New in 2026: Changes in nursing care
New regulations for applying for respite care, for home visits for care levels 4 and 5 and above: Changes for people in need of care and their relatives.
Expert: Paul Rathjen, specialist consultant for homecare and eldercare, pme Familienservice
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Shorter billing time for respite care
From January 1, 2026, applications for respite care must be submitted "promptly." The deadline is being shortened so that costs can only be submitted and reimbursed until the end of the following year. Example: Anyone who used respite care in 2025 must submit their application by December 31, 2026, at the latest. Previously, applications for reimbursement could be submitted retroactively for up to four years.
Home visits for grades 4 and 5 only every six months
People in need of care with care level 4 or 5 who receive only care allowance are now only required to attend a mandatory consultation visit twice a year (previously four times a year). This means that the same rules now apply to them as previously applied to care levels 2 and 3. This should come as a relief to many people in need of care and their relatives, as the quarterly visits were often perceived as compulsory counseling. However, at the request of the person in need of care or their relatives, the consultation can still take place once per quarter.
More powers for nursing staff
The expertise of well-trained nursing professionals should be better utilized. To this end, they will be given additional powers that were previously reserved for doctors. These include wound care, the treatment of pressure ulcers, and the care of people with diabetes mellitus. In addition, health insurance funds should examine how nursing professionals can be more closely involved in the provision of nursing aids.
State care allowance in Bavaria to be halved
People in need of care with care level 2 and higher who have their main residence in Bavaria can apply for the state care allowance. From 2026, this will amount to €500 per year (previously €1,000 per year).
Bavarian State Office for Nursing Care
Higher minimum wage, earnings limit for mini-jobs to be raised
Interesting for employers in private households: The statutory minimum wage will rise to €13.90 gross per hour on January 1, 2026, and to €14.60 one year later.
The statutory minimum wage also applies to mini-jobbers. The earnings limit for mini-jobs will therefore also increase on January 1, 2026. It will be €603 per month in the coming year and €633 in 2027. Currently, mini-jobbers are allowed to earn €556 gross per month on average over the year.
Pension package approved
The law on stabilizing pension levels and fully equalizing child-raising periods (known as the "2025 pension package") extends the freeze on statutory pension insurance contributions until 2031. This ensures that pension levels will not fall below 48 percent until 2031.
Among other things, childcare periods are now fully recognized for up to three years for each child, regardless of the child's year of birth. Around 10 million people, mainly women who have had to interrupt their careers due to a lack of childcare options, will benefit from the improvement in "mothers' pensions."
The 2025 pension package was passed by the Bundestag on December 5, 2025, and forwarded to the Bundesrat for final deliberation. The legislative process is expected to be completed before the end of 2025. The pension package is closely linked to other pension policy measures that the federal government is introducing with the 2025 pension reform: early retirement, active retirement, and strengthening occupational pensions.
