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Wohngeld-Plus Clarified: Heating Flat Rate and Regional Rent Caps Drive Current Awards

Officials detail that benefits hinge on household size, income and local rent ceilings rather than home square footage.

Overview

  • Heating and hot water costs are not reimbursed individually, with a statutory flat heating component under §12 WoGG added instead that pays €110.40 for one person and €142.60 for two.
  • A separate climate component increases the eligible rent limit, adding €19.20 per month for a one-person household.
  • The calculation uses gross cold rent up to the municipality’s Mietenstufe cap, which for a single person ranges from €361 in Stufe I to €677 in Stufe VII, with Berlin at Stufe IV (€511).
  • There is no legal cap on apartment size, as only the capped rent by Mietenstufe flows into the formula set out in §19 WoGG.
  • Roughly 1.2 million households receive Wohngeld, averaging about €370 per month, with large shares going to families and to pensioners, according to the housing ministry.