🔄 Respite care (§ 39 SGB XI)
In brief
Respite care (also called replacement care) covers the costs when you as a carer are temporarily prevented from providing care, for example because of holiday, illness or other appointments. Since 1 July 2025, the previously separate annual budgets for respite care (§ 39 SGB XI) and short-term care (§ 42 SGB XI) have been merged by the Pflegeunterstützungs- und -entlastungsgesetz (PUEG, Care Support and Relief Act) into a joint annual amount of €3,539, which the person in need of care can use flexibly for both purposes.
Step by step
- Announce the needInform the care insurance fund in good time if you as a carer will be unavailable for a certain period (holiday, illness, spa treatment).
- Organise replacement careReplacement care can be provided by an outpatient care service, an individual or – where close relatives provide non-professional care – also by other relatives.
- Submit costsSubmit invoices or proof to the care insurance fund; where close relatives provide the care, flat-rate reimbursement rates apply instead of actual costs.
- Keep an eye on the annual budgetKeep an eye on the joint annual amount of €3,539, as it applies to both respite care and short-term care and the two uses draw on each other.
Deadlines
- The exact amount of €3,539 is based on several consistent secondary sources on the PUEG reform of 1.7.2025; it should be confirmed with the care insurance fund before binding planning, as benefit amounts may change in future.
- If close relatives provide replacement care on a non-professional basis, according to the available sources the full benefit-in-kind amount is not reimbursed, but up to twice the care allowance (since the PUEG reform, previously 1.5 times) – the exact calculation in an individual case should be agreed with the care insurance fund.
- Since 1.7.2025, respite care and short-term care share the same annual amount; anyone who uses both must keep track of the amount used themselves.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals
The reform of 1 July 2025 (PUEG)
On 1 July 2025 the Pflegeunterstützungs- und -entlastungsgesetz (PUEG) merged the previously separate budgets for respite care (§ 39 SGB XI) and short-term care (§ 42 SGB XI), which could be offset against each other in complicated ways, into a joint annual amount. Since then, a uniform total of €3,539 per calendar year has applied for care levels 2 to 5, which can be used flexibly for both types of benefit. Amounts already used in the first half of 2025 were offset against the new joint annual amount.
Further easements under the reform
The maximum duration of full-day respite care was raised from 6 to 8 weeks per calendar year. The former requirement that the carer must already have cared for the person in need of care for at least 6 months (prior care period) was dropped. Where close relatives provide replacement care on a non-professional basis, the reimbursement factor was raised from 1.5 times to 2 times the care allowance for the relevant care level.
Distinction from the relief amount
The joint annual amount for respite care/short-term care must be distinguished from the separate monthly relief amount under § 45b SGB XI – this is not counted towards the €3,539 (see the topic page "Relief amount").
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