How to check if you are also eligible for housing assistance
The number of pensioners receiving Wohngeld (housing benefit) in Germany has more than doubled between 2020 and 2024, reflecting rising living costs and a major reform that increased the amount of support available to retirees.
According to figures released by the German government in response to a parliamentary inquiry from the AfD party, the number of retirees receiving housing benefit increased from just over 300,000 in 2020 to nearly 700,000 by 2024. The data was obtained by the AFP news agency and highlights how more elderly residents are relying on the subsidy to cover housing expenses.
The rise in beneficiaries also followed a legal reform introduced in 2023, which significantly increased payments. After the change, the average housing benefit for households already receiving support doubled by about €190, bringing the monthly average to roughly €370. This policy adjustment aimed to help low-income households cope with higher rents and living costs.
Housing benefit is intended for pensioners who can no longer afford their housing costs on their own but who do not receive Grundsicherung (basic income support). The subsidy is available to both renters and homeowners, and even retirees living in nursing homes can qualify. The exact amount depends on several factors, including household income, rent costs, local rent levels, and the number of people living in the household.
There is no single income limit across Germany. Pensioners with lower pensions who live in cities with higher rents typically receive the largest payments. For example, a single retiree in Jüterbog, Brandenburg, earning a gross monthly pension of €1,300 and paying €445 in rent including utilities could receive around €110 in housing benefit, according to calculations by the Bundesministerium für Wohnen, Stadtentwicklung und Bauwesen (Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building).
Applications for Wohngeld (housing benefit) must be submitted to the Wohngeldstelle (housing benefit office) in the applicant’s municipality. If approved, the subsidy is usually granted for 12 months and can be extended to 24 months, after which a new application must be submitted.
Regional differences are also evident. In 2024, about 500,000 pensioners in West Germany received housing benefit compared with roughly 200,000 in East Germany. However, the proportion of retirees relying on the subsidy is higher in the east: around 4.02 percent of pensioners receive housing benefit there, compared with 2.58 percent in the west.
Government spending on the program has risen sharply alongside the growing number of recipients. Monthly housing benefit expenditures increased from €35.2 million in 2020 to €143.5 million in 2024 — nearly four times higher. Pensioners now account for a much larger share of total housing benefit spending, rising from 33.5 percent in 2020 to 41.1 percent in 2024. In eastern Germany, payments to retirees already represent more than half of all housing benefit expenditures, reaching 57.4 percent.