You can generally receive living expenses as a social assistance benefit if you are in need of assistance and:

• neither receive basic income support for job seekers,
• nor basic income support for seniors or those with reduced earning capacity.

Children under the age of 15 are eligible for social assistance if they:

• live with people who receive financial assistance for living expenses (usually with their parents) and
• are unable to support themselves despite having claims to child support.

Income support benefits include: 

• a flat-rate standard allowance to cover basic living expenses, such as food, clothing, or personal hygiene. A separate standard allowance is set for each family member.
• Educational and participation benefits for children and adolescents, for example for:
  • field trips,
  • personal school supplies,
  • student transit passes,
  • supplementary learning support,
  • school lunches, or
  • club dues, music lessons, and similar expenses.
• Expenses for housing and heating.
• In exceptional cases, assumption of debt to:
  • preventing homelessness,
  • secure your housing, or
  • to resolve a comparable emergency, such as debts to an energy provider.
• Expenses for your health and long-term care insurance premiums and, under certain conditions, for your retirement savings.

In addition to your standard benefit rate, you may receive benefits to cover additional living expenses. You can apply for these additional benefits if you:

• meet the requirements for a severe disability certificate marked with the “G” designation and are deemed unable to work under pension law, 
• are an expectant mother from the 13th week of pregnancy onward, 
• are a single parent, 
• are at least 15 years old, have a disability, and receive assistance for appropriate schooling or vocational training as part of integration support,
• require a special diet due to a medical condition that results in higher costs than a “normal” diet,
• generate hot water locally (e.g., via a water heater) rather than through a central heating system, or
• are a student and, due to applicable school regulations or requirements, incur expenses for the purchase or rental of textbooks or equivalent workbooks.  

If you do not live alone, the social services office will take your total family income into account when determining your need for assistance. This includes the income of all family members living together in the same household, such as:

• Earned income,
• child support payments, and
• pension income.

Child support paid for minors, as well as any maintenance payments for a child, are attributed to that child to cover their needs.

Certain assets are considered exempt assets and are not taken into account, for example:

• small amounts of cash (liquid assets per adult: 10,000 EUR) or
• a reasonably sized residential property.

With a few exceptions, you will not receive benefits for past periods.