Housing Benefit (Wohngeld) 2026 for Families with Children: Calculator and Eligibility

Last updated: January 2026. Housing benefit (Wohngeld) is a state rent subsidy for households with low to middle incomes who do not receive basic security. With the 2023 housing benefit reform (Wohngeld-Plus) the benefit has been substantially expanded — families with children benefit especially. The amount depends on household size, income and the municipality's rent level. On average across Germany, the housing benefit office currently pays families around €370/month.

At a glance

• Average amount for families: around €370/month (German average, 2026)
• Basis of calculation: number of household members, total income, basic (cold) rent, the municipality's rent level (1–7)
• Rent levels: 1 (cheaper municipalities) to 7 (high-cost cities such as Munich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Berlin)
• Application: at the housing benefit office of your municipality/city (often in the citizens' office)
• Approval period: usually 12 months, then a follow-up application
• Incompatibility: housing benefit and citizen's benefit are mutually exclusive — one or the other
• Last updated: January 2026

Who is entitled?

Housing benefit is for tenants and owner-occupiers (a charges subsidy) who earn their own income but fall below the housing benefit income threshold. Families with children have especially good chances, because an allowance is taken into account per household member and child benefit does not count as income. Anyone who receives citizen's benefit, social assistance, BAföG or basic security in old age cannot get housing benefit — the costs of accommodation are already included in those benefits.

An important interface is the child supplement (Kinderzuschlag): families whose income is just above the citizen's-benefit threshold combine housing benefit plus the child supplement plus child benefit — and are often better off than with citizen's benefit, because they can keep working and do not fall under the strict conditions of SGB II.

How housing benefit is calculated

Three variables determine the amount:

1. The number of household members to be taken into account — all family members living in the household, including children.
2. The household's total income per month (gross minus flat-rate income-related-expenses and social deductions and child-related allowances).
3. The basic (cold) rent or charge plus the municipality's rent level (1–7).

The Housing Benefit Ordinance contains a calculation formula with three parameters (a, b, c) per household size. In practice each housing benefit office uses an automated calculation tool — you enter the three variables and the system works out the entitlement.

The 7 rent levels

The rent levels are reviewed annually by the Federal Statistical Office. You will find the official rent-level list on the pages of your federal state or at the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building.

Three example cases for families

Family A — a young family in Leipzig (rent level 4)

The Petrov family: the mother (a nursery teacher, €1,850 net), the father (a tradesman, €2,100 net), two children (3 and 6 years). Basic rent: €720/month plus €220 in service charges. Family income relevant for housing benefit, after deductions and allowances: around €3,200. Housing benefit entitlement: approx. €165/month. Combined with child benefit of 2 × €259 = €518 and possibly the child supplement (a check is needed), this gives solid family benefits without claiming citizen's benefit.

Family B — a single parent in Berlin (rent level 7)

Ms Akman, a single parent with a daughter (8). Part-time as a care assistant, netting €1,450. Basic rent €690/month. Housing benefit entitlement for 2 people, rent level 7: approx. €310/month. Plus child benefit €259 + possibly advance maintenance €299 (age 6–11) + the child supplement up to €297. Total income with all benefits: over €2,600 — well above the citizen's-benefit level, while keeping the full tax bonus for the employed.

Family C — a large family in the countryside (rent level 2)

The Werner family: the father a shift worker (€2,300 net), the mother on parental leave (parental allowance €350), four children (1, 4, 7, 10). Basic rent €880/month in a 5-room flat. Housing benefit entitlement for 6 people, rent level 2: approx. €240/month. Plus 4 × €259 child benefit = €1,036. Family income with housing benefit + child benefit + parental allowance: around €3,926 — just above the threshold for the child supplement, so an annual check is worthwhile.

What counts as income?

The total income comprises all taxable earnings of all household members — wages, pensions, unemployment benefit, sickness benefit, parental allowance (over €300), rental income. Not counted as income:

• Child benefit (tax-free and not counted)
• The child supplement
• Advance maintenance (for single parents)
• Parental allowance up to €300 (the base amount)
• Citizen's benefit (but then there is no housing benefit entitlement anyway)
• BAföG (but then no housing benefit entitlement)

A flat 10% is deducted for taxes, 10% for social insurance and 10% for pension insurance — for employees, therefore, 30% of gross income. In addition there are child allowances of €660 a year per child, plus further allowances for the severely disabled, single parents (€1,320 a year) and those in need of care.

How to apply for housing benefit

Step by step:

1. Get the application form from your municipality's housing benefit office (citizens' office, social welfare office) or download it online. Many big cities now offer an online application procedure.
2. Gather documents: tenancy agreement, the last 3 payslips of all household members, ID cards, the children's birth certificates, the child benefit notice if applicable, the landlord's rent certificate, the service-charge statement.
3. Submit the application: in person, by post, or online. An online application in big cities speeds up processing by weeks.
4. Processing time: usually 4–10 weeks. With complete documents it goes faster; with queries, expect several months of waiting.
5. Decision and payment: housing benefit is approved retroactively from the application month. The first payment usually includes back-payments for several months.

The approval is valid for 12 months. Three months before it expires, you should submit the follow-up application to secure uninterrupted payment.

Housing benefit + the child supplement — the benefit combination

Housing benefit and the child supplement are combinable and both federally funded. The combination makes sense when earned income is just above the citizen's-benefit threshold but not enough to fully finance the family and the rent. With both benefits plus child benefit you stay out of the SGB II system, keep your full tax status as an earner, and avoid an asset test like the one for citizen's benefit.

Rule of thumb: anyone entitled to the full child supplement (€297/child) should automatically check housing benefit too — the Familienkasse portal links directly to the housing benefit calculator. For families with 2 children the combination brings up to €1,000 a month on top of earned income.

Avoid common mistakes

• Mistake 1: applying for housing benefit alongside citizen's benefit. The two are mutually exclusive.
• Mistake 2: applying too late. Housing benefit is paid from the application month — earlier months are lost.
• Mistake 3: forgetting the follow-up application. After 12 months the approval ends; without a follow-up, payment stops.
• Mistake 4: stating child benefit as income. Child benefit does not count as income, yet many enter it anyway and thereby artificially reduce their entitlement.

Worked example: the Schneider family from Cologne

The Schneider family rents in Cologne-Ehrenfeld, rent level 6. The household consists of the parents (aged 35 and 33) and two children (4 and 7 years). The monthly family income is €3,450 net: €2,300 from the father's full-time job as an industrial mechanic, €1,150 from the mother's part-time job in retail (25 hours a week). The basic rent is €1,180 a month for 78 m².

In the housing benefit calculation, the chargeable income is determined first. From the gross income, flat rates for taxes, health and pension insurance are deducted — here around 22%. This gives a chargeable monthly income of about €2,690. The child benefit of €518 (2 × €259) does not count as income for the housing benefit entitlement — a common stumbling block in self-calculation.

The Cologne housing benefit office calculates the entitlement under the 2023+ housing benefit table, taking into account rent level 6 and a maximum rent for four people of €1,110. The Schneiders receive a monthly housing benefit of about €285. Combined with the child benefit (€518), this relieves the family budget by €803 a month without entering the citizen's-benefit system.

Important: the family could additionally check the child supplement. Since the earned income is above the minimum threshold (€900 for couples) and below the maximum income ceiling, a parallel check gives an entitlement of around €150/month on top. In all, the family benefits add up to €953/month — a significant contribution that keeps the parents out of the obligation to apply at the job centre.

Common misconceptions about housing benefit

• "Child benefit is offset against housing benefit": Wrong. Child benefit explicitly does not count as income for the housing benefit calculation. Anyone who enters it anyway artificially reduces their entitlement by several hundred euros a month.
• "Owners have no entitlement": Owners of an owner-occupied property receive a charges subsidy (Lastenzuschuss) — the sister benefit to housing benefit. The basis here is interest, repayment and management costs instead of rent.
• "Housing benefit is a loan": No, housing benefit is a non-repayable grant. A claw-back only arises with demonstrably false information or a failure to report income changes during the approval period.
• "It is not worth applying if I am just above the threshold": The rule of thumb "a rent burden above 30% of net income" almost always justifies checking your entitlement. Online calculators give clarity in five minutes.
• "My assets are checked like with citizen's benefit": For housing benefit there is only an asset ceiling of €60,000 for the first person plus €30,000 for each further household member — considerably more generous than the SGB II protected-assets rule.

Next steps

• Check your entitlement with the housing benefit calculator.
• Calculate the child supplement in parallel.
• Read about the combination in the guide combining the child supplement and housing benefit.
• Single parents: all benefits at a glance in the single-parent guide.

Sources

• Housing Benefit Act (WoGG): gesetze-im-internet.de/wogg
• Housing Benefit Ordinance (WoGV): gesetze-im-internet.de/wogv
• Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building: bmwsb.bund.de
• BMFSFJ family portal: familienportal.de
• Federal Child Benefit Act § 6a (child supplement): gesetze-im-internet.de/bkgg_1996

Note (YMYL disclaimer): Last updated January 2026 | Non-binding estimate. This guide does not replace binding advice from your municipality's housing benefit office. The actual amount of your housing benefit depends on individual factors that only the responsible housing benefit office can conclusively assess.