Housing benefit approval again

To ensure that your housing benefit payments are not interrupted, you should submit an application for continued payment of housing benefit two months before the end of the approval period.

Housing benefit is generally granted for twelve months and for a maximum of 24 months. To ensure that your current housing benefit payment is not interrupted, you should submit an application for continued housing benefit two months before the end of the current approval period. The housing benefit authority will then re-examine the conditions for your entitlement.

Please contact the housing benefit authority responsible for your place of residence.

You must enclose supporting documents with the completed application for continued benefits.

Current proof of your rent or charges, in particular

• Bank statements showing the amount of the current rent,
• current statement of operating costs, if applicable,
• for owners: Proof of existing loans that you have taken out for the purchase, construction or modernization of your home or condominium,
• for owners: current property tax assessment.

Proof of income of all household members, for example

• Wage and salary statements for the last few months,
• current pension statement,
• current notification of receipt of other social benefits (e.g. unemployment benefit, parental benefit, maintenance advance, sickness benefit),
• Proof of maintenance payments,
• Proof of interest and other investment income (e.g. savings accounts, fixed-term deposits, call money, building society savings contracts, funds); in particular tax certificates.

Other evidence (if available), for example

• Severely disabled person's pass and notification of care insurance benefits

Whether and to what extent you can claim housing benefit depends on various factors:
1. how high is your total income?
2. how high is your rent or your monthly mortgage if you own your own home?
3. how many household members are there and what is their income?

1. total income:
The total income is the sum of the annual incomes of all household members to be taken into account. Certain allowances and deductions for maintenance payments can be deducted from this. Income is calculated on the basis of taxable income, supplemented by tax-free income.

In each case, 10% must be deducted from this if, during the approval period

• Taxes on income
• Contributions to statutory health and long-term care insurance
• contributions to statutory pension insurance

are paid. If all three payments listed are made, the deductible amount is 30%.

2. rent/monthly charge for ownership:
Rent is the agreed payment for the use of living space on the basis of a rental agreement. Burdens for owners are the expenses for debt service and the management of the property. The basis for calculating the housing benefit is the gross rent. The rent does not include heating costs and costs for hot water. These are taken into account via a lump sum. Household electricity and payments for the use of a garage or parking space for motor vehicles are also not included. The rent or charge is only eligible up to certain maximum amounts. The maximum amounts depend on the local rent level, the so-called rent levels.

3. household members:
Household members are the person entitled to housing benefit and certain other persons living in the home. The home must be the center of life for each of these persons. Household members who are excluded from housing benefit are not taken into account. You are excluded from housing benefit if you receive transfer benefits (other social benefits) that already include housing costs.

For example:

• Citizen's allowance or
• Basic income support in old age and in the event of reduced earning capacity.

Students and trainees living alone are also not entitled to housing benefit if they are entitled to BAföG or Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe (BAB). This also applies if BAföG or BAB was rejected because the parents' income was too high. For details, please contact the housing benefit authority responsible for you.

Contradiction

Applications for continued payment of housing benefit must be submitted to the housing benefit authority responsible for your area. Once the application has been processed, the housing benefit authority will issue a new decision.

Housing benefit is generally paid from the first of the month in which the application is submitted.