Overview
- About 1.2 million households receive Wohngeld, with 44 percent families and 52 percent pensioner households, according to the housing ministry.
- Awards are calculated case by case using household size, income, and eligible rent tied to local rent stages, with no legal cap on apartment size.
- No rise is scheduled for 2026, the next statutory update is planned for January 2027, and recipients of SGB II/XII, asylum benefits or most BAföG are generally ineligible.
- A €1,800 income disregard applies per household member with severe disability or qualifying care needs, while a €131 monthly care relief benefit remains widely unused despite a complementary entlastungsbudget from July 2025.
- A Fraunhofer FOKUS study reports stressful, complex applications and long waits, a recent case shows a local error in a ‘Wohnen für Hilfe’ situation, and DGB leader Yasmin Fahimi calls for a temporary tax subsidy and a ‘Demografiefaktor’ to cushion rising pension costs.