Do I also get the Entlastungsbetrag with Pflegegrad 1?
Yes, and this is the most important sentence on this page. § 45b SGB XI grants the entitlement to “people in need of long-term care receiving home care”, without distinguishing by Pflegegrad – so the Entlastungsbetrag is due from Pflegegrad 1. Since there is no Pflegegeld (long-term care allowance) and no benefit in kind at grade 1, it is the central benefit there: €131 monthly, €1,572 over the year. Very many people with Pflegegrad 1 assume that they are entitled to “nothing yet”, and leave this amount unused. For grade 1 the use is also defined more broadly than for the higher grades.
Does the amount expire if I do not use it?
Yes, and faster than most people think. The law allows an amount not exhausted in a calendar year to be carried over “into the following calendar half-year” – so not indefinitely and not for a whole year. Whatever you do not use from 2026 must be used by 30 June 2027; after that it has expired. In practice this means: set yourself a reminder for the spring, ask the Pflegekasse about your remaining balance, and plan in good time what you will use it for. This deadline is where more money is lost than anywhere else with the Pflegekasse – not through refusals, but through letting it lapse.
What may I use it for?
Only for approved services: services of day and night care, of short-term care, services of ambulatory care providers, and the services recognised under state law to support everyday life – supervision groups, everyday companionship, household help, relief services. Which providers are specifically recognised is regulated differently by the federal states; request the list from your Pflegekasse or the care support centre. As a rule, private help without recognition is not eligible for reimbursement – so the helpful neighbour is not, but a recognised everyday companion is. For Pflegegrad 2 to 5 there is an additional rule: services of ambulatory providers must not be financed from it in the area of self-care.
Do I get the money transferred to me?
Not automatically. The Entlastungsbetrag is a reimbursement benefit: you make use of a service and submit the invoice to the Pflegekasse, which reimburses you up to €131 a month. There is no monthly payout in advance and no use at your own discretion – in this it differs fundamentally from the Pflegegeld. The second route is more convenient: many recognised providers bill the Pflegekasse directly, so that you do not have to pay in advance at all. Ask about this explicitly at the first contact – it is not always offered automatically.
Can I use it to pay family members?
As a rule, no. The Entlastungsbetrag is tied to approved services, and care provided by family members within the same household is not covered by it – for that there is the Pflegegeld, which you can use freely and also pass on to family members. The two benefits serve different purposes: the Pflegegeld rewards private care, while the Entlastungsbetrag is meant to enable additional outside help and relieve carers. Some federal states have special rules for recognising voluntary or neighbourhood-based services; whether and under what conditions, you can find out from your Pflegekasse.
Can I combine it with other benefits?
Yes, and this is common. The Entlastungsbetrag comes in addition to Pflegegeld, benefits in kind, day care and the benefits of respite care (Verhinderungspflege) and short-term care – it is not offset against any of them. Anyone who uses it for day care or short-term care is effectively using it to reduce the personal contribution there. Conversely: since it is a separate benefit with its own purpose, using it does not reduce your Pflegegeld. If you are unsure how best to combine the funding pots in a specific case, that is exactly the question for the free care advice (Pflegeberatung).
How do I find out how much is left?
By asking. The Pflegekasse keeps track of the amount used and will give you this information, but as a rule it does not get in touch of its own accord before anything expires. So ask once a year – ideally in January or February – in writing for a statement of the amount used and still available, including the sum carried over from the previous year. At the same time, keep your own simple list of submitted invoices. Together, both of these prevent the most common surprise: finding out in July that several hundred euros expired at the end of June.
Does the amount change in 2026?
No. The €131 amount has applied since 1 January 2025 and remains unchanged in 2026. It results from the 4.5% increase at the start of 2025; before that it was €125. The next scheduled adjustment of the benefit amounts under § 30 SGB XI is planned for 1 January 2028. So if you read €125 anywhere, that figure is from before 2025. Until 2028 you can plan on €131 monthly and €1,572 a year – which, however, does not change the half-year deadline for the carry-over.
