Apply for social assistance

You can receive financial support through basic income support in old age and in the event of reduced earning capacity. This helps you to finance your living expenses and covers the socio-cultural minimum subsistence level. It is a social welfare benefit and fulfills the same function as assistance with living expenses, but for a special group of people.
You can receive basic income support if you have reached the age limit1 (this limit is between 66 and 67 years) or if you are over 18 years old and permanently fully incapacitated for work. You can also receive benefits for the period in which you

• are undergoing the entry procedure and vocational training in a workshop for people with disabilities or with another service provider, or

• are in a training relationship for which you receive a budget for training.

In addition, the person seeking benefits must be in need of assistance and have their habitual residence in Germany.

The amount of basic income support depends on your individual needs and your available income and assets. Benefits can only be granted if you are in need. Basic income support generally covers various needs, including

• the relevant standard requirement
• needs for accommodation and heating, insofar as they are reasonable
• additional needs, such as
• additional needs for:
  • Possession of a severely disabled person's pass with
    mark G, or
  • illness, if a special diet is required for medical reasons
    special diet is required for medical reasons
  • pregnancy
• One-off needs in special situations (for example
  Initial furnishings for the home)
• Needs for health/nursing care insurance

If your income in old age (pension) or in the event of a full reduction in earning capacity is not sufficient to cover your basic living costs, you can apply for basic income support.

• You apply for basic income support in old age and for reduced earning capacity at your local or supra-local social welfare agency (social welfare office) or via the online-portal.
• You submit the requested by the social welfare proofproof required by the social welfare provider. A list of the supporting documents to be submitted can be found in the application for the benefit.
• The competent authority examines your application and calculates your requirements and benefits to which you are entitled.
• If you submit an applicabecause of permanent full loss of earningreduction in earning capacity, the correspondingevidence will be checked or obtained from your pension insurance provider.insurance provider.
• The competent authority will decide on your application and and informs you of the result. You will also receive you will receive acorresponding notification from your competent authority.
• If your application is approved, you will receive an approval letter.if it is rejected, you will receive a rejectionrejection notice.
• In both cases, the decision will contain the reasons of thedecisionthe decision. It also contains information about the possibilityto appeal against the decision is also included.appeal (information on legal remedies). Therewith includes an indication of the
  period within which you can lodge an objection.appeal.
• The notice of approval containsamount of the benefit to be paidand the start date of the payment. From the datedate, the benefits to which you are entitled will be by the competent institution, usually at the beginning of the month.the beginning of the month.

To the social welfare office of your district or city.

You have your habitual residence in Germany

• Your income and assets are not sufficient to cover your to be able to support yourself.
• You have reached the age limit (66 - 67 years) reached or are over 18 years old and permanently disabled,
• or are working in a workshop for disabled peopledisabled people or with another service providerand the vocational training sector.

• Completed application
• Income-/Proof of assetse
• Tenancy agreement/current rent change letter/current nerent- and heating bills
• Receipts for current expenses
• If available: Disability certificate
• If available, upon application due to fullreduction in earning capacity: Legal opinion/notice from the pension provider or the pension insurance about a permanent, full reduction in earning capacity
• If available: Pensionfirstdecision
• GIf necessary further documents

Cost type: free of charge

Time limit type: Period of validity
Duration: until 12 months
Remark (for further information on the deadline):

You can claim benefits from the first of the months in which you have submitted your application.
The benefit is generally granted for twelve calendar months. If you meet the requirements but the examination of your application is time-consuming, you can also apply for provisional approval for six months.
However, a provisional decision must be made on the provision of cash benefits provisionally if it has been established that a person falls under the personalthe personal scope of Chapter 4 of SGB XII and

1. to determine the further requirementsof the entitlementfor cash benefits is likely to take a longer period of time and theand the other requirements for entitlement to cash benefits arefor the claim are met with sufficient probability or
2. an entitlement to cash benefits exists on the merits and the and a longer period of time is likely to be time is required to determine its amount.

After expiry of the approval period, no new application is required for the continued no new application is required for the continuation of basic security benefits, however, the income and assets will be assessed before anyre-approvalre-examined before each re-approval.

Basic security benefits begin when the application is submitted. There are no back payments for periods prior to the application. Basic security benefits are regularly granted for 12 calendar months and then reviewed. If personal or financial circumstances change during the approval period, the changes must be reported. Increased benefits are paid from the first of the month in which the change is notified at the earliest. It is therefore important to notify changes, such as an increase in rent, immediately.

Duration: up to 6 months

Remark for further information on the processing time: The processing time depends on the specifics of the individual individual case.

Objection, contestation- and performanceaction:
Further information on how to lodge an appeal can be found in the notification of your application

Forms available: Yes
Written form required: No
Informal application possible: Yes
Personal appearance necessary: No

The following information is available:

The basic income support in old age and reduced earning capacity isgranted on a subordinate basis. This means that those entitled to benefits areto help themselves and to receive other social benefits (efor examplebenefits (e.g. pensions, housing benefit) or claims against third parties (e.g.for example maintenancebenefits) as a matter of priority if thistion if this is necessary to avoid, eliminate, shorten or reduce their need for assistance.need for assistance.

Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs NRW

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs NRW

;

Thuringian Ministry for Social Affairs, Family and Health

29.07.2022;14.03.2013

Designation: Guideline of the Federal Ministry of Labor & Social Affairsles

URL: https://www.bmas.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Publika- tionen/a207-sozialhilfe-und-grundsicherung.pdf?__blob=publication- File&v=1

optional additional information on the linked website:

Name: FAQs of the German Pension Insurance

URL: https://www.deutsche-rentenversicher- ung.de/DRV/DE/Rente/Allgemeine-Informationen/Wissenswertes- zur-Rente/FAQs/Grundsicherung/Grundsicher- ung_Liste.html#bb6afe43-ea61-49d6-8c63-419588b1a966