Citizen's benefit

How much money will I receive as a recipient of Citizen's benefit?

How much money you receive as a recipient of Citizen's benefit initially depends on the so-called standard needs. The standard needs are the benefits for the costs of living. These are graded according to the age and composition of the people living with you in a so-called needs community (see also the "Citizen's benefit and family" section). This includes requirements for food, clothing, personal hygiene, household contents or household energy (excluding water heating). They are paid to you as a lump sum of money (standard rate). The amount of the standard rates is adjusted annually.

The total requirement for calculating Cost-of-living assistance is made up as follows:

• Regelbedarf - a monthly, lump sum of money for everyday expenses such as food, clothing or the purchase of household appliances.
  • For single persons and single parents entitled to benefits: 563 euros (standard needs level 1)
  • For two partners in the benefit community who have reached the age of 18: 506 euros each (standard needs level 2)
  • For other employable members of a benefit community, provided they have reached the age of 18. age or for adult beneficiaries under the age of 25 who move without the assurance of the Jobcenter: €451 (standard needs level 3)
  • for young people aged 15 to under 18: €47. age: 357 euros (standard needs level 6)

The provision of personal school supplies in the calendar year 2024 amounts to 65 euros for the second half of the school year 2023/2024 and 130 euros for the first half of the school year 2024/2025.

• Needs for rent and heating
• Contributions for health and long-term care insurance

In addition, there may be so-called additional needs and one-time benefits.

Your own income, for example from a mini-job, can reduce the amount of Citizen's benefit to which you are entitled. There are allowances for both income and assets. These are sums that are not taken into account (see "Citizen's benefit and income" and "Citizen's benefit and assets").

If you live with other members in a so-called community of need (see also the "Citizen's benefit and family" section), the partner's income and assets are also taken into account when calculating the Citizen's benefit. In the case of unmarried children who live with their parents or a parent in a community of need and who cannot secure their livelihood from their own income or assets, the income and assets of the parents or the parent and their partner living in a community of need must also be taken into account.

What are additional needs?

In addition to the standard needs, there are so-called additional needs. This is recognized in special life situations and receives additional financial support. This is the case, for example, if you are expecting a child, are a single parent or if you are physically restricted.

The following groups of people are generally entitled to additional needs with Citizen's benefit:

• Single parents
• People with disabilities
• People who require costly nutrition for medical reasons
• Pregnant women

These groups of people receive additional benefits to cover higher needs. People whose household has to produce its own hot water, for example with a flow heater, are also entitled to additional needs. The amount of this additional need depends on the person's current standard need.

In addition to the regular amounts paid for additional needs, there are also one-off benefits. Examples of this include initial equipment for a home or a child.

Continuing education allowance

If you receive Citizen's benefit and want to continue your education, you can receive additional financial support. The aim is to prepare you for the labor market. This involves long-term qualification rather than short-term placement.

Would you like to catch up on your qualifications? Then you may be entitled to continuing education allowance.

Important: Your local job center will advise you on which further training measures can be funded and to what extent. A personal consultation with your contact person should therefore be the first step.

An extra €150 per month is paid for participation in subsidized continuing vocational training that leads to a qualification in a skilled occupation.

The continuing training allowance also applies to qualification-related continuing training that began before 1 July 2023 and continues beyond that date.

Citizen's benefit bonus

For a short time, there was a monthly Citizen's benefit bonus of 75 euros for participation in certain measures. The legal basis for this has been abolished, meaning that this benefit can no longer be granted.

When do we speak of completion-related further training?

An important term in connection with the further training allowance is completion-related further training. This means that the further training leads to a vocational qualification. Examples include retraining, partial vocational qualifications or preparatory courses for an external / external school examination.

How long can the continuing education allowance be paid for?

The continuing education allowance of 150 euros can be paid out monthly for up to three years.

What other subsidies are available in connection with retraining?

In addition, there is a further training bonus of 1,000 or 1,500 euros for successful participation in subsidized further training that leads to a qualification in a skilled occupation. This means: For passing a planned intermediate examination or the first part of a stretched final examination, there is a bonus of 1,000 euros. A bonus of 1,500 euros is awarded for successful completion in the form of a final examination.

How do I apply for further training allowance?

You do not have to apply for further training allowance separately. The Jobcenter will pay you the training allowance monthly in arrears. If you are unsure whether your further training measure meets the requirements, your contact person at the Jobcenter will help you. A consultation is recommended in any case.

How do I get the further training bonus?

You do not have to apply for the further training bonus either. You only need to provide proof, i.e. interim or final certificate, to the Jobcenter.

An important term in connection with Citizen's benefit is the community of need. This refers to a community of people who live and work together. For example, a family. The Second Book of the German Social Code (SGB II) describes the conditions for a benefit community in detail. We briefly outline the most important points here.

When do we talk about a community of need?

Communities of need can consist of one or more people. There is at least one recipient of Citizen's benefit. If other people live in this household, they may also belong to the community of need.

A community of need refers to all the people who live in your household.

A community of need includes:

• the person receiving Citizen's benefit,
• the spouse or registered partner, provided the couple does not live separately,
• a partner in a cohabiting relationship (prerequisite: The partners live in a joint household and agree to be responsible and answer for each other. This applies, for example, if the partnership has existed for more than one year or the partners live together with a child.
• the children who live in the household and are younger than 25 years of age (prerequisite: the children are unmarried, able to work and cannot support themselves from their own income. Children's income includes, for example, Child benefit or maintenance payments),
• the parents or parents of an unmarried child of working age who is between 15 and 25 years old and has applied for Citizen's benefit (prerequisite: the parents live in the same household as the child. This also includes the parent's partner).

Do not belong to a community of need:

• Children who can support themselves from their own income or assets
• Married children,
• Children who are already 25 years old, even if they live with their parents
• separated spouses and partners,
• members of a shared flat (WG - see also the explanation of the term "household community" below in this section).

Temporary shared household

A temporary shared household is when children of separated parents also live with the other parent on a regular basis and do not just visit them from time to time. The child may then be entitled to a daily allowance for the duration of their stay in the other parent's household.

How much Citizen's benefit do I get in a community of need?

If you live in a community of need, the income and assets of all members of your community of need are taken into account when calculating the amount of Citizen's benefit. The legislator has stipulated this because it assumes that people who live together support each other financially and earn their living together.

The amount of Citizen's benefit therefore depends on the following criteria:

• the individual's standard needs,
• the need for accommodation and heating,
• the individual's own income (e.g. from a mini-job) and assets
• the income and assets of other members of the community of need.

The current standard rate is 563 euros for a single person. The amounts for other members of the benefit community are derived from the standard rate for a single person. The sums are as follows:

• Couples: 1.012 euros (506 euros per person)
• adults under the age of 25 living with their parents: 451 euros
• 14 to 17-year-olds: 471 euros
• 6 to 13-year-old children: 390 euros
• children up to the age of 5: 357 euros

What is the difference between a benefit community and a household community?

A benefit community is a community of people who live together and manage their household together.

A household community exists if relatives or persons related by marriage live in the household but are not members of the benefit community.

A household community includes, for example:

• relatives or persons related by marriage (e.g. parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces and siblings over the age of 25).
• Own children and foster children who have reached the age of 25 and live in the household.

If it is assumed that the members of a household also support each other financially, this may have an influence on the calculation of the Citizen's benefit. However, this only applies if this can be expected based on their income and assets.

What other benefits are there?

If children are still at school, they may be entitled to educational benefits up to the age of 25. This includes the following benefits:

• Reimbursement of costs for daycare and school excursions as well as school trips,
• Cost absorption for a communal lunch at daycare or school,
• Subsidy for school equipment twice a year as a lump sum,
• Reimbursement of costs for school transport if necessary and
• Cost absorption of supplementary, extracurricular learning support if this is necessary.

Furthermore, there is a monthly lump sum of 15 euros for benefits for participation in social and cultural life (e.g. membership of a sports club, music lessons)

up to the age of 18.

Are the costs of your home covered?

As a rule, yes. The Citizen's benefit also covers the need for accommodation and heating. This applies both to the requirements for a rented apartment and for owner-occupied residential property.

The costs that are taken into account for a rented apartment include basic rent, ancillary costs and heating costs. In the case of owner-occupied residential property, debt interest and house charges can be taken into account. Repayment installments are generally not taken into account. For more information on eligible costs, please contact your local Jobcenter.

In the first year of benefit receipt, the costs of accommodation are generally taken into account in full when calculating the benefit entitlement. Thereafter, if there are unreasonable costs, it is checked whether a change of residence would be economical. In this case, the unreasonable costs are recognized for as long as it is not possible or reasonable to reduce the costs, usually for a maximum of six months. Heating costs are also only taken into account in the first year if they are reasonable.

Needs for household electricity (except for heating) are part of the standard benefit.

Is support also available for the initial furnishing of your home?

Yes. Under certain circumstances, you can also receive financial support from the Jobcenter for the initial furnishing of a home (for example, for furniture and household items). You must apply for this separately.

The prerequisite for this is

• that it is actually initial furnishing. This means that a home must be refurnished because either no furnishings existed beforehand or the furnishings were destroyed in their entirety. For example, after a house fire or after becoming homeless (for more information, please contact your local Jobcenter).

  As well as

• that you either are entitled to Citizen's benefit or
• that you do not need benefits to secure your livelihood (including the reasonable costs of accommodation and heating), but cannot fully cover the need for the initial furnishings according to sentence 1 from your own resources and means. In this case, the income that you acquire within a period of up to six months can be taken into account.

If the initial equipment allowance has been approved, you will receive a financial grant or vouchers for the most necessary household equipment. For example, for furniture, household appliances, pots and pans and other items.

Note: Housing benefit under the Housing Benefit Act

If you are entitled to Housing benefit, this generally takes precedence over entitlement to Citizen's benefit. This is because Housing benefit is a priority social benefit.

You can find out more about Housing benefit here

Even if you work, you may still need help. If your income is not sufficient to cover your living expenses, you can supplement it with Citizen's benefit. How much money you then receive as Citizen's benefit depends on the amount of your income and the determined needs.

How is my Citizen's benefit calculated if I have an income?

If you have income from gainful employment, this is taken into account when calculating Citizen's benefit. However, there are amounts that are not taken into account. Therefore, if you work, you have more money available than Citizen's benefit recipients who do not work.

Your job center always calculates the income to be taken into account individually.

Amounts to be deducted from income include:

• the taxes due on it,
• mandatory contributions to statutory social insurance,
• contributions to statutory and appropriate private insurance,
• contributions to pension schemes subsidized under the Income Tax Act,
• advertising costs (e.g. travel expenses, double household expenses, etc.),
• and other expenses. (e.g. travel expenses, double housekeeping),

• expenses for the fulfillment of statutory maintenance obligations and

  allowances for gainful employment:

  In addition to the so-called basic allowance of €100.00, there are further allowances for income from gainful employment.

  These are calculated as follows:

• For the portion of gross income from employment between €100 and €1,000, you receive an additional allowance of 20%.
• For the portion of monthly earned income that exceeds 100 euros and does not exceed 566 euros, to 20 percent.
• For the portion of monthly earned income that exceeds 566 euros and does not exceed 1,000 euros, to 30 percent.
• For the part of your gross income from gainful employment between 1,000 and 1,200 euros (or 1,500 euros if you have a minor child), you receive a further allowance of 10 percent.

Further allowances

• Young people are allowed to keep income from school and student jobs and income from vocational training up to the mini-job limit (currently 566 euros). Income from student jobs during vacations is generally not taken into account at all until the age of 25.
• Federal Voluntary Service and FSJ volunteers also benefit from the increased allowances, as do young people in the transition period between school and training.
• Expense allowances are considered annually, as in tax law. This means that expense allowances are not taken into account as income as long as they do not exceed the annual allowance of 3,000 euros.

What other income is included in the calculation of Citizen's benefit?

There are various benefits that are taken into account when assessing and calculating Citizen's benefit, for example social benefits such as Child benefit or parental allowance. These are referred to as priority benefits. One-off income is also counted towards the Citizen's benefit. These are, for example, Christmas bonuses, tax refunds or gifts.

Is there any income that does not play a role in calculating Citizen's benefit?

Yes. There is also income that does not count towards Citizen's benefit. These include, for example, the basic pension under the Federal Pension Act, the allowance for the blind or the care allowance for full-time care. Benefits paid for educational work in the care of disabled children are subject to a special rule: 75% of the benefits are not taken into account for the third child, and 100% for the fourth and each additional child.

If you have assets, you do not necessarily have to touch them and use them for your livelihood before you are entitled to help through Citizen's benefit. Assets include, for example, cash, bank deposits, shares, building society savings contracts or life insurance policies. As with income, there are allowances for this. In this section, we briefly present the most important allowances and limits.

How much money am I allowed to have?

In the first year of benefit receipt, assets only have to be used if they are substantial. Significant assets are assumed if they exceed €40,000 for the first person in the benefit community. For each additional person, the benefit community may keep a further €15,000.

From the second year of benefit receipt, a tax-free amount of €15,000 must be deducted from the assets to be taken into account for each person in the benefit community. If a person's assets exceed 15,000 euros, these can be transferred to another person's unused allowance limit.

What about my children's assets?

Children in the benefit community are also entitled to the allowance of 15,000 euros each. This is also intended to protect insurance for education. If your children have more assets, they only have to use them to pay for their own living expenses, not those of their parents. Young people should start adult life without debts. Liability is therefore limited to assets that exceed the asset allowance of 15,000 euros when they reach the age of majority.

What happens to my existing retirement provision?

Insurance policies intended for retirement provision are not included in assets and are therefore excluded from the Citizen's benefit. This also applies to other forms of retirement provision if they are expressly subsidized as retirement provision under federal law.

What if I have a house or condominium?

In principle, you can also receive Citizen's benefit if you own a house or condominium and live there yourself. The important thing here is that the size and number of residents is deemed appropriate. Your job center can tell you whether your property is protected, what expenses can be reimbursed for it and further information on this topic.

What if I have a car?

As a recipient of Citizen's benefit, you are allowed to own a car or motorcycle. This applies to every employable member of your benefit community. However, the value of the car or motorcycle must be reasonable. If the proceeds from the sale less any outstanding loan liabilities do not exceed EUR 15,000.00, it is generally assumed to be reasonable. The assessment of appropriateness takes into account the circumstances of the individual case (size of the community of need, number of cars in the household, time of purchase).

If you receive Citizen's benefit, you must also fulfill obligations. There are so-called notification obligations and duties to cooperate. We briefly outline the most important obligations here:

Obligation to actively look for work - what does this mean?

The obligation to actively look for work is one of the most important obligations to cooperate. If you receive Citizen's benefit, you are generally able to work. You must therefore prove that you are applying for work and submit your applications, for example. This is known as personal efforts.

You will discuss what counts as personal efforts with the Jobcenter staff. A so-called potential analysis is used to jointly determine your personal characteristics, skills and aptitudes and which circumstances make integration more difficult. What has been discussed is written down in a cooperation plan. This will also specify the measures with which you will be supported in your job search. For example, by covering application costs or applicant training.

One of your duties when looking for work is that you must not simply turn down a job offer. If you are given the chance to get a job, you are obliged to take up this opportunity.

As a recipient of Citizen's benefit, you must accept any work that is reasonable. Reasonable work is any job that you are mentally, emotionally and physically capable of doing and that does not violate labor law regulations. Personal factors such as your family situation are also taken into account when determining the reasonableness of a job.

Duty to report - what does this mean?

As a recipient of Citizen's benefit, you are obliged to report regularly to the Jobcenter and attend appointments. If you are unavailable for a certain period of time because you want to go on vacation, for example, you must apply to the Jobcenter. This obligation exists so that you can respond quickly to possible job offers.

You must also inform the Jobcenter if something has changed in your personal situation.

This includes the following circumstances, for example:

• You have found a job or a part-time job,
• You have received a one-off sum of money, for example via an inheritance or a tax refund,
• You are starting university,
• You have become entitled to a pension,
• You are receiving maternity benefit or other benefits,
• You are temporarily or permanently unable to work,
• Your address has changed,
• Your marital status has changed,
• There have been changes to members of your own household (community of need).

The following applies in principle: benefit reductions in the event of breaches of duty and failures to register are possible from the start of benefit receipt.

It is always checked exactly in which case a reduction in benefits is justified, special hardships must be taken into account.

In the event of a failure to register, the standard requirement is reduced by 10 percent for one month. For the first breach of duty, the standard requirement is reduced by 10 percent for one month, for a second breach of duty by 20 percent for two months and in the final stage by 30 percent for three months. The benefits may generally be reduced by a maximum of 30 percent of the standard requirement. There is an exception in the case of refusal to take up reasonable work. If the other requirements are met, the standard needs can then be reduced in full.

The costs for accommodation and heating remain protected, young people receive a counseling service in the event of a reduction in benefits and no longer have to expect benefit reductions of more than 30 percent of the standard needs.

Am I covered by health insurance if I receive Citizen's benefit?

All people living in Germany must be a member of a statutory or private health insurance fund so that they are covered in the event of illness or long-term care. This also applies to recipients of Citizen's benefit. As a rule, they continue to be insured with their previous statutory health insurance provider. The Jobcenter pays the monthly contributions directly to the health insurance fund. You can also apply to the Jobcenter for private health insurance. However, the amount of the co-payment is limited.

Do I get a co-payment exemption for medication?

Many medications and so-called remedies and aids are not fully paid for by the health insurance company and insured persons must pay a certain portion of the costs themselves, i.e. make a co-payment. This also applies to recipients of Citizen's benefit. They are not exempt from the co-payment obligation.

To ensure that expenditure on medication or aids does not become too great a financial burden, the total amount of co-payments per year is limited. It amounts to 2 percent of the annual gross income ("burden limit"). If the co-payments exceed this limit, you can ask your health insurance company to exempt you from further co-payments. This also applies to the costs of hospitalization.

Children and young people up to the age of 18 generally do not have to make any co-payments.

Zusätzlich zum monatlichen Regelbedarf können bei besonderen Situationen einmalige Leistungen oder ein Darlehen beantragt werden.
Beispiele:

• Erstausstattung für Wohnung oder Bekleidung
• Erstausstattung bei Schwangerschaft und Geburt
• Ersatz dringend notwendiger Haushaltsgeräte
• Reparaturen oder drohende Stromsperre
   

Ein unabweisbarer Bedarf liegt vor, wenn die Ausgabe nicht aufschiebbar ist und keine andere Deckungsmöglichkeit besteht. Die zuständige Stelle kann auch Sachleistungen statt Geld gewähren.
Antragstellung ist formlos oder online möglich; Nachweise (z. B. Kostenvoranschlag, Diebstahlanzeige, Kontoauszug) sind erforderlich. Die Rückzahlung eines Darlehens beginnt ab dem Monat nach Auszahlung. 
 

Unter bestimmten Voraussetzungen können Auszubildende oder Studierende ergänzende Leistungen erhalten, wenn kein Anspruch oder nur ein Teilanspruch auf BAföG oder Ausbildungsgeld besteht.
Mögliche Leistungen:

• Zuschüsse für Mehrbedarfe (z. B. Schwangerschaft, Alleinerziehung, kostenaufwändige Ernährung)
• Härtefalldarlehen bei existenzieller Notlage
• Härtefallzuschuss bei schulischer Ausbildung ohne BAföG-Anspruch
• Übergangsdarlehen im ersten Monat einer Ausbildung zur Überbrückung bis zur ersten Ausbildungsvergütung

Neue Ergänzung

Begründung: Weist auf Sonderregelungen für Bildungs- und Härtefälle hin. 

Bürgergeld wird befristet bewilligt (in der Regel 12 Monate). Wenn Sie weiterhin Bürgergeld benötigen, muss rechtzeitig ein Weiterbewilligungsantrag (WBA) gestellt werden.
Wichtig:

• Antragstellung online oder per Formular
• Erforderlich sind aktuelle Nachweise zu Einkommen, Miete und Vermögen

Antrag möglichst 4–6 Wochen vor Ablauf des Bewilligungszeitraums stellen, um Zahlungslücken zu vermeiden

Neue Ergänzung

Begründung: Betont die Notwendigkeit fristgerechter Antragstellung.