Hartz IV: False reports about secret assets - "Has nothing to do with reality"

Many Germans suspect that Hartz IV recipients have hidden assets and social fraud.

Current figures from the job centers show that the opposite is actually the case.

Berlin - According to the latest figures from the job center, only a few Hartz IV * recipients withhold assets or additional income and thus sneak social benefits.

In only 945 cases, the job center found in 2020 that too much unemployment benefit II (Hartz IV) had been paid out because assets had been concealed.

The review of the job center was carried out on the occasion of a request from the Greens in the Bundestag.

According to the job centers, overpayments occurred mainly because income from mini-jobs or employment subject to social insurance contributions was concealed.

According to the information, an average of EUR 680 too much was paid out per abuse.

Hartz-IV: Concepts of secret assets have "nothing to do with reality"

As

reported by

, the request was made by the Green MP Sven Lehmann, spokesman for social policy in the Bundestag. After the

newspaper caused a stir at the end of July with the headline "Hunt for secret assets from Hartz IV recipients", Lehmann wanted to know more precisely what it was all about. After the figures were presented to the federal government, Lehmann made a clear judgment. The idea of ​​wealthy Hartz IV recipients has "nothing to do with reality".

In order to prevent social fraud, the authorities exchange information with one another.

The method of automated data balancing is used for this.

For this purpose, data from the statutory pension insurance * are compared with the Federal Central Tax Office on a quarterly basis.

If an abnormality is found, it is determined whether it is a matter of a service abuse.

This is the case if Hartz IV recipients grossly negligently provide incorrect or incomplete information about additional income or assets and thus receive higher benefits.

If this is done deliberately, the recipient will be reported for fraud.

Hartz-IV: Working welfare recipients should be encouraged rather than punished

The Federal Ministry of Labor finds cases of concealed additional income far more often. In the past year, 78,382 fraudsters were identified through the automated data comparison. This makes up 93 percent of all confirmed cases of abuse. Overall, a sum of 57.3 million euros too much was paid out to social welfare recipients in 2020.

For Green politicians * Lehmann, the

line from the end of July is thus refuted. He states that there can be no question of “widespread and widespread abuse of property”. Most cases of abuse are about people “who work and want to generate income”, Lehmann continues. At the same time, he calls for Hartz IV recipients who earn extra money to be encouraged rather than punished. Many would lose the incentive to work if a large part of the income generated was withdrawn directly from them.