🏠 Housing benefit (Wohngeld) for single parents
In brief
Housing benefit is a subsidy towards rent, or towards the burden of home ownership, for households whose income covers general living costs but becomes tight because of high housing costs. For single parents there is no special rule of their own in the Housing Benefit Act – as for all households, what counts are the household size, the rent to be taken into account (according to the municipality's rent level) and the total income of all household members, including the children.
Housing benefit takes priority over basic income support if, together with other income, it would remove the need of your benefit unit for a sufficient period.
Step by step
- Put together household incomeWork out the total income of all persons living in the household, including child maintenance, advance maintenance payment and your children's child benefit.
- Check the municipality's rent levelAsk the housing benefit office which rent level applies to your municipality – it influences how much rent is recognised as reasonable.
- Submit the applicationSubmit the housing benefit application to your municipality's housing benefit office, usually at the Bürgeramt (citizens' office) or Sozialamt (social welfare office).
- Check combination with child supplementHave it checked in parallel whether child supplement together with housing benefit fully covers your need – then both benefits together take priority over basic income support.
- Report changesReport significant changes in income or rent to the housing benefit office; housing benefit is generally granted for twelve months.
Deadlines
- Housing benefit is not checked automatically when you apply for basic income support – the Jobcenter and the housing benefit office are different authorities that you generally have to approach separately.
- Your child's child maintenance and advance maintenance payment count towards the household's total income for housing benefit – this is often overlooked in your own income planning.
- There is no separate, nationwide uniform "single parent component" in the Housing Benefit Act; differences between family types arise solely from the different household size and income.
- If housing benefit together with other income does not completely remove your need for a sufficient period, a supplementary entitlement to basic income support remains possible.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals
Calculation formula (§ 19 WoGG)
The monthly housing benefit is calculated using the formula 1.15 · (M − (a + b · M + c · Y) · Y), where M is the rent or burden to be taken into account, Y the monthly total income, and a, b, c are coefficients dependent on household size from Annex 2 of the Act. The text of the law itself contains no separate rule specifically for single parents – differences arise solely through household size, which changes the coefficients (gesetze-im-internet.de, retrieved September 2026).
Relationship to child supplement and basic income support
Child supplement presupposes that it does not leave the person in need (§ 6a Abs. 1 Nr. 4 BKGG); housing benefit is taken into account as income in this check. Conversely, housing benefit takes priority over basic income support if it would remove the need of the benefit unit for a sufficient period (§ 12a SGB II). In practice the Jobcenter, Familienkasse and housing benefit office do not always check this combination together on their own – an independent advice centre can work out the most favourable combination.
Housing benefit reform since 2023
Since the housing benefit reform of 1 January 2023, a permanent heating cost component and a climate component have been included in the calculation to reflect increased energy costs and energy-efficiency renovations. The exact effects in the individual case depend on the housing situation and are calculated individually by the housing benefit office.
A question about your situation that this page does not answer? Write to us or use the contact form – we will tell you which office is responsible and what to bring. Free of charge, without individual legal advice.