The 131-euro relief amount: how to use it in Germany
The budget most often left unused: it is only paid against receipts, and only for certain kinds of help. What counts, what does not, and how long leftovers last.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Relief amount: what is left and for how long
Usable until 30 June 2027
€1,048
| Entitlement 2026 | €1,572 |
| refunded | €524 |
After that the 2026 balance lapses (section 45b(1)).
Everyone with a German care grade who lives at home, from grade 1 upwards, is entitled to a relief amount (Entlastungsbetrag) of up to €131 a month, €1,572 a year, under section 45b of Book XI of the Social Code. No application is needed, but the money is never simply transferred: the long-term care fund refunds bills for four kinds of help, namely day or night care, short-term care, services by a registered home care provider (from grade 2 not for personal care) and everyday support services recognised under the law of the federal state, such as dementia groups, companions or household help. Money not used in a calendar year can still be claimed until 30 June of the following year and then lapses. A household that claimed for only five months in 2026 still has €917 available until the end of June 2027. The relief amount does not reduce the care allowance or the services budget and runs independently of the conversion claim.
The four permitted uses
| Service | What the relief amount pays | Restriction |
|---|---|---|
| Day and night care | own share: meals, investment costs, transport where charged | none |
| Short-term care | board, lodging, investment costs, care costs above the annual budget | none |
| Registered home care service | supervision, household help, accompaniment | from grade 2 not personal care, feeding or mobility |
| Recognised everyday support services | dementia groups, companions, household help, family relief services | only providers recognised under state law |
The rule excluding personal care from grade 2 causes many rejected claims. At those grades washing and dressing are meant to be paid from the services budget; the relief amount covers help that eases the family’s load without being basic care: someone who takes your father with dementia for a two-hour walk, cleans the flat or brings him to a group. At grade 1 the restriction does not apply.
Recognition depends on the state
For everyday support services federal law hands the details to the sixteen states (section 45a SGB XI). Each state has its own regulation on who is recognised, what training is required and what prices may be charged, so the same help can be refundable in one state and not in the next. This matters most for neighbours and individual helpers. Prices may not exceed those of comparable professional services (section 45b(4)).
For adult children who live abroad this is often the key practical question. A reliable person on the spot is worth more than any payment, but before promising that the care fund will pay, check the state’s list of recognised providers or ask whether the helper can register.
Carrying money over
The entitlement accrues monthly but can be used across the year: little help in spring, several weeks of household help in autumn. What is left on 31 December can still be claimed until 30 June of the next year. Someone who was awarded a grade in September accrues only four months for 2026, €524.
Conversion claim: everyday help from the services budget
Refunded via conversion
€250
| at most 40% of | €796 |
| Allowance afterwards | €238.02 |
| Relief amount on top | €131 |
Relief amount and conversion claim side by side
From grade 2 there is a second way to pay for everyday help: up to 40 percent of the unused services budget can be converted (conversion claim). Both run independently. At grade 3 a family could claim €131 through the relief amount and up to €598.80 through conversion. The difference is the cost: conversion counts as used services and reduces the allowance, so converting €400 at grade 3 leaves €438.95 of allowance, whereas the relief amount costs no allowance at all.
What it is not
It is not a wage for family carers and not a flat rate for shopping or taxis without receipts. It does not pay a private cleaning firm that lacks state recognition, however reliable. It is not the same as respite care, which has its own budget, although relief-amount refunds remain possible when respite money is used for the same help.
Three households, three ways
A widow at grade 1 living alone. She has no allowance. A registered care service comes twice a month to help her shower and bills €131 directly to the fund. That is allowed at grade 1 because the personal-care exclusion only starts at grade 2.
A father at grade 3 with dementia. His daughter cares for him and receives the allowance on his behalf. He goes to a day centre twice a week; the fund pays the care part from the separate day-care budget, and the relief amount covers meals and investment costs of around €131 a month. The allowance stays untouched.
A couple, both at grade 2. Each has their own relief amount. A recognised household helper comes weekly and bills each of them half, so the household can use €262 a month between them.
Three steps
- Ask the Pflegestützpunkt or the fund for the list of recognised providers near your relative.
- Agree with the provider whether it bills the fund directly or you pay first.
- Keep receipts that name the service type and submit last year’s balance before 30 June.