Living allowance payment dates, amount and changes in 2025

Living allowance offers lower-income households financial support with housing costs. Anyone with an approved application usually receives the payments monthly in advance. But when exactly is the payment made? What factors influence the amount of living allowance? And what will change in 2025? You can find all the important information here.

1. When is living allowance paid?

As soon as your living allowance application has been approved, payment is made monthly in advance. This means that the money should be in your account in good time at the beginning of the month. To ensure this, the living allowance offices usually transfer the amounts on the last bank working day of the previous month.

Example for payment in February 2025:

• Transfer date: January 31, 2025 (Friday)

• Credit to the account: February 3, 2025 (Monday)

If you notice that the living allowance is not received on time, this may be due to delays caused by banks or processing times at the living allowance office.

Want to know when the 2025 payout dates will generally take place?

2. How much is the living allowance?

The amount of living allowancedepends on several factors, including

• Number of household members

• Amount of rent or charges

• Total income of the household

Do you still need to apply for living allowance? With our living allowance calculator from LeistungsLotse, you can quickly and easily check whether and how much living allowance you are entitled to. Check now!

3. Retroactive payment of living allowance

An application for living allowance takes effect from the first day of the month in which the application is made. This means that even if the application is submitted on the last day of the month, living allowance is granted for the entire month. However, retroactive payment for several months is only possible in exceptional cases, for example if an application for citizens allowance was previously submitted and this was rejected.

4. Changes to the living allowance payment

The amount of living allowance may be adjusted during the approval period. These are possible either through a new application or through a change in the law.

Living allowance will be increased if:

• Another family member moves into the household

• The rental costs increase by more than 15%

• The household income falls by more than 15%

Living allowance is reduced if

• A household member moves out

• The rental costs fall

• The total income of the household increases

Note: If the rent is reduced by more than 15%, the total income increases by a total of 15% or the number of household members changes, you must notify the authority. Failure to report changes can result in overpayments of housing benefit having to be refunded. In some cases, you may even face sanctions.

5. Can living allowance be seized?

In principle, living allowance is considered to be an earmarked social benefit and is therefore not attachable. However, there is an exception if rent arrears or charges for a residential property are the cause of a garnishment. In this case, the statutory garnishment allowances must be observed. A garnishment protection account can help to prevent unlawful garnishments.

6. Important changes in 2025

In 2025, a number of important changes will come into force that will affect living allowance recipients. These include greater inclusion of people with disabilities, making it easier for them to access living allowance. There are also new regulations to reduce housing costs, which should provide relief for low-income households. The adjustments to the citizens allowance and the increase in the minimum wage could also have an indirect impact on eligibility for and the amount of living allowance.

7. Conclusion

The living allowance payment dates are crucial for many households in order to pay their rent on time. The transfer is usually made on the last working day of the previous month so that the money is available at the beginning of the month. The amount of living allowance depends on several factors and can be adjusted if your housing or income situation changes. It is important to report changes in good time to avoid retroactive reclaims or sanctions.

Do you still need to apply for living allowance? With our living allowance calculator from LeistungsLotse, you can quickly and easily check whether and how much living allowance you are entitled to. Check now!