Citizen Income Eligibility Checker

Bürgergeld is the basic income support for people capable of working under SGB II - the successor to Hartz IV. Whether you qualify hinges on three conditions: you are between 15 and retirement age, you are capable of working (can work at least three hours a day) and you have your habitual residence in Germany. The checker asks these points right at the start so you do not calculate in vain.

The core is the needs calculation. It consists of the standard need and the housing costs. The standard rate for single people in 2026 is 563 euros, for partners in a needs community 506 euros each, and for children staggered by age (357 euros for 0 to 5, 390 euros for 6 to 13, 471 euros for 14 to 17). The checker adds up the standard rates for everyone in your household automatically.

For rent an important special rule applies: during the first twelve months (the so-called grace period) your actual warm rent is covered as long as it is not obviously unreasonable. Only afterwards do the local reasonableness limits apply. The checker distinguishes these two cases and credits the housing costs accordingly so the estimate fits your situation.

Then comes the income crediting, which many underestimate. Not every euro earned is fully deducted: the first 100 euros stay entirely exempt, from 100 to 520 euros you keep 20 percent, from 520 to 1,000 euros 30 percent, and above that up to the ceiling another 10 percent. Other income such as child benefit or alimony, by contrast, is fully credited. The checker makes this calculation transparent, line by line.

Assets are checked too. During the grace period a generous asset exemption of 40,000 euros applies for the first person plus 15,000 euros for each additional person in the needs community. Retirement savings, a reasonable owner-occupied home and normal household goods are protected anyway. If your assets exceed the limit, the checker warns you and explains why the entitlement then falls away.

At the end there is a concrete figure: your likely Bürgergeld entitlement per month, cleanly derived from need minus creditable income. It remains important: the Jobcenter considers further factors such as exact rent ceilings, additional needs for pregnancy or disability and individual deductible amounts. The checker is your guidance, not legal advice and not a decision. Everything runs in your browser.