Work out German respite care for 2026
Who steps in when the main carer needs a holiday or falls ill? The calculator splits the annual budget and shows what is left.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Reimbursed by the fund
€1,500
Left in the pot: €2,039
| Short-term care | €0 |
|---|---|
| Respite by a service or neighbours | €1,500 |
| Respite by relatives | €0 |
| You pay yourself | €0 |
| Half allowance meanwhile | €139.77 |
Step-by-step calculation
- One pot of €3,539 per calendar year for both benefits (section 42a), each for up to 8 weeks.
- Close relatives stepping in on a non-professional basis: normally at most 2 × care allowance = €1,198, plus documented costs such as travel or lost earnings (section 39(3)).
- During replacement care half the care allowance continues: €9.98 a day, 14 days = €139.77 (section 37(2)).
- Claim reimbursement by the end of the following year (section 39(1)).
Estimate using the 2026 amounts in Book XI of the Social Code. Only the decision letter from your Pflegekasse is binding. How we calculate
When the person providing care at home is on holiday, ill or otherwise unable to care, the German long-term care fund pays for replacement care for up to eight weeks per calendar year from care grade 2 (section 39 of Book XI of the Social Code). Since 1 July 2025 respite care (Verhinderungspflege) and short-term care share one joint annual budget of €3,539 (section 42a). There is no longer a six-month waiting period and no need to apply beforehand; the refund must be claimed by the end of the following year. If a care service, a neighbour or a more distant relative covers, the fund refunds documented costs up to the budget. If close relatives up to the second degree or people in the same household cover on a non-professional basis, it normally pays at most twice the monthly care allowance, €1,198 at grade 3, plus documented travel costs or lost earnings. Half the care allowance continues meanwhile: €187 for two weeks at grade 4.
Who covers decides the amount
| Replacement care by | Refund | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Care service, support service | documented costs up to €3,539 | s. 39(2) |
| Neighbours, friends, relatives of 3rd degree or further | documented costs up to €3,539 | s. 39(2) |
| Children, parents, siblings, grandchildren, in-laws, household members (professionally) | up to €3,539 | s. 39(3) sentence 1 |
| the same, non-professionally | 2 × allowance plus documented costs, at most €3,539 | s. 39(3) sentences 2 to 4 |
Example: at grade 3 a daughter covers for two weeks for her father, who normally cares for her mother, and claims €1,500. As a first-degree relative caring non-professionally, the fund recognises at most €1,198 plus €180 of documented travel: €1,378 is refunded and €2,161 stays in the pot for later short-term care. If the family books a care service for €2,000 at grade 4 instead, the fund pays it in full and €1,539 remains.
Do not forget the half allowance
During replacement care the fund continues paying half the allowance for up to eight weeks a year (section 37(2) SGB XI). Enter the number of days in the calculator to see the total.
Short-term care from the same pot
If a bed in a facility is needed, for example after a hospital stay, short-term care is paid from the same annual budget, so whatever was used for cover at home is missing there. Board and lodging in the facility are not covered by the budget; the relief amount can pay them.