Overview

• Authorities reiterate that Wohngeld is individually calculated from household size, counted income and eligible rent or owner costs, with seven Mietstufen capping the rent considered.
• The January 2025 recalibration raised average awards by roughly 15 percent, and payments are issued monthly on fixed dates.
• Current guidance details income that is not counted, including Kindergeld, Kinderzuschlag, education benefits, Pflegegeld and earnings under the tax-free Ehrenamt and Übungsleiter allowances.
• Some inflows are only partially counted, such as Elterngeld above the minimum, with additional allowances available for qualifying Grundrente periods and specific rules for one-off payments.
• Eligibility generally begins in the month of application with retroactive payment only in narrow cases, and recipients of Sozialhilfe, Bürgergeld or BAföG are excluded because housing costs are covered there.