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Wohngeld and Care Benefits: What Applies in 2025 and What Changes in 2026

Care-related payments are typically excluded from income in Wohngeld assessments, making careful checks of local decisions crucial.

Overview

  • Pflegegeld is generally not counted as income for Wohngeld when used to secure care, but pure self-care without non‑professional helpers does not qualify for Pflegegeld under §37 SGB XI.
  • The 2025 monthly Pflegegeld rates remain in force (PG2: €347, PG3: €599, PG4: €800, PG5: €990), and a named caregiver is not required if care is demonstrably organized.
  • A disability or care-related allowance reported at €1,800 per eligible household member can lower countable income and increase Wohngeld entitlements.
  • Guides urge applicants to scrutinize notices and file timely appeals, citing frequent local errors such as miscounting Pflegegeld or omitting allowances.
  • Wohngeld can be combined with benefits like child benefit, child supplement, ALG I, pensions and Elterngeld (partly counted), while Bürgergeld, SGB XII aid and most BAföG generally preclude it; from 2026, advisory visits for PG4/5 shift to semiannual and Verhinderungspflege claims must be filed by the following year.