Pflegegeld
Care allowance for family caregivers
€316 to €901 per month from the Pflegekasse — when family members provide care at home instead of a professional care service (Pflegegrad 2-5).
Start application →Pflegegeld is the cash benefit from the Pflegekasse (long-term-care insurance fund) for people with Pflegegrad 2-5 who organise their own care at home — typically through family caregivers. Governed by § 37 SGB XI. Unlike Pflegesachleistungen (which pay professional care services directly), Pflegegeld is paid to the care recipient's own account, who passes it on to the family caregiver. 2024 amounts: Pflegegrad 2 = €332, Pflegegrad 3 = €573, Pflegegrad 4 = €765, Pflegegrad 5 = €947 per month. Combination with Pflegesachleistungen is allowed — e.g. 60% Pflegegeld + 40% care service means 40% pro-rated Pflegegeld plus full service-budget access up to the 40% limit. Prerequisite is the assessment by the Medizinischer Dienst (MD, formerly MDK). Apply at the Pflegekasse, which is organisationally attached to your Krankenkasse.
Eligibility
You qualify for Pflegegeld if:
- Pflegegrad 2, 3, 4 or 5 is recognised (Pflegegrad 1 receives only the €125/month Entlastungsbetrag, not Pflegegeld)
- you are being cared for at home (not in a residential care facility)
- care is provided by a suitable carer (relative, neighbour, friend — no professional credentials required)
- the Pflegekasse has reviewed and approved the home-care situation
- you are insured in statutory or private long-term-care insurance and meet the 2-out-of-10-years prior-insurance period