Shared-flat supplement: money for the assistant in a German care flat
Not a private flat, not a care home either: what a shared care flat in Germany must meet so that each member receives a monthly supplement.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Shared-flat supplement: does your flat qualify?
Supplement per month
€224
| Group size allowed | 3–12 |
| Allowance alongside | €599 |
Anyone living in an assisted shared flat (ambulant betreute Wohngruppe) receives a flat-rate supplement of €224 a month from the German long-term care fund on top of all other benefits (Wohngruppenzuschlag, section 45f of Book XI of the Social Code, SGB XI). The law sets four conditions. The person lives with at least 2 and at most 11 other people in one shared home, so the group has 3 to 12 members, and at least 2 of the others also have a care grade. At grades 2 to 5 the person draws the care allowance, the services budget, the combined benefit, the conversion claim or the relief amount; at grade 1 this is not required, according to the Federal Ministry of Health. The members jointly hire an assistant (Präsenzkraft) for organisation, housekeeping and community life. And the arrangement must not largely match the services of a care home. With nine members, €2,016 a month is available for the assistant. Founding members can also get a one-off grant of up to €2,613 each, at most €10,452 per flat.
The four conditions of section 45f
| Condition | What the law requires | Where it often fails |
|---|---|---|
| Shared home | with at least 2 and at most 11 other people, for the purpose of jointly organised care; at least 2 others with a care grade | group too small or too large, separate flats in the same building |
| Drawing a benefit | at grades 2 to 5: care allowance, services, combined benefit, conversion or relief amount | rarely, almost every member draws one of these |
| Assistant | hired jointly by the members for organisation, administration, supervision, community life or housekeeping | supplied by the provider instead of hired by the members |
| No care-home package | no provider or third party guarantees services largely matching full residential care | an all-in package that resembles a care home |
The Federal Ministry of Health describes care flats as a way of living where residents have their own rooms and share common areas (BMG, assisted shared flats). Care insurance supports them because members can stay in a home setting longer without being left on their own. Legally each member remains in home care, so the allowance, the services budget and the relief amount continue as in a private flat. For a family abroad, a care flat near a parent’s old neighbourhood can therefore be a realistic alternative to a care home.
What one member can draw each month
| Care grade | Services budget | Shared-flat supplement | Relief amount | Consumable aids | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €0 | €224 | €131 | €42 | €397 |
| 2 | €796 | €224 | €131 | €42 | €1,193 |
| 3 | €1,497 | €224 | €131 | €42 | €1,894 |
| 4 | €1,859 | €224 | €131 | €42 | €2,256 |
| 5 | €2,299 | €224 | €131 | €42 | €2,696 |
At grade 3, €1,894 a month is therefore available for care, the assistant and everyday help. If all members use the same care service, visits are easier to plan. That is not required: each member stays free to choose their own service. Anyone whose care is provided by relatives receives the allowance instead of services, and the supplement stays the same.
How much money the group has for the assistant
| Members with a care grade | Supplement per month | per year |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | €672 | €8,064 |
| 6 | €1,344 | €16,128 |
| 9 | €2,016 | €24,192 |
| 12 | €2,688 | €32,256 |
The total is the budget from which the group pays the assistant. How many hours it buys depends on the agreed rate, which the law does not set. Because the assistant must be hired jointly, a written contract signed by all members or their representatives makes sense, together with a list of agreed tasks, which the fund may ask for anyway.
What the fund may check
To check the conditions, the care fund may ask for an informal confirmation of the living arrangement, the address and founding date of the group, the tenancy agreement with a floor plan, the care contract under section 120 SGB XI, the assistant’s name, address, phone number and signature, and their agreed tasks (section 45f(2)). The floor plan shows whether it really is one shared home. If you act for a parent who can no longer sign, send your power of attorney along with the papers.
Day care is a special case: alongside the supplement it is only possible if a review by the Medical Service shows the fund that care in the flat cannot be adequately ensured without it (section 45f(1), second sentence).
Founding and adapting a flat
Founding members who are entitled to the supplement in the new flat can receive a one-off amount of up to €2,613 each for making the shared home age-appropriate or low-barrier, on top of the adaptation grant under section 40(4) (section 45g SGB XI). The amount is capped at €10,452 per flat. The application must be made within 1 year of the conditions being met; the work may take place before founding and moving in. The entitlement ends once national funding reaches 30 million euros. The home adaptation grant runs alongside: six members converting a bathroom for €30,000 receive at most €16,720 under it, or €2,787 each.
Grant for a bathroom, stairlift or doors
Grant from the fund
€4,180
| Cap | €4,180 |
| you pay | €3,320 |
How it differs from the section 45h grant
Since January 2026 there is a second model: shared living arrangements where a registered care service has signed a contract under section 92c with the funders, with a basic package of care, supervision, housekeeping and home nursing. Residents there receive a flat-rate grant of €450 a month (section 45h SGB XI). Section 45h lists which benefits are possible alongside it, and the shared-flat supplement is not among them. Ask before moving in which of the two models applies, because it decides which benefits your relative can claim.
A worked example: Mrs B. moves into a care flat
Mrs B. has care grade 3 and early dementia; her son works abroad. She moves into a care flat with nine residents, eight of whom have a care grade. Those eight each receive €224, €1,792 a month together, and use it as agreed within the group to pay the assistant, who shops, organises the daily routine and is the contact person for relatives. Mrs B. pays the care service for washing and dressing from her services budget of up to €1,497, and an afternoon support group from the relief amount of €131. Rent, utilities and housekeeping money she pays herself; care insurance provides nothing for these. For her son the assistant is often the most important link: she knows how his mother is doing even when he can only call.
Checklist before moving in
- Check group size and the number with a care grade: 3 to 12 members, at least 2 others with a care grade.
- Read the provider’s notice that no care-home-like package is delivered.
- Clarify who hires the assistant and which tasks the contract lists.
- Have the tenancy agreement, floor plan and care contract ready for the application.
- For a new flat, put the 1-year deadline for the start-up grant in the calendar.