As of: February 20, 2024, 12:30 p.m
By: Carina Blumenroth
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Everyone can find themselves in the situation of having to care or be cared for.
One form of support in Germany is the care allowance.
What you need to know about it.
No longer being able to look after yourself the way you actually want – this can be caused by old age, an illness or an accident.
If you need care (at least with care level II) and are cared for at home, you can apply for care allowance.
As a rule, the money is paid out to the restricted person, who then passes it on, the
Federal Ministry of Health
informs on its website.
The money per se is not counted as income.
Care allowance in Germany – it is not counted against income
If relatives receive the care allowance, this does not count towards their income.
(Symbolic image) © HalfPoint Images/Imago
Who will take care of the care?
Those affected in Germany should be able to decide for themselves, which is why long-term care insurance provides support in this area.
If relatives, friends or other volunteers take over the care, there is care allowance - this has increased in 2024.
This care allowance has no impact on a possible pension, informs the
Pflege.de
portal .
Accordingly, you will not receive more or less pension or survivor's pension if you receive care allowance.
Furthermore, the care allowance generally does not count as the insured person's income and therefore cannot be offset against any benefits.
The same is true for caring relatives,
Pflege.de
informs .
If they receive financial recognition in the amount of the care allowance, this will not be counted against their income.
Citizens' allowance or similar will not be reduced in this case.
What about caregivers who are not family members?
As a rule, the passed-on care allowance is to be taken into account as income in this case, informs the
Mittendrin-Koeln.de
portal .
Depending on the individual case, there may be exceptions - moral reasons and the personal relationship between the carer and the person being cared for are taken into account, among other things.
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Care allowance and housing benefit – this is not taken into account for the person in need of care
If you are in need of care and apply for housing benefit, the care benefit may not be counted against your income when applying for housing benefit.
If you pass the money on to a carer, things may look different,
Mittendrin-Koeln.de
informs .
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A household between the carer and the person to be cared for: If a moral obligation is fulfilled, the care allowance is not taken into account.
The carer does not live in the household and fulfills a moral obligation: half of the care allowance is taken into account.
The carer does not live in the household and does not fulfill any moral obligation: the money is fully credited.
Care allowance and tax: Tax-free for those affected and their relatives
The
social association VdK
informs that the care allowance for those affected and their relatives remains tax-free as a social benefit.
Likewise, carers who are not relatives but have a close relationship with the person in need of care generally do not pay any taxes on this.
Everyone else has to declare the care allowance in the normal way in their income tax return.
If you receive more money than the care allowance, relatives and close friends must also declare the money to the tax office.