💶 Bürgergeld/basic income support (Grundsicherungsgeld) for care leavers without family support
In brief
If you depend on subsistence benefits after youth welfare ends and are (not yet) in training for which BAföG or vocational training grants (Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe) are the first option, basic income support (Grundsicherungsgeld, "Bürgergeld" until 30 June 2026) may be the right benefit. The basic rules are the same as for other young adults; particularly relevant for care leavers are having your own needs-based household (Bedarfsgemeinschaft) in your own household, the U25 assurance requirement when moving, and the fact that your parents are generally not part of your needs-based household if you do not live with them.
Step by step
- Submit an applicationSubmit the application informally to the Jobcenter at your (new) place of residence as soon as it is foreseeable that youth welfare, training allowance or BAföG will not cover your living costs.
- Make clear you run your own householdMake clear that you run your own household and are not part of your parents' needs-based household – this affects the standard-needs level (Regelbedarfsstufe).
- Clarify the assurance for movingIf you plan to move before turning 25, clarify the Jobcenter's assurance on accommodation costs in advance.
- Keep proof from your time in youth welfare readyThe last support plan or a confirmation from the Jugendamt on the end of support often proves the lack of parental support.
- Check parallel entitlementsIf training is still ongoing, BAföG or a vocational training grant may take priority.
Deadlines
- Even if you come from youth welfare, the Jobcenter in principle checks whether parents with a maintenance obligation would be able to pay first – lack of actual support is something different from lack of a legal maintenance obligation; if in doubt, clarify this difference with an advice centre.
- Without a household of your own (e.g. if you still live in a facility funded by the Jugendamt), different rules apply than for your own flat – basic income support and youth welfare in principle mutually exclude each other for the same need (principle of subsidiarity).
- The exact standard rates and allowances change regularly; for current amounts and the general application procedure we deliberately refer to the more detailed Wegweiser for the unemployed rather than duplicating content.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals
Why there is no care-leaver-specific rule in SGB II
SGB II does not distinguish by background but by household type, age and need. Care leaver specifics therefore only have an indirect effect – for example via the U25 assurance (§ 22 Abs. 5 SGB II, see the topic "Housing after youth welfare") or because lack of parental support can be made credible more easily.
Relationship to youth welfare
As long as an inpatient youth welfare measure (including support for young adults under § 41 SGB VIII) is running and covers accommodation and necessary maintenance, there is as a rule no additional basic income support need for the same purpose alongside it. Basic income support typically becomes relevant only when youth welfare ends or provides only supplementary services (e.g. outpatient aftercare).
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