Good to know: Social Benefits in Germany for germans and immigrants

Social benefits in Germany for germans and foreigners with ulimited permission to stay in Germany?

You can receive social benefits if your income and, if applicable, assets are not sufficient to cover your living costs. If you are fit for work, you can receive citizen’s income (Bürgergeld) from the Jobcenter for yourself and your family. If you are only able to work to a limited extent or receive an old-age pension, you can receive social benefits (Sozialhilfe) from the Social Welfare Office.

One of the prerequisites for citizen’s income and social benefits is that you receive a residence permit (under Section 24 of the Residence Act, German: Aufenthaltsgesetz) or a corresponding fictional certificate (Fiktionsbescheinigung) from the foreigners authority. The local Jobcenters or the local Social Welfare Office (Sozialamt) will advise you on this.

Under certain circumstances, benefits under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act (German: Asylbewerberleistungsgesetz, AsylbLG) may also be considered.

The social benefits that you may be eligible for as a foreigner with a limited visa can vary depending on your specific situation, the country you are in, and the type of visa you have. In general, social benefits are usually provided to citizens or permanent residents of a country, rather than to temporary visitors or those on limited visas.

However, some countries may provide limited social benefits to certain types of visa holders, such as:

1. Health care: In some countries, limited access to public health care may be available to foreign visitors, especially in cases of emergency medical care.
2. Education: Children of foreign nationals may be eligible to attend public schools in some countries, although tuition fees may apply.
3. Social services: Some countries may provide limited social services, such as housing assistance or job training, to foreign nationals who are in the country on certain types of visas.

It is important to note that eligibility for social benefits can be complex and may vary based on your individual circumstances. Therefore, it is advisable to check with the relevant government authorities or immigration offices to determine your eligibility for any social benefits.

What financial benefits can I receive?

The jobcentre (Jobcenter) can support you with citizen’s income (Bürgergeld). This includes:

• Benefits to secure your livelihood (including accommodation and heating)
• Benefits for integration into work (For more information, see Support in Finding and Taking Up Work.)

As a rule, cash benefits are provided. However, vouchers are also an option, for example for food, clothing, personal hygiene and rent. In addition, as a recipient of the citizen’s income, you are covered by the statutory health insurance. One-off benefits, for example for the initial furnishing of the accommodation, are also available. For children and young adults, education and participation benefits are provided under certain conditions, for example for extracurricular tutoring or music lessons. The local Jobcenters also provide advice on this.

The Social Welfare Office (Sozialamt) can also support you with benefits to secure your livelihood, i.e. money or vouchers for rent, food and personal hygiene. In addition, it is possible to receive one-off financial support if, for example, you have found accommodation and need furniture for it. Ukrainians who receive money from the Social Welfare Office do not have statutory health insurance. Nevertheless, they receive a health insurance card from a statutory health insurance fund and can, for example, go to the doctor if they are ill. The costs incurred are then covered by the Social Welfare Office.

Benefits under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act (Asylbewerberleistungsgesetz, AsylbLG) also include costs for accommodation, food, personal hygiene, etc. In addition, you can receive benefits for mobility or communication and basic medical care.

As a foreigner with an unlimited working permission in Germany, you may be eligible for various social benefits.

Here are some of the benefits you may be entitled to:

1. Health insurance: In Germany, everyone is required to have health insurance, and you may be eligible for public health insurance if you are employed and earn less than a certain threshold. If you earn above the threshold, you can still get private health insurance.
2. Pension contributions: If you are employed in Germany, you will be required to make contributions to the pension scheme, which can provide retirement benefits later on.
3. Unemployment benefits: If you lose your job in Germany, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits, which can help you financially while you look for a new job.
4. Child benefits: If you have children, you may be eligible for child benefits, which can help with the costs of raising children.
5. Housing benefits: If you have a low income, you may be eligible for housing benefits, which can help with the cost of rent.
6. Maternity benefits: If you become pregnant and are employed in Germany, you may be entitled to maternity benefits, which can provide financial assistance during your maternity leave.

It is important to note that eligibility for social benefits in Germany can be complex and may depend on various factors such as your income, family situation, and employment status. Therefore, it is advisable to check with the relevant authorities or seek professional advice to determine your eligibility for any social benefits.

What is Bürgergeld (Citizen’s Income) and who can receive it?

The citizen’s income is part of the benefits to ensure subsistence and thus part of the benefits to ensure a minimum acceptable standard of living. People who are capable of working and have no or only a low income are entitled to the citizen’s income. The standard allowance to ensure subsistence includes in particular needs for food, clothing, personal hygiene, household goods as well as needs for participation in social and cultural life in the community. The standard allowance is calculated as a monthly lump sum. You can find the amount of the relevant standard allowance in the table below:

Citizen’s Income Beneficiaries	Standard allowance per month
Single person / single parentAdult with minor partner	€ 502
Adult partners	€ 451 each
Adults without own household, who are not partners and have not yet reached the age of 25 (18 to 24 years)Persons who have not yet reached the age of 25 (15 to 24 years) and move without the Jobcenter’s approval	€ 402
Children over the age of 14 who have not yet reached the age of 18 (14 to 17 years)Minors with adult partners	€ 420
Children over the age of 6 who have not yet reached the age of 14 (6 to 13 years)	€ 348
Children who have not yet reached the age of 6 (0 to 5 years)	€ 318

In addition to the standard allowance, children and youths also receive an instant children’s allowance of € 20 per month.

In addition to the standard allowances, reasonable expenses for accommodation and heating as well as, if applicable, certain additional needs (e.g. in case of pregnancy) and one-off needs (e.g. for the initial furnishing of the accommodation) are considered.

You can find more information on citizen’s income on the website of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

Which expenses for my accommodation will be covered if I receive the citizen’s benefit?

In the first year in which you receive the citizen’s income, the actual costs for the accommodation (rent) or your own home (benefits to secure accommodation) are paid in full. This allows you to concentrate fully on finding a job or preparing for a job (e.g. through further training). If you remain in receipt of benefits for longer, your costs will only be covered to a reasonable amount.

Heating costs are only covered to a reasonable extent right from the start. It is therefore very important that you always use energy economically. The amount of the reasonable costs for heating is determined by the municipalities.

Will I receive support for covering high additional payments for heating expenses even if I do not receive the citizen’s benefit?

Yes, even if you have not received citizen’s income so far, the Jobcenter can help you with a high heating cost back payment or with high expenses due to adequate stockpiling if these heating costs make you needy of assistance. For this, an application must be submitted to the responsible Jobcenter within three months of the month in which the bill became due. This regulation is limited until 31 December 2023.

Please note: Also, if you apply for the citizen’s income for only one month, the usual application for citizen’s income must be filled in; in other words, there is no separate application form for one-month citizen’s income. The application can be made online at most Jobcenters. However, you can also get application forms at your Jobcenter or on your Jobcenter’s website.

How such an application is processed can be illustrated by an example:

• A person who has not been receiving citizen’s income so far receives a bill for heating cost back payments on 5 May 2023. This payment is due on 5 June 2023. You have until the end of the third month after the month in which the payment is due to submit a claim for citizen’s income. Since the due month is June, a claim for citizen’s income benefit can be submitted to the Jobcenter by 30 September 2023 at the latest.
• The Jobcenters process these cases according to the usual procedure, which means that claimants must provide information on their income and assets, among other things. The Jobcenter then assesses whether there is a claim for benefits based on the expenses for heating costs.
• If the assessment shows that there is a benefit claim for the citizen’s income in the due month, this is paid out and can be used to settle the outstanding bill for the procurement of an adequate heating supply or to settle the outstanding back payment claim for heating costs.

What do I need to do to start receiving social benefits?

If you need support, the first thing you should do is register at an initial reception centre (Erstaufnahmeeinrichtung). You can be registered anywhere in Germany at a foreigners authority (Ausländerbehörde) office.

You can receive money from the jobcentre or welfare office if you have applied for a residence permit under Section 24 (1) of the Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz) at the foreigners authority office of your place of residence or where you are staying. If a residence permit cannot be issued immediately under Section 24 (1) of the Residence Act, you will first be issued a provisional residence document (known as a Fiktionsbescheinigung). This document already entitles you to receive social benefits. Before a residence permit under Section 24 subs. 1 of the Residence Act or a corresponding fictional certificate is issued, benefits under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act (AsylbLG) may come into consideration.

To request support in the form of cash benefits from the Jobcenter, you can fill out a paper application or use the online procedure. Please enquire whether ‘JOBCENTER.DIGITAL II’ is available at your Jobcenter or whether the online application may be submitted via another digital procedure. 

Filing a formal asylum application with the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) also entitles you to benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. However, displaced persons from Ukraine are not required to apply for asylum in order to secure right of residence and/or to receive social benefits in Germany.

Will my family members also receive social benefits?

Family members who live with you can also receive benefits.

Depending on your family situation and personal circumstances, you and your relatives may be entitled to social benefits based on different benefit laws (Social Code Book II (German: Sozialgesetzbuch 2, SGB II), Social Code Book XII (German: Sozialgesetzbuch 12, SGB XII) or Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act, AsylbLG). It is important that you apply for these benefits for ensuring your livelihood and that of your dependants in good time. If the local Jobcenter or Social Welfare Office determines that one or more of your dependants qualify for another social benefit, you will be informed of this or the application will be forwarded to the competent authority.

Can I keep my own funds when I apply for social benefits?

Benefits to secure living expenses are only paid to those who cannot cover their living expenses from their own income or assets. In this context, the same rules apply as for all other people who receive social benefits in Germany.

When assessing the need for assistance, a person’s income and assets are only taken into account if they can actually be accessed. In addition, various allowances apply; this means that certain amounts can be kept. For example, income from employment is not fully counted against the benefits.

Assets which currently cannot be accessed because they are in Ukraine (e.g. real estate) are not taken into account. If you have significant assets which you can access (e.g. bank deposits, cash), then above a certain amount you must primarily use these assets to cover your living expenses.

What are the regulations regarding the covering of the actual costs for accommodation and the asset allowances for pensioners and people who are incapable of working?

The regulations regarding the covering of the actual costs for accommodation also apply to pensioners and persons incapable of working (Sozialhilfe – SGB XII).

However, different personal allowances apply than in the case of the citizen’s income. The personal allowance in SGB XII is € 10,000 for a person entitled to benefits. The same amount also applies to e.g. spouses or life partners who do not live separately, as well as partners in a marriage-like or life partnership-like union. A married couple, for example, is therefore entitled to a personal allowance of € 20,000.

Furthermore, in addition to the above-mentioned personal allowance (€ 10,000), recipients of long-term care benefits are entitled to an additional allowance of € 25,000 for living expenses and old-age provision, provided that this amount is earned entirely or predominantly as income from the person’s self-employed or non-self-employed activity during the period of benefit receipt.

What should I keep in mind when travelling abroad for a short or long period of time, or when returning to Ukraine or moving to another country?

All Ukrainians who already have a residence title and a corresponding certificate under Section 24 of the Residence Act can travel to Ukraine and return to Germany at any time.

The duration of your trip has a direct influence on your residence status in Germany as well as on your right to receive basic social security benefits under SGB II (Bürgergeld, Citizen’s Income). Please see ‘Returning to Ukraine’ and ‘Travelling to Ukraine’ for information on what you must keep in mind when travelling for a short or long period of time or when returning to Ukraine.

From 1 June, refugees from Ukraine who are in need of assistance will receive assistance and social benefits under the Social Code (Sozialgesetzbuch) rather than the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act (Asylbewerberleistungsgesetz), as was previously the case.

The prerequisite for this is that they have been fingerprinted and photographed by the authorities and have applied for a residence permit for temporary protection; that they have subsequently been issued a provisional residence document (Fiktionsbescheinigung) or a residence permit for temporary protection; and that they meet the other requirements to receive basic income support benefits under Book II or Book XII of the Social Code.

In the case of people who have been issued a residence permit for temporary protection or a corresponding provisional residence document after 24 February 2022 and before 1 June 2022, but have not yet been fingerprinted and photographed by the authorities, it is sufficient for their data to be recorded in the Central Register of Foreigners (Ausländerzentralregister). In these cases, the individuals must then be fingerprinted and photographed by the authorities by 31 August 2022.

The shift to providing benefits under the Social Code will ensure that comprehensive assistance is available in future to secure living expenses, for health care, and for integration. To make it easier for refugees to integrate, it will be made clear that they can start working immediately, and residence restrictions will be relaxed, particularly in cases where refugees have found a job, are attending integration courses, or are taking part in continuing education or training. 

Official Website Federal Office for Migration and Refugees

https://www.germany4ukraine.de/hilfeportal-en/labour-and-social-affairs/social-benefits