Written under our editorial standards.
Targeted source review: 12 October 2026. The specified provisions and linked-tool limits were checked; this is not a complete legal audit or an individual entitlement decision.
From 1 July 2026 the benefit is named Grundsicherungsgeld and substantive rules on assets, housing, obligations and sanctions changed. This page explains the main need components, not eligibility or a name-only reform.
The three layers and where they sit
- 1 · Standard requirement — Section 20
- A monthly lump sum covering food, clothing, personal care, household goods, household energy and personal daily needs.
- 2 · Accommodation and heating — Section 22
- Counted at actual cost so long as it is appropriate — a layer entirely separate from the first.
- 3 · Additional requirements — Section 21
- Percentages on top of the standard requirement: pregnancy, sole parenting, disability, medical diet, school books, decentralised hot water.
- Who decides how it is spent
- You do. The statute expressly provides that recipients decide on the use of the money on their own responsibility, taking irregular needs into account.
- What everyone overlooks
- The standard requirement includes "participation in social and cultural life to a justifiable extent" — by the wording of Section 20, not as a favour.
Why the amounts differ from one person to another
The standard requirement is not a single figure but a set of stages, and how Section 20 distributes them answers most questions about "why does that person get more":
- Stage 1 — for a single person, for a sole parent, and for anyone whose partner is a minor.
- Stage 2 — for each of two partners where both have turned 18.
- Stage 3 applies to other employable members of the legal benefit unit aged 18 or over; adulthood or sharing an address alone is insufficient.
- Stage 4 — for those among them who are under 18.
An under-25 move without required section 22(5) assurance may affect housing and the standard rate. Serious statutory grounds plus a compelling reason preventing assurance can permit an exception; not every missing document means an automatic penalty.
Additional requirements: check the decision
Section 21 sets conditional additional needs. The subsistence application generally covers them; a separate application is not always required, but the facts and evidence must be supplied.
- Pregnancy:17% after the twelfth week through the end of the birth month, subject to evidence and circumstances.
- Sole parenting — 36% with one child under 7 or two or three children under 16; or 12% per child where that yields more, capped at 60%.
- Disability:35% for employable recipients receiving the specified participation/integration services under section 21(4), with excluded service types. Disability alone is insufficient.
- A costly diet for medical reasons — at an appropriate amount.
- Necessary purchase or borrowing of school books or equivalent workbooks required by school rules—not every optional purchase.
- Decentralised hot water has rates by age and standard level where no central hot-water need is recognised under section 22; higher costs require a separate meter.
Then comes the cap, and its precision matters: the sum of the additional requirements in paragraphs 2 to 5 may not exceed the standard requirement. Note that school books, hot water and the unavoidable special need sit in later paragraphs and are therefore outside that cap. Many people assume the cap covers everything and stop claiming.
How to check your decision line by line
- Separate the components Compare standard need, housing/heating and additional needs. A missing item alone does not prove an error; check conditions and evidence.
- Check the standard level A qualifying sole parent is at level 1 with the conditional sole-care supplement. Sharing an address alone does not establish one benefit unit.
- Run every additional-requirement item against your situationPregnancy after the twelfth week, sole parenting, medical diet, school books, and decentralised hot water if there is a heater in the dwelling.
- Do not hold back because of the capThe cap covers paragraphs 2 to 5 only; school books and hot water sit outside it.
- Check assurance and exceptions before moving Under 25, seek assurance before signing; provide evidence if statutory serious grounds and a compelling obstacle require an exception.
- Request a specific correction Identify the item, legal basis and evidence, and check the appeal route and deadline. A statutory citation does not guarantee faster processing.
Ordinary household electricity is included in standard need. Heating and central hot water are assessed under section 22 subject to appropriateness; decentralised hot water has section 21(7)conditions. Do not double count.
Official sources
Section 20 SGB II — standard requirement · Section 21 — additional requirements · Section 22 — accommodation and heating
Please note: this page is general guidance, not legal advice. Every decision follows an individual assessment of your case, and the amounts are set by regulations that change annually — read your own decision letter and consult a social advice centre or a lawyer specialising in social law before acting.
Frequently asked questions
What does the lump sum cover?
Section 20 lists food, clothing, personal care, household goods and household energy — excluding the shares attributable to heating and hot-water generation — plus personal daily needs and participation in social and cultural life to a justifiable extent.
Is rent paid out of the same amount?
No. Accommodation and heating are a separate layer in Section 22, counted at actual cost so long as it is appropriate.
Can the office dictate how I spend it?
The statute provides that recipients decide on the use of the money on their own responsibility, taking into account needs that arise irregularly.
I am a sole parent — which stage applies?
Stage 1, by Section 20(2) — the same stage as a single person. The sole-parent additional requirement under Section 21 comes on top.
How large is the sole-parent supplement?
36% with one child under 7 or two or three children under 16, or 12% per child where that yields more, capped at 60%.
Are school books paid for?
Section 21(6 a) covers school-required books and equivalent workbooks outside the paragraphs 2–5 cap; not every book purchase.
I moved while under 25 — what happens?
A move without required section 22(5) assurance may affect housing and the standard rate. Conditional exceptions for serious grounds and inability to obtain assurance must also be checked.
Sources for this review and how to use them
Compare the facts and inputs with the official decision. Retain evidence and separate an estimate from entitlement; source pages may change.