shortfalls in Hamburg (+€147 per year), Saarland (+€101), Baden-Württemberg (+€98) and North Rhine–Westphalia (+€80), while Bremen comes in €16 below the allowance.
• Cheaper new-customer tariffs average €40.48 a month—about €64 under the allowance on a yearly basis—though Jobcenters do not cover electricity separately, and welfare groups warn many still struggle to pay bills.