Bürgergeld calculator 2026

The Buronia Bürgergeld calculator estimates your monthly entitlement using the 2026 standard rates per § 20 SGB II and the earnings allowance per § 11b SGB II. Six inputs — household type, children in three age brackets, total warm rent, and gross earned income — drive the live calculation. There's no Calculate button.

Important: this is an estimate. The binding decision comes from the responsible Jobcenter, which additionally considers assets, special needs (Mehrbedarfe for pregnant women, single parents, the disabled), rental income, and more. The estimate is enough to decide whether an application is worthwhile.

Core formula:

Bürgergeld = standard need + housing costs − countable income

Standard rates 2026 (unchanged vs. 2025):

• Single / single parent: €563
• Adult partners in a Bedarfsgemeinschaft: €506 per person (€1,012 for a couple)
• Children 14–17: €471
• Children 6–13: €390
• Children under 6: €357

Housing costs (KdU — Kosten der Unterkunft): the actual gross warm rent including utilities and heating. The Jobcenter checks "reasonableness" against municipal tables; in the estimate we use the real amount.

Countable income is gross earned income minus the earnings allowance per § 11b SGB II:

• Base allowance: €100
• + 20% from €100 to €520
• + 30% from €520 to €1,000
• + 10% from €1,000 to €1,200 (singles) or €1,500 (with child)

Example: couple, one child under 6, warm rent €850, no income → 1,012 + 357 + 850 = €2,219/month.

Bürgergeld under SGB II is paid to those who:

• are able to work (at least 3 hours per day)
• are between 15 and the standard retirement age
• have habitual stay in Germany
• are in need (income + assets are insufficient to cover the cost of living)

The asset threshold has been generous since 2023: in the first 12 months (Karenzzeit), protected assets are €40,000 per person plus €15,000 per additional household member. Owner-occupied real estate is protected regardless of value, as is retirement provision.

Those unable to work (e.g. permanently incapacitated, retirees with too little pension) receive Grundsicherung im Alter und bei Erwerbsminderung under SGB XII — the standard rates are similar, but the procedure runs through the social-welfare office, not the Jobcenter.

The application goes to the Jobcenter at your place of residence (municipal or jointly with the Bundesagentur für Arbeit, depending on the federal state). It can be filed online via jobcenter.digital or in writing.

Mandatory forms:

• Main application (lettered codes per applicant)
• Annex WEP (further persons) — per additional household member
• Annex KAS (cashbox) — IBAN for payment
• Annex KDU (housing costs) — rental contract, utility bill, heating bill
• Annex EK — income proofs from the last 3 months
• Annex VM — assets (accounts, insurances, real estate)

Processing time: 2–4 weeks in standard cases, up to 6 months for complex situations or missing documents. In acute hardship, an advance payment per § 42 SGB I can be applied for.

Is my car counted? Not in the Karenzzeit. After that: a reasonable car per employable person is protected (≤ €7,500).

What about Riester / private retirement provision? Protected, as long as it is contractually bound as such.

Do I get health insurance too? Yes — Bürgergeld recipients are automatically members of the statutory health insurance; the Jobcenter pays the contributions.

What is the Mehrbedarf for single parents? On top of the standard rate: with 1 child under 7 or 2 children under 16 → +36% of the single rate (i.e. +€203/month). These additional needs are not modelled in the simple calculator.

What about sanctions? Yes, but milder: max 30% reduction of the standard rate for 1 month for breaches of duty. A reduction of the KdU portion is no longer permitted.