Wohngeld: Germany's housing benefit, explained for expats

Who Wohngeld is for

Wohngeld sits between a normal salary and full welfare. It is for people who work, receive a pension or get other income, but for whom rent eats too much of it. You apply for yourself and the household you live with.

• Renters get it as a Mietzuschuss (rent subsidy). That is 82% of all recipients.
• Owner-occupiers get it as a Lastenzuschuss, a subsidy toward mortgage and running costs.
• Pensioners are the largest group: at the end of 2025 they were the main earner in 51% of Wohngeld households (Destatis, September 2026).
• Families are the next: 39% of Wohngeld households have children under 25.

Who cannot get it:

• Anyone receiving Grundsicherungsgeld (formerly Bürgergeld) or Sozialhilfe. Those benefits already pay your housing costs. See Bürgergeld is now Grundsicherungsgeld for how they differ.
• Students and trainees who are eligible for BAföG or vocational training aid in principle, even if their parents' income means they receive nothing. The exception is BAföG granted purely as a loan.
• Households with too little income to live on. The Wohngeld office checks that your income plausibly covers your basic needs. If it does not, you are sent to the Jobcenter instead.

Most international students from outside the EU are not BAföG-eligible in principle, so the student exclusion does not apply to them. Whether claiming is wise on a student permit is a separate question, covered below.

How much Wohngeld you can get: official examples

The amount comes from a formula in the Wohngeld law. The only reliable way to get your figure is the calculator of your state or the federal ministry's Wohngeld pages. These are the Federal Building Ministry's own worked examples, valid since 1 January 2025 and unchanged for 2026:

Three things jump out. Wohngeld reaches well into ordinary incomes for families: a Munich family earning over €3,000 a month still gets €691. Big households qualify at surprisingly high salaries. And a single person with a moderate income often gets little, because the formula weights household size heavily.

Kindergeld and Kinderzuschlag come on top and are not counted as income for Wohngeld. The same goes for education and participation benefits for children. See Kindergeld.

How the amount is calculated

You do not need to do this by hand, but knowing the inputs tells you what to check on your decision letter.

1. Household members who live with you and are counted.
2. Total income: annual gross income of every household member, minus a flat deduction of 10% each for paying income tax, health and care insurance, or pension insurance. That is up to 30% for a typical employee. Employees also deduct the €1,230 work allowance (€102.50 a month).
3. Rent: your gross cold rent (Bruttokaltmiete), meaning base rent plus service charges but without heating and hot water. It only counts up to a maximum amount (Höchstbetrag) set by household size and your town's rent level.
4. Rent level (Mietstufe): every town with 10,000 or more residents is assigned a level from I (cheapest) to VII (most expensive, like Munich). Smaller towns are grouped by district.
5. Heating relief: a flat heating amount and a small "climate component" are added to the rent that counts. For a one-person household, the heating relief is €110.40 a month.

If you do not know the difference between Kaltmiete, Warmmiete and Nebenkosten, read Kaltmiete, Warmmiete and the Nebenkosten settlement first: it decides which figure you put on the form.

How to apply

1. Find your Wohngeld office (Wohngeldbehörde). It sits at your city, municipality or district administration. Many offer online applications.
2. Apply as early as possible. Wohngeld is paid from the first day of the month your application arrives, never retroactively. Waiting a month costs a month of Wohngeld. You can hand in missing documents later.
3. Documents: proof of income for everyone in the household (payslips, pension notice, ALG I decision), your rental contract, proof of the current rent (a Mietbescheinigung from your landlord is often requested), your ID and residence permit, and bank details.
4. Decision: usually granted for 12 months, up to 24 when your income is stable. Apply again about two months before it ends, or payments pause.

The federal ministry also runs a Wohngeld phone line: 030 20179050.

What you must report while receiving it

Report these immediately and in writing if they are not just temporary (§27 WoGG):

• Your household's income rises by more than 15% compared with the decision letter.
• Your rent falls by more than 15%.
• Someone moves out of the household.

Moving, a new household member or starting Grundsicherungsgeld also affect your entitlement. Wohngeld offices cross-check data with other authorities, and unreported changes lead to repayment demands.

Wohngeld and your residence permit: the risk nobody mentions

This is the part most Wohngeld guides leave out, and it matters for every non-EU expat.

Most German residence permits, and every application for permanent residence, require that your living costs are secured without public funds. The Residence Act lists the benefits that do not count against you: Kindergeld, Kinderzuschlag, Elterngeld, BAföG, child maintenance advance and benefits you paid contributions for, such as ALG I. Wohngeld is not on that list (§2(3) Residence Act).

What that means in practice:

• Permit extensions and permanent residence: receiving Wohngeld can count as your livelihood not being secured. Many foreigners' offices look at the whole situation, but you are giving them a reason to refuse. Read Permanent residency (Niederlassungserlaubnis) before applying.
• Student permits: a student permit requires proof that you can support yourself, usually through a blocked account. Claiming Wohngeld signals the opposite.
• Citizenship: the naturalisation law specifically names Grundsicherungsgeld and Sozialhilfe as disqualifying, not Wohngeld. Your income still has to support your family. See German citizenship.
• EU citizens and permanent residents: the livelihood requirement does not apply in the same way, so Wohngeld is generally safe to claim.

If you are on a permit that is due for renewal, speak to your Ausländerbehörde or a migration counselling service (Migrationsberatung) before applying. Kinderzuschlag, by contrast, is on the safe list, so families with children should check it first.

Planned for 2027: Wohngeld cuts (not yet law)

The federal government wants to cut Wohngeld from 1 January 2027. The cabinet approved the bill on 6 July 2026; the Bundesrat gave its opinion on 25 September 2026, asking for changes but not stopping it. The Bundestag still has to pass it. As planned:

• No inflation increase in 2027. Wohngeld was meant to rise every two years; the 2027 increase would be skipped.
• Heating relief halved. For a one-person household, the heating relief would fall from €110.40 to €62.40 a month.
• A new formula that pays less, especially at higher incomes. The government expects about 400,000 households, roughly a third of recipients, to lose their entitlement.

If you qualify now, apply now: entitlement for the months before any change is not affected. We will update this page when the Bundestag votes.

Wohngeld, Grundsicherungsgeld or Kinderzuschlag?

Not the same thing: the WBS. A Wohnberechtigungsschein (WBS) is not money but a certificate that lets you rent subsidised social housing (flats advertised "nur mit WBS"). It has its own income limits, set by each state, and you apply at your city's housing office. Many Wohngeld households also qualify for a WBS, and in tight markets like Berlin or Munich it can open flats far below market rent.

The offices check this among themselves: if your income is too low for Wohngeld, you are referred to the Jobcenter, and vice versa. For some families, Wohngeld plus Kinderzuschlag together is enough to avoid Grundsicherungsgeld altogether.

Frequently asked questions