Wohngeld Feststellung

Do you only have a low income? Then you can apply for housing benefit to reduce your housing costs.

You can apply for housing benefit if you have a low income above the basic income support level and belong to one of these groups of people:

• pensioners with a low pension
• Working families, single parents and couples with low incomes
• Employees in the low-wage sector
• Students, unless the entire household is entitled to BAföG
• Residents of care homes

You can receive housing benefit as

• receive a rent allowance. This applies if, for example:
  • have rented living space
  • live in accommodation as a subtenant
  • live in a facility, for example for people with disabilities
• receive an encumbrance allowance if you own your own home or a condominium.

As a rule, housing benefit is granted for 12 months. If your income remains the same, the approval period can be up to 24 months. After that, you must submit an application for continued benefit.

If the costs of accommodation are covered by another social benefit provider, you are not entitled to housing benefit. This is the case, for example, with

• Citizen's allowance
• Basic income support in old age
• Basic income support for reduced earning capacity
• Assistance with living expenses

Furthermore, people who receive one of the following benefits do not receive housing benefit:

• Support for training in accordance with the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG)
• Vocational training allowance and training allowance
• Securing living expenses while participating in the special program "Promotion of the professional mobility of young people interested in training and unemployed skilled workers from Europe" (MobiPro-EU)

This also applies if you are only entitled to these benefits in principle. In these cases, the benefit will only be denied in terms of the amount. However, if at least one member of your household is not entitled to one of these benefits, for example the child of a single parent or the parents of students, you are still entitled to housing benefit. This also applies if you receive the benefits exclusively as a loan.

All regions in Germany are divided into 7 different rent levels, as rents vary greatly. The upper income limits for entitlement to housing benefit vary accordingly. You can use a housing benefit calculator to work out in advance whether you are entitled to housing benefit. If you have a fluctuating income, create an income forecast based on the last 12 months.

There is a special case if you have to move to another home as a result of a flood disaster because your previous home is no longer habitable. In this case, you can also apply for housing benefit for rooms that are only intended for temporary living. These can be, for example

• Caravans
• houseboats

Emergency accommodation such as dormitories, schools or gymnasiums do not count as living space. You only need to submit documents and evidence that may have been destroyed within 6 months. If living space for which you are already receiving housing benefit has become uninhabitable, this decision becomes invalid.

• Apply for housing benefit from your competent housing benefit authority either using the appropriate form or informally by post, e-mail, fax or telephone

Depending on your situation, you may need to submit documents. This includes, for example

• Identity documents of all household members
• Proof of your right of residence if you come from a non-EU country
• Proof of income for all household members, for example
  • Salary statements
  • Pension statements
  • Short-time working allowance
• If applicable, proof of
  • work-related expenses
  • Severe disability
  • degree of care
• Proof of transfer payments from all household members, for example
  • Notice of unemployment benefit or citizen's allowance
  • Notification of basic income support with calculation sheet
  • Notification of advance maintenance payments from the youth welfare office
• for self-employed persons: last tax assessment

To apply for a rent subsidy, you will also need the completed

• landlord certificate form, which is usually provided by the housing benefit authorities

To apply for an encumbrance allowance, you will need the following documents, for example

• Extract from the land register
• purchase contract
• Debt certificates for loans still to be paid
• Calculation of living space

If you are applying for housing benefit because you have been affected by a flood disaster, you have 6 months to submit documents and evidence that may have been destroyed.

You are entitled to a rent subsidy as a:

• Tenants of living space
• Subtenant of living space
• Residents of a cooperative or foundation apartment
• Residents of a residential home
• tenants with similar rights of use, in particular holders of a tenancy-like permanent right of residence
• Owners of an apartment building with three or more apartments, a commercial building or a business, if you live in this building
• Owners of a detached or semi-detached house in which you live, but which also contains business premises to such an extent that it can no longer be regarded as your own home
• Owners of a full-time agricultural business whose residential part is not separate from the business part
• women who live in women's shelters
• a person who has been placed in homeless accommodation or third-party accommodation by the homelessness authority

You are eligible for a housing allowance as:

• Owners of their own home or condominium
• Owners of a small housing estate
• Owners of an agricultural part-time job
• Owners of a full-time agricultural property if the residential and commercial parts are separate and a housing allowance calculation can be made for the residential part
• Owners of a permanent right of residence similar to ownership
• holders of heritable building rights and those who are entitled to the transfer of ownership of the building or apartment or to the transfer or granting of the heritable building right

In all cases, you must live in the property yourself and pay the costs yourself.

There are no costs.

• You submit your application in writing using the form provided or using the online service.
• You can send the form by post to the housing benefit office responsible for you or hand it in in person.
• The authority will check your application and send you a decision.
• If approved, the housing benefit is usually granted for 12 months.

The processing time depends, among other things, on the completeness of your information and the submission of the evidence required for processing the application.

Longer processing times are not at your expense: the entitlement to housing benefit is checked from the month in which the application is submitted. If you are already entitled to housing benefit, you will not lose any housing benefit.

You submit the application no later than the last day of the month from which you wish to apply for housing benefit.

You are obliged to provide all information truthfully. The housing benefit authority is entitled to check your details by comparing your data. The verification of your details is permitted up to 10 years after receipt of the housing benefit notice.

• Objection
• Appeal
• You will find further information on how to lodge an objection or submit a complaint in the notification of your application for housing benefit.

• Housing benefit is a subsidy towards housing costs
• can be granted as a rent subsidy or, in the case of residential property, as an encumbrance allowance
• Prerequisite: Housing is used by the tenant and the rent or charges are paid by the tenant
• is usually granted for 12 months and can be granted for up to 24 months if income remains constant
• thereafter, an application for continued benefits is required, which must be submitted no later than one month after the end of the approval period
• Special regulations apply to victims of flood disasters and similar catastrophes
• Application in writing or online
• Responsible: competent housing benefit authority