Housing benefit 2016

Housing benefit does not come into your home on its own. You must submit an application. You must provide proof that you fulfil the conditions for entitlement to housing benefit. Housing benefit is not paid retrospectively, but from the month in which the application was made. Therefore, if in doubt, it is better to submit an application sooner rather than later. The housing benefit office, which can be found in every city or municipal administration, is responsible. The relevant application forms and advice are also available here. Application forms are also available on the Internet. Don't be afraid to make such an application! If you fulfil the requirements, you are entitled to housing benefit as well as child benefit or a tax refund. You can get help from us, your tenants' association.

New: If you have previously received housing benefit and continue to fulfil the requirements, the increase will be granted automatically. An application is then not necessary.

Who is entitled to housing benefit?

All persons who have rented accommodation and use it themselves are eligible. It does not matter whether the flat was publicly subsidised or privately financed, whether it belongs to the local authority, a cooperative, a housing association or a private landlord. You can also apply for housing benefit for a flat in a care home. For foreigners, housing benefit also depends on their right of residence. Owners can apply for housing benefit in the form of a housing allowance for owner-occupied housing.

Who is excluded from housing benefit?

Recipients of transfer income are excluded from housing benefit, as their housing costs are taken into account as part of these benefits. This applies, for example, to recipients of ALG II and social benefit in accordance with SGB II, allowances in accordance with § 27 Para. 3 SGB II, basic security benefits in old age and in the event of reduced earning capacity in accordance with SGB XII, assistance with living expenses in accordance with SGB XII, supplementary assistance with living expenses in accordance with the BVG and benefits in accordance with the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. Single conscripts also do not receive housing benefit. Exception: The rent subsidy according to § 7a USG was rejected. Tenants are also not entitled to housing benefit if all household members are entitled to BAföG (for example, those who have exceeded the maximum period of support, have changed their specialisation without good reason or have reached the age of 30 are not entitled to this. In these cases, the exclusion from housing benefit no longer applies).

What does the housing benefit depend on?

The amount of housing benefit depends on

• the number of household members to be taken into account,
• their total monthly income,
• the rent to be taken into account.

The Housing Benefit Act includes tables for different household sizes. Once the rent and income have been determined, the housing benefit can be read from these tables. The following applies: the higher the income, the lower the housing benefit, and the higher the rent, the higher the housing benefit.

The size of the household

The household includes the applicant themselves, their spouse or partner, their parents, grandparents, children and foster children, grandchildren and siblings as well as other persons who are related or related by marriage to a household member in the direct line or second or third degree in the collateral line. Prerequisites are that they live with the applicant in a residential and economic community and that the home for which housing benefit is claimed is the centre of the living relationship.
An economic community is deemed to exist if persons provide themselves with all or part of their daily living requirements together. If several people live together, it is assumed that they also live together.
All household members are taken into account when calculating housing benefit, with the exception of the above-mentioned recipients of transfer benefits such as ALG II etc. If a member of the household to be taken into account dies, this has no effect on the number of household members for twelve months after the month of death, unless the home is given up or the number of household members to be taken into account is increased to at least the level prior to the death.

The total monthly income

For each household member to be taken into account, all annual incomes (less allowances and deductions for maintenance payments) are added together and divided by twelve. The income to be taken as a basis is that which can be expected when the application is submitted during the period of authorisation.
Income includes all taxable income, for example wages, salaries, holiday and Christmas bonuses, capital income (if it exceeds 100 euros) and rental income. However, it also includes a range of tax-free income, for example tax-free allowances for Sunday and night work, the tax-free amount of pension payments and wages taxed at a flat rate by the employer. Child benefit is not taken into account. Employees can deduct the tax-free amount of 1,000 euros from the total annual amount, recipients of old-age or widow's pensions 102 euros. Anyone wishing to claim higher income-related expenses must provide evidence of these.

Flat-rate deduction

Flat-rate deductions are made from the income calculated up to that point. This takes into account the fact that this money is not entirely freely available, as taxes and social security contributions still have to be paid. The deduction amounts to 10 per cent each for

• Wage tax and income tax,
• Compulsory contributions to statutory health and long-term care insurance,
• compulsory contributions to statutory pension insurance.

A maximum of 30 per cent can therefore be deducted. This means that pensioners can deduct ten per cent, as they have to pay health insurance contributions from their pension. Civil servants are allowed to deduct 20 per cent, as taxes and health insurance contributions are deducted from their salary. For employees who pay both taxes and health and pension insurance contributions, the deduction is 30 per cent.

Allowances for special groups of people

The following annual allowances must be deducted from the total income:  

• 1,500 euros for each severely disabled household member to be taken into account with a degree of disability of 100 or less than 100 in the case of a need for care at home.
• 750 euros for victims of National Socialist persecution.
• For single parents, if at least one of the children in the household is under the age of 18 and receives child benefit, €1,320.
• For children with their own income who are not yet 25 years old, up to a maximum of 1,200 euros.
   

Maintenance payments

Expenses (both in cash and in kind) for the fulfilment of statutory maintenance obligations may be deducted in the amount specified in a notarised deed or a maintenance title. In the absence of such a deed, expected maintenance payments can be deducted in the following amounts:

• up to 3,000 euros for a household member to be taken into account who lives away from home and is in vocational training
• up to 3,000 euros for a child for whom separated spouses have joint custody, provided that maintenance is paid to the child as a member of the other parent's household
• up to 6,000 euros for a divorced spouse or partner who is not a member of the household;
• up to 3,000 euros for another person who is not a member of the household.

Die Miete

Grundlage für die Wohngeldermittlung ist die vertraglich vereinbarte Miete einschließlich der kalten Nebenkosten. Nicht einzubeziehen sind: Heiz- und Warmwasserkosten, Untermietzuschläge, Zuschläge für die Benutzung als Gewerberaum sowie Vergütungen für überlassene Möbel mit Ausnahme üblicher Einbaumöbel.
Die Miete bleibt anteilig außer Betracht,

• soweit sie auf Wohnraum entfällt, der ausschließlich gewerblich oder beruflich genutzt wird;
• soweit sie auf Wohnraum entfällt, der einer Person überlassen ist, die nicht als Haushaltsmitglied zählt;
• soweit sie rechnerisch auf Personen entfällt, die keine Haushaltsmitglieder sind, aber deren Mittelpunkt der Lebensbeziehungen der Wohnraum ist und die nicht selbst wohngeldberechtigt sind;
• soweit sie rechnerisch auf Haushaltsmitglieder entfällt, die vom Wohngeld ausgeschlossen sind.

Mietenstufen 

Die auf diese Weise ermittelten tatsächlichen Wohnkosten werden nur dann in voller Höhe berücksichtigt, wenn sie nicht gesetzlich vorgegebene Höchstbeträge überschreiten. Wer mehr zahlt als den Höchstbetrag, erhält Wohngeld nicht nach der tatsächlichen Miete, sondern nur nach diesem Höchstbetrag. Der Höchstbetrag richtet sich nach der Mietenstufe der Gemeinde und der Zahl der Haushaltsmitglieder.
Da die Höhe der Mieten in Deutschland regional sehr unterschiedlich ist, sind die Miethöchstbeträge in insgesamt sechs Stufen gestaffelt. Städten mit 10.000 Einwohnern und mehr ist eine Mietenstufe zugeordnet. Kleinere Gemeinden werden nach Kreisen zusammengefasst.

Beispiele für die Mietenstufen
I. Bebra, Cham, Diepholz, Görlitz, Höxter, Jüterbog, Pirmasens, Plauen
II. Bayreuth, Cottbus, Gelsenkirchen, Gotha, Leipzig, Naumburg
III. Bitburg, Celle, Dresden, Erfurt, Magdeburg, Saarbrücken, Schwerin
IV. Berlin, Bremen, Hannover, Karlsruhe, Kiel, Lübeck, Potsdam, Rostock
V. Böblingen, Bonn, Heidelberg, Köln, Regensburg, Rüsselsheim
VI. Frankfurt/M., Hamburg, München, Pinneberg, Stuttgart, Tübingen, Wiesbaden
Die Mietenstufe Ihres Wohnortes können Sie beim örtlichen Mieterverein oder bei der Wohngeldstelle erfragen.

Wohngelderhöhung?

Wohngeld wird im Regelfall für zwölf Monate ab dem Monat der Antragstellung bewilligt. Eine Erhöhung im laufenden Bewilligungszeitraum ist nur auf Antrag möglich und setzt voraus, dass sich die Zahl der zu berücksichtigenden Haushaltsmitglieder erhöht oder die zu berücksichtigende Miete um mehr als 15 Prozent erhöht oder das Gesamteinkommen der zu berücksichtigenden Haushaltsmitglieder um mehr als 15 Prozent verringert hat.
 

Wohngeldkürzung?

Im laufenden Bewilligungszeitraum kann es auch zu einer Kürzung des Wohngelds kommen. Das Wohngeld wird neu berechnet und ggf. gesenkt, wenn sich

• die Anzahl der zu berücksichtigenden Haushaltsmitglieder verringert oder
• die zu berücksichtigende Miete um mehr als 15 Prozent verringert oder
• das Gesamteinkommen um mehr als 15 Prozent erhöht.

Deshalb ist jeder Wohngeldempfänger verpflichtet, entsprechende Änderungen zu melden. Die Beträge, die eine solche Meldepflicht auslösen, sind auf dem Wohngeldbescheid ausdrücklich angegeben.

Zahlung des Wohngeldes

Im Regelfall wird das Wohngeld an den Mieter ausgezahlt, und zwar monatlich im Voraus. Mit seiner schriftlichen Einwilligung kann das Wohngeld auch an ein anderes Haushaltsmitglied oder den Vermieter gezahlt werden. Ohne diese Einwilligung ist die Zahlung an Dritte nur in begründeten Ausnahmefällen möglich.