Wohngeld calculator 2026

The Buronia Wohngeld calculator delivers a quick estimate of your Wohngeld-Plus entitlement based on four inputs: household size, gross cold rent, qualifying family income, and the rent tier (Mietstufe) of your municipality. The calculation runs in real time, with no sign-in and no data storage.

Important note: Since the Wohngeld-Plus reform in 2023, the Wohngeldgesetz (WoGG) uses statutory tables from Anlage 1 that cannot be reduced to a closed-form formula. The official BMWSB calculator performs table lookups. Buronia uses a calibrated linear approximation that lies within ±20% of the official calculator for typical households (1–5 people, 0–4,000 € income, 0–1,500 € rent). For the binding calculation, please contact your city's Wohngeldstelle or the official BMWSB calculator.

The Buronia approximation:

Wohngeld ≈ M − k(household_size) × (income − 200)

where M is the qualifying gross cold rent (capped by the Mietstufe ceiling), and k is a calibrated factor per household size:

• 1 person: k = 0.46
• 2 people: k = 0.42
• 3 people: k = 0.38
• 4 people: k = 0.34
• 5 people: k = 0.30

If income exceeds the income ceiling for the household size (1 pers: 2,200 €; 2 pers: 3,000 €; 3 pers: 3,700 €; 4 pers: 4,300 €; 5 pers: 4,900 €), Wohngeld is set to 0 €.

The exact WoGG formula uses three parameters (a, b, c) from Anlage 1 in the construction 1.15 · M · (1 − (a + b·M + c·Y) · Y) — that's not implemented in the calculator because a faulty implementation of a table lookup would produce grossly wrong results. An honest estimate is better than a precise-looking but incorrect number.

Germany's ~10,000 municipalities are divided into seven rent tiers (Mietstufen I to VII) — the more expensive the rent level locally, the higher the tier and the higher the maximum rent recognised in the Wohngeld calculation.

• Tier I — cheap rural regions (e.g. parts of Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Thuringia). 1-person ceiling: 347 €.
• Tier IV — mid-sized German cities (e.g. Hannover, Bremen, Magdeburg, Saarbrücken). 1-person ceiling: 463 €.
• Tier VII — most expensive cities (Munich, Frankfurt am Main, Stuttgart). 1-person ceiling: 633 €.

You can find your municipality's Mietstufe:

• on the latest Wohngeld notice (if you've received Wohngeld before)
• at wohngeld.org/mietstufe with postcode lookup
• directly at your city's or district's Wohngeldstelle

Mietstufen are reassigned every 4 years (most recently 2024) on the basis of the municipal Mietspiegel (rent index).

Wohngeld targets working people on low incomes — anyone who already receives Bürgergeld or Grundsicherung does NOT get Wohngeld (housing costs are bundled into those benefits as KdU).

Entitled are:

• Tenants (Mietzuschuss — rent subsidy)
• Owners (Lastenzuschuss — burden subsidy for owner-occupied property)
• Residents of homes (e.g. care home, supported living) — as a rent-subsidy variant

Requirements:

• Income above the Bürgergeld threshold but below the Wohngeld income ceiling (see the "How is Wohngeld calculated?" table)
• Residence in Germany
• For students: only if not eligible for BAföG by category (de-facto access requirement; easier to meet since the Wohngeld-Plus reform)

The 2023 reform ("Wohngeld Plus") expanded the eligible population from ~600,000 to ~2 million households — but many entitled people still don't apply.

Apply at the Wohngeldstelle of your city or district (in city-states: Bezirksamt). The application must be in writing — many municipalities now offer online forms.

Required documents:

• Rental contract
• Previous year's utility bill (for the gross cold rent)
• Income proof for all household members for the last 12 months
• Bank statements or bank confirmations
• Proof of any other social benefits (sick pay, Elterngeld, etc.)
• For owners: land register extract, statement of charges

Processing time: usually 4–8 weeks. In financial emergencies you can request an advance payment. Approval period: typically 12 months; thereafter file a follow-up application.

Important: Wohngeld can only be granted retroactively from the application month — so don't wait too long; apply directly as soon as the requirements are met.