Citizen's benefit is intended to ensure the minimum subsistence level. Single people receive 563 euros, while couples receive 1012 euros.
The current standard rates (as of April 2024) are too low for a protagonist of the show “Hartz und Herzlich” The mother of seven says the citizen's money “isn't really much,” said the woman who now houses three cats in her apartment. She is happy to no longer have to rely on citizens' money. Inflation is also making conditions more difficult. “Food and drinks are still too expensive. I hope that it will be adjusted properly,’ says the mother who received citizen's benefit until she recently took on a new job. Another citizen’s benefit recipient finds a job after 20 years, but quickly becomes annoyed. Meanwhile, researchers have refuted the theory that work in Germany is no longer worthwhile. They concluded that people who receive citizens’ benefit should get more than they need.