Wohngeld: What Claimants Need to Know

Overview

• Wohngeld is a needs-based German state subsidy for households with low income, including some workers, retirees, certain students and recipients of unemployment benefits.
• Payments are usually approved for 12 months and can run up to 24 months in stable cases, but the entitlement lapses automatically if a continuation (Weiterleistungsantrag) is not submitted.
• The federal portal verwaltung.bund.de lists local Wohngeld offices and provides official application and continuation forms, and claimants can often file online through their municipality.
• The ministry recommends submitting a continuation request about two months before the current award ends because local processing times typically range from two to eight weeks and can be longer in busy offices.
• Consumer protection groups warn against commercial third-party sites that charge fees or fail to forward applications, and owners may receive a Lastenzuschuss while students must generally show they have no BAföG entitlement to qualify.