Hartz IV bonus: when the extra money is paid out
Created: 05/26/2022, 20:06
By: Patricia Huber
Hartz IV recipients will soon be able to look forward to a bonus payment.
When is the money available and who receives it - an overview.
Berlin - The rising prices are a particular burden on people who already live on the subsistence level.
The Hartz IV standard rate has been €449 per month since January 1, 2022.
This means that the rate has increased by three euros compared to the previous year.
But the prices in the supermarket, the drugstore and at the gas station have also risen.
The federal government has therefore decided on a bonus for social welfare recipients as part of its relief package.
Hartz IV: These people receive the bonus
At the end of April, the federal government decided that those entitled to benefits should receive a one-time payment of 200 euros.
“The effects of the pandemic and the rising cost of living are hitting people who depend on government support particularly hard.
We are therefore increasing the one-off payments for everyone who receives benefits from the social security systems to 200 euros to support people in this difficult situation," explained Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil.
Previously, only a payment of 100 euros was planned.
Everyone who receives Hartz IV or basic security receives the bonus.
But when can recipients count on the money?
According to the federal government's draft law, the money is to be paid out in July.
Hartz IV: Criticism of the rule set does not stop
Despite the bonus payment, the criticism of the current Hartz IV rate has not abated.
Ulrich Schneider from the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband explained that the relief package was questionable from a social, ecological and budgetary point of view.
"The households that already have the most get the most relief," criticized Schneider.
He called for the immediate increase in the Hartz IV standard rate from 449 to 678 euros, full coverage of the electricity costs for recipients of basic security, the conversion of housing benefit to warm rent and the expansion of the group of recipients of housing benefit.
"Then we would have caught those who are really poor."
