How can I apply for housing benefit (Plus)?
Housing benefit is a benefit for tenants and families with a low income. You can receive housing benefit as a subsidy towards rent or towards the costs of owner-occupied housing.
In this article you will learn:
- What is housing benefit?
- What requirements do I need to apply for housing benefit?
- How much housing benefit do I get?
- When do I not receive housing benefit?
- How long is housing benefit granted for?
- Applying for housing benefit: Form
- Apply for housing benefit online
- When is housing benefit paid out?
- Why does it take so long for my housing benefit to be paid out?
1. what is housing benefit?
The purpose of housing benefit is to secure adequate and family-friendly housing (see Section 1 (1) of the Housing Benefit Act).
Housing benefit is a subsidy towards housing costs for households above the minimum subsistence level and is intended to ensure that households entitled to housing benefit are able to pay their rent. Housing benefit is therefore designed as a system for households with their own earned income as a subsidy towards their housing costs.
Applying for housing benefit is an option that you should definitely consider if you are short of money . It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people in Germany have long been eligible for housing benefit but have not yet applied for it.
With the housing benefit reform as of 01.01.2023 (Housing Benefit Plus), people with a medium income can now also receive housing benefit. According to the federal government, 1.4 million households are now entitled, which in turn will result in further financial benefits.
Example calculation: Sample household, 2 adults, 2 children, 4,000 euros gross
For example, a sample household in Berlin with 2 adults, both employed with gross incomes of 1500 and 2500 euros, 2 children and a rent of 1000 euros receives a monthly housing allowance of 349 euros.
In addition, parents who are entitled to housing benefit are also entitled to a free lunch at childcare center or school (benefits for education and participation), meaning that the sample family of four can save a total of over 500 euros a month.
1.2 Why apply for housing benefit?
Housing benefit, like social benefits in general, should not be a shameful topic for you. The law defines clear entitlements for housing benefit.
Submit an application if you meet the requirements:
- Housing benefit for tenants of residential property is available as a rent subsidy for people who are (sub)tenants of an apartment or room.
- Housing benefit for owners of residential property: Owners of owner-occupied residential property are entitled to a subsidy towards their costs. The decisive factors are the costs for debt servicing such as interest and repayment, costs for the management of living space such as maintenance costs, operating costs excluding heating costs and administration costs.
The longer you put it off, the more debt can pile up.
Housing benefit is therefore for people who cannot pay their rent or the loan for a property and
- go to work but don't earn enough.
- who, as pensioners or residents of nursing homes for the elderly, lack the money.
- who as students are not entitled to BAfÖG or receive it as a full loan.
- are recipients of unemployment benefit I or short-time working allowance.
Those who earn little and spend a lot on housing tend to receive the most support. Expensive cities therefore often receive the most housing benefit.
1.3 "Housing Benefit Plus" since January 2023
Since January 2023, more than three times as many households have been able to receive the "Housing Benefit Plus" housing cost subsidy. According to estimates, that is around 2 million households.
The amount of housing benefit granted has also more than doubled on average.
Previously, the average housing benefit was around 177 euros per month; this average could now rise to 370 euros.
1.4 Heating, hot water and basic rent: What is taken into account?
Costs for heating and hot water are now taken into account when calculating housing benefit, not just the basic rent. The size of the household also plays a role.
The German Economic Institute (IW) has drawn up two sample calculations:
A pensioner in Berlin with a gross monthly pension of 1259 euros and basic rent of 500 euros per month could receive a rent allowance of 252 euros from January 1, 2023 (178 euros more than before).
For a family of four in Munich with a gross income of 2386 euros and a basic rent of 1000 euros, the housing benefit could rise from 481 to 804 euros.
2 What requirements do I need to apply for housing benefit?
Whether someone is entitled to housing benefit, and if so, how much, depends on three factors:
- Number of household members to be taken into account
- Amount of the total income under housing benefit law
- Amount of eligible rent or charge (for owner-occupiers).
All persons in the household and their income are taken into account. The amount of rent and the price level for housing in your municipality also play a role. There is therefore no simple income threshold.
3. how much housing benefit do I get?
The Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB) has a housing benefit calculator that you can use to estimate your entitlement.
Since January 1, 2023, it is not only the basic rent that is taken into account when calculating the amount of housing benefit. There is now a flat rate per square meter of living space for heating costs. The size of the household also plays a role.
4. when do I not receive housing benefit?
If the income in your household is high enough to cover the housing costs, you will not receive housing benefit.
If your assets are too high, neither can you. The asset exemption limits are generally 60,000 euros for a single person and 30,000 euros for each additional household member.
And if you already receive other social benefits such as citizens' allowance (formerly: "Arbeitslosengeld II"), basic old-age pension and reduced earning capacity, basic benefits under the Asylum Seekers Act or training assistance (student BAföG, BAföG or vocational training allowance).
5 How long is housing benefit granted for?
Housing benefit is usually granted for a period of 12 months.
6 How can I apply for housing benefit? - Application form
The housing benefit office at your local authority is the point of contact for applications:
1. obtain an application from the responsible office in the municipality or federal state
2. complete the application
3. compile and send attachments
4. receive housing benefit
5. Apply for education and participation if applicable
Important: After expiry of the approval period, usually 1 year: Apply for continued approval!
7. apply for housing benefit online: how it works!
In many federal states, housing benefit can be applied for online. However, submitting the application in person often leads to faster processing, as missing documents can be requested directly.
8 When is housing benefit paid out?
The date of application is important, as housing benefit is generally only paid from the beginning of the month in which the application is received by the housing benefit authority.
9. why does it take so long for my housing benefit to be paid out?
Unfortunately, many local authorities have problems processing housing benefit applications. It can therefore take several months before payment is made. However, the application will then be approved retroactively from the month in which it was submitted
