Pflegewohngeld NRW

Pflegewohngeld (care housing benefit) is a social benefit under state law that is available only in North Rhine-Westphalia. Its legal basis is the Alten- und Pflegegesetz Nordrhein-Westfalen (APG NRW) (Care and Older Persons Act of North Rhine-Westphalia) of 2 October 2014 in its currently applicable version. The central substantive provision is § 14 APG NRW (“Funding of expenditure for inpatient care facilities”), supplemented by the Implementing Regulation to the APG NRW (APG DVO NRW).

The benefit was created because the long-term care insurance under SGB XI only covers care costs in the narrower sense — but not the investment costs of the facility (buildings, furnishings, lifts, energy-efficiency upgrades). These investment costs are charged to residents as a separate item on the care home invoice. Pflegewohngeld covers this item in full or in part where income and assets are insufficient.

Unlike Hilfe zur Pflege (assistance with care) under SGB XII, Pflegewohngeld is not a subsidiary welfare scheme; it is a self-standing social funding benefit of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, examined independently of any potential need for social assistance. Anyone who is in principle entitled receives the benefit even if no social assistance would otherwise yet be due.

Persons entitled are those who live permanently in a full inpatient care facility in North Rhine-Westphalia and have at least care level 2 (Pflegegrad 2) (§ 14 Abs. 1 APG NRW). Care level 1 is expressly excluded, because Pflegewohngeld is tied to admission to a full inpatient care facility, and persons with care level 1 are, under the concept of long-term care insurance, intended to be cared for in a domestic or outpatient setting.

The social welfare office (Sozialamt) checks the following further conditions:

• The facility must be approved as a full inpatient care facility within the meaning of SGB XI and recognised under the APG NRW. Pure facilities of integration assistance or short-term respite care do not qualify.
• The applicant must live there permanently — the minimum length of stay is typically several weeks; an isolated short-term respite stay does not fall within the entitlement.
• Personal income and assets are not sufficient to bear the investment costs entirely from one's own resources.

Nationality is irrelevant. EU citizens and third-country nationals with secure residence status are equally entitled.

The care home invoice in a full inpatient care facility is made up of several items, which are shown separately: care costs (covered by the SGB XI share, with the remaining amount being the facility-uniform personal contribution “EEE”), accommodation, meals, investment costs and, where applicable, a training levy.

The investment costs correspond economically more or less to the basic rent for a place in the home. They include, among other things:

• building depreciation and maintenance,
• proportionate costs for communal areas, kitchens, care bathrooms and administrative rooms,
• lifts, fire safety, energy-efficiency upgrades,
• initial fitting-out and value-enhancing modernisation.

The calculation of permissible investment costs is governed by the APG DVO NRW; they are reviewed and separately recognised by the Landschaftsverbände Rheinland (LVR) and Westfalen-Lippe (LWL) for each facility. Pflegewohngeld can only cover the recognised share — the Festsetzungsbescheinigung (assessment certificate) of the facility is therefore a key application document.

Pflegewohngeld is an income- and asset-tested benefit. The check focuses on whether the resident is able to bear the investment costs from their own means.

For assets, protected allowances (Schonbeträge) apply:

• €10,000 for single persons,
• €15,000 for those who are married or living in a registered civil partnership.

Further protected asset items also apply (so-called Schonvermögen): an owner-occupied flat or owner-occupied house, household goods, appropriate household goods of the spouse, family heirlooms and inherited items of sentimental value, as well as funds earmarked for funeral provision. Inheritances and gifts are in principle taken into account.

For income, pension, retirement provision and other cash income are taken as a starting point. From this, the person retains pocket money of €152.01 as well as an additional personal allowance under § 14 APG NRW; the remaining amount is set off against the investment costs. Whatever investment costs then remain uncovered are paid by Pflegewohngeld.

An important North Rhine-Westphalian feature: there is no recourse to the income or assets of the children and no liability of heirs in respect of Pflegewohngeld; this distinguishes the benefit clearly from classic Hilfe zur Pflege.

Pflegewohngeld is calculated in two steps: first the need side (the facility's investment cost component), and then the personal-contribution side (what the resident is able to contribute themselves).

In simplified terms, the following applies:

• The recognised monthly investment costs of the facility — set by LVR or LWL — give the need.
• From the monthly pension and other income, the pocket money (€152.01) and the personal allowance under § 14 APG NRW are deducted; the remainder is set off against the care home invoice, first against the care share and accommodation, and then against the investment costs.
• If assets exceed the protected allowance, the excess amount must be used first before Pflegewohngeld is granted.
• The investment cost share remaining uncovered after these offsets is paid by the social welfare office directly to the facility and reduces the resident's monthly care home invoice accordingly.

The actual depth of review varies between social welfare offices; in practice, many authorities require an income and asset statement covering the last three to six months, together with current bank statements.

One of the most important features compared to other social benefits: Pflegewohngeld is not paid to the resident, but is transferred directly to the facility (§ 14 Abs. 4 APG NRW). On the care home invoice, the amount appears as an offset item and reduces the personal contribution payable by the resident accordingly.

In practical terms, this means: anyone whose Pflegewohngeld application is approved does not pay the entire care home invoice and then reclaim Pflegewohngeld, but pays only the remaining balance from the outset.

If the application is approved only months after move-in, the social welfare office reimburses the over-paid amounts retroactively from the month of application — generally directly to the facility, which then settles with the resident. A separate payment to the applicant is not provided for; this is intended by the legislator, because Pflegewohngeld serves exclusively to finance investment costs.

Responsible for granting Pflegewohngeld is the social welfare office (Sozialamt) of the municipality in which the care facility is located. North Rhine-Westphalia has 31 districts (Kreise) and 22 independent cities (kreisfreie Städte); accordingly, there are 53 competent social welfare offices. The application is therefore submitted not to the State, but at municipal level.

Specific examples:

• For a care home in Köln, Düsseldorf, Dortmund or Essen, the relevant city social welfare office is competent.
• For a care home in Solingen, Leverkusen, Krefeld or Bonn, the same principle applies; each independent city administers it itself.
• For care homes in the districts, for example in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, the Kreis Recklinghausen or the Hochsauerlandkreis, the district social welfare office in the district town is competent.

Which municipality is competent in any individual case can most easily be determined by the location of the care facility. Application forms are made available online by the social welfare offices; many offer a digital application procedure via Servicekonto.NRW.

Which documents are required follows from the general duties of cooperation under §§ 60 ff. SGB I and from the practice of the social welfare offices. Experience shows that the following documents are required:

• Application form from the competent municipality — completed in full and signed.
• Proof of care level — decision of the long-term care fund or notice of the assessment.
• Care home contract with a breakdown of the care, accommodation, meals and investment cost components.
• Assessment notice (Festsetzungsbescheid) of LVR or LWL regarding the recognised investment costs of the facility.
• Pension and income notices from recent months, where applicable retirement provision benefits, occupational pensions, capital income.
• Bank statements covering the last three to six months for all accounts of the applicant and, where applicable, of the spouse.
• Evidence of savings, instant-access and securities accounts, life insurance policies.
• Identity card or residence permit, where applicable marriage certificate or registered civil partnership certificate.
• Where applicable, a power of attorney or legal guardian's identification, where the application is made by an authorised representative or legal guardian.

In addition to the asset allowances of €10,000 (single persons) and €15,000 (married persons), further asset items remain untouched (so-called Schonvermögen, cf. § 90 SGB XII applied by analogy):

• Owner-occupied home or owner-occupied flat of the applicant or the spouse, in so far as it is appropriate.
• Appropriate household goods as well as personal items, for example a bed required on orthopaedic grounds or a motor vehicle, in so far as necessary for employment or medical appointments.
• Family heirlooms and inherited items of particular sentimental value.
• Funeral provision assets, demonstrably set aside on an earmarked basis for an appropriate funeral.
• Assets from earmarked foundations or compensation payments for damages on account of personal injury and the like.

Gifts made within the last ten years may, under § 528 BGB, be reclaimed under narrowly defined conditions if the donor has become impoverished and is no longer able to support themselves (“reclaiming of a gift on grounds of impoverishment”). However, social welfare offices in North Rhine-Westphalia review this only to a limited extent, because Pflegewohngeld — unlike Hilfe zur Pflege — is not classified as subsidiary welfare.

If the applicant is in a marriage or registered civil partnership, the partner's income and assets are taken into account, in so far as they are not themselves required for the partner's own subsistence. The asset allowance accordingly rises to €15,000.

A North Rhine-Westphalian feature that makes Pflegewohngeld attractive to many families: children are not called upon to contribute to the funding. The parental maintenance law that applied before 2020 also has no effect for Pflegewohngeld; the income threshold of €100,000 gross per year applicable since 1 January 2020 under the Angehörigen-Entlastungsgesetz (Relatives Relief Act) plays no role for Pflegewohngeld, because Pflegewohngeld is in principle not a social assistance entitlement and therefore does not trigger the maintenance recourse under § 94 SGB XII.

The protection works comparably for the owner-occupied home of a spouse who continues to live in the house: it remains protected as appropriate housing and does not have to be sold in order to receive Pflegewohngeld. For this reason, too, it is advisable to prepare the application in good time in complex family situations — ideally before moving into the care home.

Pflegewohngeld and Hilfe zur Pflege under §§ 61 ff. SGB XII are often confused in practice; legally they are to be kept strictly separate.

• Pflegewohngeld is a state-law funding benefit. It exclusively covers investment costs and is structured without maintenance recourse or liability of heirs.
• Hilfe zur Pflege is federal-law social assistance (SGB XII). It applies subsidiarily where the care insurance contribution, care benefits, Pflegewohngeld and personal means together are not sufficient to cover the care home costs. For Hilfe zur Pflege, the €100,000 threshold for parental maintenance under § 94 SGB XII applies.

Within the sequence of care home financing, the typical order is: care insurance share → pension income less protected allowances → Pflegewohngeld → if applicable Hilfe zur Pflege. Anyone who receives Pflegewohngeld is therefore not necessarily reliant on social assistance; many residents finance their care home stay entirely from pension plus Pflegewohngeld.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, the procedure typically follows the following pattern:

• Step 1: Move into the care home and submission of the care level decision (at least care level 2).
• Step 2: Request the application form from the social welfare office of the municipality where the home is located, or download it via Servicekonto.NRW.
• Step 3: Complete the form in full, attach all income and asset evidence, the assessment certificate from LVR/LWL and the care home contract.
• Step 4: Submit it to the social welfare office — by post, via Servicekonto.NRW or at the municipality's reception area.
• Step 5: Follow-up queries, requests for further documents and calculation by the social welfare office.
• Step 6: Decision setting out the monthly amount, with retroactive effect to the month of application.

According to experience reported by the North Rhine-Westphalian consumer advice centre {?}, the processing time is typically two to four months, and longer in heavily burdened social welfare offices. Important: the application takes effect retroactively to the month of application (§ 14 APG NRW in conjunction with the general rules of social administrative procedure law), so submitting the application early secures the retroactive reimbursement.

If an application for Pflegewohngeld is rejected in whole or in part, an objection (Widerspruch) may be filed within one month after the decision is notified (§ 70 VwGO in conjunction with the relevant state-law references). Frequent grounds include excessive offsetting of income, an overly strict valuation of assets, or the question of whether a particular protected allowance applies.

The objection is filed with the same social welfare office that issued the decision. If it is rejected, the route remains open to the administrative court (Verwaltungsgericht) — not the social court — since Pflegewohngeld, as a state-law funding benefit, is allocated to the administrative law route. The deadline to bring an action is again one month from service of the objection decision.

An objection is particularly worthwhile in substantive terms in cases of disputed asset valuations: life insurance policies with a realisation exclusion, hidden inherited items and the owner-occupied home of a spouse are sometimes classified incorrectly. Erroneously transposed assessment notices from LVR or LWL are also a frequent cause of grants being too low.

Pflegewohngeld has for years been at the centre of social policy attention, because investment costs in North Rhine-Westphalia — like the facility-uniform personal contribution (EEE) — have risen significantly. As a consequence: more and more care home residents are in principle entitled without submitting an application.

Important points of discussion:

• Increase in protected allowances: observers and associations such as VdK NRW are calling for the long-unchanged €10,000/€15,000 thresholds to be adjusted for inflation. {?} A specific reform act has not been passed as of 2025.
• Harmonisation with other federal states: so far, only North Rhine-Westphalia, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein and (with restrictions) Bremen offer comparable benefits; in the other federal states, investment costs must either be borne in full from one's own resources or covered through Hilfe zur Pflege.
• Digitalisation: several North Rhine-Westphalian municipalities have integrated Pflegewohngeld as a digital administrative procedure via Servicekonto.NRW; a state-wide uniform solution is still pending.
• Rise in the EEE: the facility-uniform personal contribution — not to be confused with the investment costs — is, in nationwide comparison, above average in North Rhine-Westphalia and is not covered by Pflegewohngeld; for this, Hilfe zur Pflege may come into consideration.

From the advisory practice of North Rhine-Westphalian welfare associations, care advice centres (Pflegestützpunkte) and consumer advice centres, a number of mistakes can be identified that regularly delay applications or lead to rejection:

• Application submitted too late: retroactivity only applies from the month of application. Anyone who applies only three months after move-in definitively loses three months of Pflegewohngeld.
• Missing assessment notice for the investment costs from LVR or LWL — without this notice, the social welfare office cannot calculate a recognised investment cost amount.
• Assets not disclosed in full: even small instant-access accounts or securities accounts must be disclosed; concealed accounts lead to reclamation and possibly criminal consequences.
• Confusion with Hilfe zur Pflege: anyone who applies for Hilfe zur Pflege without first checking Pflegewohngeld risks the application of maintenance recourse against children — which Pflegewohngeld avoids.
• Care level 1 stated: leads to mandatory rejection, because care level 2 is the lower entitlement threshold.
• Care home outside North Rhine-Westphalia: even where the applicant previously lived in North Rhine-Westphalia, Pflegewohngeld applies exclusively to care homes in North Rhine-Westphalia.