German Old-Age Basic Income Support Calculator 2026
If your pension does not cover rent and living costs, the social welfare office tops it up with basic income support in old age (Grundsicherung im Alter). Many people who would qualify never apply. This calculator shows for a one-person household whether you are entitled in 2026 and roughly how much, including the allowances for long contribution records and company pensions.
Basic income support per month
EUR / month
Example calculation with default valuesView sources
Your countable income is below your need. You are likely entitled to old-age basic income support equal to the difference. You apply at your local social welfare office or through the pension insurance.
Next step:Calculate the widow's pension from this pensionTurn a gross disability pension into net
Your details
Old-age or disability pension before health and care contributions.
Compulsory contribution years from work, child raising or care. Shown in the pension insurance notice on the Grundrente.
Base rent, service charges and heating. The office only pays up to the local reasonableness limit.
Lifelong additional pension. An allowance of up to 281.50 euro applies here too.
Company pensions only: health and care contribution from the statement. Otherwise 0.
30 percent is not counted, at most 281.50 euro.
Adds 17 percent extra need, 95.71 euro in 2026.
For example liability and household insurance. They reduce countable income.
Up to 10,000 euro is protected; above that savings must be used first.
Average for 2026: 2.9 percent.
The childless pay 0.6 percent more care insurance.
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Side by side
Difference+324.15 EUR / month
How the welfare office calculates
- Standard rate (level 1)
- 563 EUR / month
- Rent, service charges and heating
- 550 EUR / month
- Total need
- 1,113 EUR / month
- Gross statutory pension
- 900 EUR / month
- Health and care contribution on the pension
- 111.15 EUR / month
- Countable income
- 788.85 EUR / month
- Basic income support per year
- 3,889.80 EUR / year
- Available in total (pension, other income and support before contributions)
- 1,224.15 EUR / month
Good to know
Rent is only covered up to the local reasonableness limit each city sets itself. If your rent is higher, the support is lower than shown here.
- The calculation is for a person living alone. For married and cohabiting couples both incomes count and the standard rate is 506 euro each.
Non-binding estimate under SGB XII with the 2026 standard rate. Not included: partner income, local rent limits, other extra needs, income tax, a mini-job with pension contributions and one-off needs. Only the welfare office’s decision is binding. Not legal advice.
The link carries your inputs, not the result: whoever opens it calculates with the current figures.
How much German old-age basic income support will I get?
You get old-age basic income support if your pension after health and care contributions and allowances is lower than your need: in 2026 for a single person that is the 563 euro standard rate plus reasonable rent including heating; the office pays the difference, and with 33 years of qualifying periods up to 281.50 euro of the pension is not counted.
The formula
Need = 563 euro standard rate + rent, service charges and heating + 17 percent extra with the G marker. Income = gross pension minus health and care contribution minus allowances (100 euro plus 30 percent of the rest, at most 281.50 euro, for 33 years of qualifying periods and on company or Riester pensions; 30 percent of a mini-job). Support = need minus income, if savings are at most 10,000 euro.
Worked example
Example: 900 EUR gross pension and 550 EUR rent including heating. The need is 1,113 EUR. After 111.15 EUR health and care contribution and allowances, 788.85 EUR of the pension counts as income. Basic income support is therefore 324.15 EUR a month.
Key figures for 2026
| Standard rate 2026 (single) | 563 euro a month, unchanged from 2025 |
|---|---|
| Standard rate couples | 506 euro per partner |
| Rent and heating | actual cost, as far as reasonable |
| Allowance for qualifying periods | from 33 years: 100 euro plus 30 percent of the rest, at most 281.50 euro |
| Allowance for company, Riester, private pension | 100 euro plus 30 percent, at most 281.50 euro |
| Protected savings | 10,000 euro per person |
| Children pay | only above 100,000 euro annual income |
Figures verified:
How old-age basic income support works
Basic income support in old age goes to people who have reached the statutory pension age or are permanently fully unable to work and cannot cover their living costs from their own income and savings. It is not a pension but a welfare benefit paid by the social welfare office.
First the need is determined. For a single person in 2026 that is the 563 euro standard rate plus rent including heating, as far as reasonable. With a disability card carrying the G marker, 17 percent extra is added.
Then income is counted. Health and care contributions come off the pension first, as do reasonable insurance premiums. Allowances protect part of it: with at least 33 years of qualifying periods you keep 100 euro of the pension plus 30 percent of the rest, at most 281.50 euro. The same allowance applies to company, Riester and private pensions, and 30 percent of a mini-job stays free.
The support is the difference between need and countable income. Someone with a small pension and 33 years of work can end up with clearly more than someone without those years, even though both draw the same pension.
Savings up to 10,000 euro are protected, as is a reasonable home you live in yourself. Your children’s income only matters above 100,000 euro a year, so fear of recourse to the children is usually unfounded.
Frequently asked questions
- How much is old-age basic income support in 2026?
- It depends on your rent and income. The standard rate for a single person stays at 563 euro in 2026, plus reasonable rent including heating. With 550 euro rent the need is 1,113 euro. The support pays what your pension after contributions and allowances does not cover.
- Up to which pension do I get support?
- There is no fixed limit because rent counts. At 550 euro rent without qualifying periods the entitlement ends at a gross pension of about 1,270 euro. With 33 years of qualifying periods and the full 281.50 euro allowance it can reach about 1,590 euro gross.
- What is the allowance for 33 years of qualifying periods?
- With at least 33 years of compulsory contributions from work, child raising or care you keep 100 euro of the statutory pension plus 30 percent of the amount above, at most 281.50 euro a month. The office does not count that part, so the support rises accordingly.
- Does my child have to pay for me?
- Only if they earn more than 100,000 euro a year. Below that the office does not ask about the children’s income, and the law even presumes the limit is not exceeded.
- How much savings may I have?
- Up to 10,000 euro per person is protected, plus a reasonable home you live in. Anything above must be used up first before support is paid.
- Basic income support or housing benefit, which is better?
- You cannot have both. Housing benefit is often better if your pension is just above the support level. Basic income support is better for very small pensions. If unsure, apply for both and let the offices sort out which comes first.
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As of (tax year 2026) · last verified:
Sources:
- § 41 SGB XII (Leistungsberechtigte, Altersgrenze)
- § 42 SGB XII (Bedarfe)
- RBSFV 2026 § 2 (Regelbedarfsstufe 1: 563 Euro, Stufe 2: 506 Euro)
- § 30 SGB XII (Mehrbedarf 17 Prozent mit Merkzeichen G)
- § 35 SGB XII (Unterkunft und Heizung)
- § 82 SGB XII (Einkommen, Absetzbeträge, Freibeträge Erwerbstätigkeit und Zusatzrente)
- § 82a SGB XII (Freibetrag bei 33 Jahren Grundrentenzeiten)
- Verordnung zu § 90 Abs. 2 Nr. 9 SGB XII (Schonvermögen 10.000 Euro)
- § 94 Abs. 1a SGB XII (Unterhaltsrückgriff erst ab 100.000 Euro)
Scope of review: formulas and reference values were checked against the sources listed above, by the Nomado24 editorial team. What is verified is the calculation logic, not your personal situation. Not tax or legal advice.