Apply for basic income support in old age and in the event of reduced earning capacity (social assistance)
Description
You can receive financial support through basic income support in old age and in the event of reduced earning capacity. This helps you to finance your living expenses and covers the socio-cultural minimum subsistence level. It is a social welfare benefit and fulfills the same function as assistance with living expenses, but for a special group of people. You can receive basic income support if you have reached the age limit (this limit is between 66-67 years) or if you are over 18 years old and permanently fully incapacitated for work. You can also receive benefits for the period during which you
- undergo the entry procedure and vocational training in a workshop for people with disabilities or with another service provider or
- are in a training relationship for which you receive a budget for training.
In addition, the person seeking benefits must be in need of assistance and have their habitual residence in Germany.
The amount of basic income support depends on your individual needs and your available income and assets. Benefits can only be granted if you are in need. The basic income support basically covers various needs,
These include
- the relevant standard requirement
- needs for accommodation and heating, insofar as they are reasonable
- additional needs, such as
- Additional needs for:
- possession of a severely disabled person's pass with the G mark, or
- Illness, if a special diet is required for medical reasons
- pregnancy
- One-off needs in special situations (e.g. initial furnishings for the home)
- Needs for health/nursing care insurance
You have your habitual residence in Germany
- Your income and assets are not sufficient to enable you to support yourself.
- You have reached the age limit (66-67 years) or are over 18 years old and permanently fully disabled,
or are undergoing the entry procedure and vocational training in a workshop for disabled people or with another service provider.
- Completed application
- Proof of income/assets
- Tenancy agreement/current rent change letters/current utility and heating bills
- Proof of current expenses
- If available: Disability certificate
- If available, when applying for full reduction in earning capacity: legal opinion/notice from the pension provider or pension insurance about a permanent, full reduction in earning capacity
- If available: Initial pension decision
- Further documents if applicable
Emission: free of charge
You can receive benefits from the first of the month in which you submit your application. The benefit is generally approved for twelve calendar months. If you meet the requirements but the examination of your application is time-consuming, you can also receive provisional approval for six months. However, a provisional decision must be made on the provision of cash benefits if it has been established that a person falls within the personal scope of Chapter 4 of SGB XII and
- a longer period of time is likely to be required to establish the other requirements for entitlement to cash benefits and the other requirements for entitlement are sufficiently likely to be met, or
- an entitlement to cash benefits exists on the merits and a longer period of time is likely to be required to determine its amount.
After the end of the approval period, no new application is required for the continued granting of basic security benefits, but income and assets are re-examined before each continued approval.
Processing Time: 6 MonthsThe processing time depends on the specifics of the individual case.
Appeal, action for annulment and action for performance:
Further information on how to lodge an objection can be found in the notification of your application
Social welfare office of your district or independent city
Local or supra-local social welfare agency
or social welfare office
Informal application possible: Yes
Personal appearance necessary: No
- You submit the application for basic income support in old age and in the event of reduced earning capacity to your local or supra-local social assistance provider (social welfare office) or via the online portal.
- You submit the supporting documents requested by the social welfare agency. You will find a list of the documents to be submitted in the benefit application form.
- The competent authority will check your application and calculate your needs and the benefits to which you are entitled.
- If you have submitted an application for permanent full reduction in earning capacity, the relevant evidence will be checked or obtained from your pension insurance provider.
- The competent authority will decide on your application and inform you of the result. You will receive a corresponding notification from your competent authority.
- If your application is approved, you will receive a notice of approval; if it is rejected, you will receive a notice of rejection.
- In both cases, the notification will contain the reasons for the decision. It also contains information about the possibility of lodging an appeal against the decision (information on legal remedies). This includes information on the deadline within which you can lodge an appeal.
- The approval notice contains the amount of the benefit to be paid and the start date for payment. From the date stated, the benefits to which you are entitled will generally be made available to you by the competent institution at the beginning of the month.
Further information can be found below:
Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs NRW
29.07.2022
The text was automatically translated based on the German content.
38820 Halberstadt, Stadt
1 Application for social assistance in accordance with the Social Security Code XII (SGB XII)
Download1a Supplementary sheet to the initial application for relatives and children living in the household
Download1b Completion aid for the application for social assistance (SGB XII)
Download1c Checklist of required documents
Download2 Application for payment of funeral costs
Download2a Necessary documents Funeral costs
Download3 Application for a social and family passport
Download3 Application for debt counseling
Download4 Application for compensation benefits under the BerRehaG
Download4a Required documents Compensation benefits
Download5 Information on the continued provision of basic old-age and reduced earning capacity benefits
Download6 Rental certificate
DownloadApplication for social assistance - necessary documents
Download