Sozialamt or Jobcenter — who is responsible?
It depends on a single criterion: fitness for work. Anyone who can work at least three hours a day under normal labour-market conditions is fit for work and receives benefits from the Jobcenter under SGB II; there, since the reform, the benefit is called, under § 19 Abs. 1 SGB II, Grundsicherungsgeld – the former name Bürgergeld still appears in many guides. You belong with the Sozialamt if you have a permanent full reduction in earning capacity or have reached the age limit. Important: fitness for work means being able to work, not having a job. If you are unsure, submit the application anyway – the authorities are obliged to forward it to the responsible body.
How much is social assistance in 2026?
The standard rate in standard needs rate level 1 – an adult living in their own home – is €563 a month; for couples, €506 per person, for teenagers aged 15 to 17, €471, for children aged 7 to 14, €390, and up to age 6, €357. In addition, there are the costs of accommodation and heating at an appropriate level, plus any additional needs where applicable. The fact that the amount has been unchanged since 2024 has a reason: the update ordinance for 2026 kept the amounts unchanged because the statutory formula would have produced a lower figure, and a reduction is not permitted. The rates will only rise again once the formula moves beyond the 2024 level.
Do my children have to pay for me?
As a general rule, no – and this worry keeps more people from applying than any refusal does. § 94 Abs. 1a SGB XII only allows recourse against children and parents if their annual income exceeds €100 000, per person liable to provide maintenance. What matters is the second sentence, which hardly anyone knows: “It is presumed that the income of the persons liable to provide maintenance … does not exceed the annual income threshold.” The Sozialamt therefore does not routinely ask about your children’s income – it needs concrete indications to rebut this presumption. Exempted from this rule are benefits under Chapter Three to minor children.
How much in assets may I keep?
SGB XII does not set out a uniform allowance in the text of the law. § 90 Abs. 2 SGB XII instead lists protected items – including an appropriate house and plot of land occupied by the owner, items needed to carry out an occupation, and family heirlooms or inherited items – and the related implementing ordinance sets an amount of €10,000 per person for cash assets. Subsection 3 also contains a hardship clause for cases in which disposing of an asset would mean a particular hardship. Whether something has to be used up in your case is therefore not decided by a single figure, but by the composition of your assets. Do not dispose of anything hastily – seek advice first: a life insurance policy cashed in too quickly cannot be brought back.
When do I start receiving money?
From the moment the Sozialamt becomes aware of the need – not only once a complete application has been submitted, and not only once the notice has been issued. This is what sets social assistance apart from many other benefits, and is why you should get in touch immediately, even empty-handed: a phone call, an email or a sentence at the reception desk sets this moment. You can submit documents afterwards. If you acutely have no money for food, say so explicitly and ask for an interim payment before a decision has been made on the application – procedures exist for this, but they are only set in motion if the emergency is named.
What counts as an additional need?
Supplements to the standard rate that are paid on top and are almost never checked automatically. These include additional needs for single parents, for pregnant women from the twelfth week, for people with disability code G in their severe disability pass, for a costly diet on medical grounds, and for decentralised hot water supply. For a costly diet, you need a medical certificate naming the illness; which illnesses are recognised and at what level is based on professional recommendations and is assessed case by case. Name every additional need that may apply explicitly in your application.
What happens if my home is too expensive?
The costs of accommodation are only covered at an appropriate level, and what counts as appropriate is set by each local authority itself based on local reference values – there is no nationwide figure. If your rent is higher than that, it is usually still covered for the time being, and you receive a request to reduce the costs. Respond to this letter: make demonstrable efforts to find cheaper housing, to sublet, or to negotiate with the landlord, and document this. Anyone who does not respond will, once the deadline has passed, only receive the appropriate amount and will bear the difference themselves – which is barely manageable on a tight standard rate.
Do I have to apply for other benefits first?
Yes, and that follows directly from the subsidiarity of social assistance (Nachrang). § 2 SGB XII provides that social assistance is not paid to “anyone who receives the required benefit from others, in particular from relatives or from the bodies responsible for other social benefits”. The Sozialamt therefore checks whether another body takes priority – pension, reduced earning capacity pension, sickness benefit (Krankengeld), maintenance, Wohngeld (housing benefit), Kinderzuschlag (child supplement, KiZ) – and requires you to apply there. This is not harassment: some of these benefits are higher, and a refusal often does not mean “you are not entitled to anything”, but “another body pays for this”. In such cases, ask to be told exactly which body is meant, and ask for this to be given to you in writing.
