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Do children have to pay for their parents' care in Germany?

In short

Children in Germany only have to pay for their parents' care if their own annual income is more than EUR 100,000. This rule has applied since 2020. Below it, neither your savings nor your spouse's income count. If you do have to pay, you keep at least EUR 2,650 a month plus about 70 percent of the income above that.

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Do children have to pay for their parents' care in Germany?

What it costs

The amounts that matter for parental support in Germany, as of 2026.

Example	Typical range
Income limit per child	more than EUR 100,000 total income a year
Child's own allowance above the limit	at least EUR 2,650 a month
Allowance for the spouse in the household	at least EUR 2,120 a month
Share of income above the allowance you keep	about 70 percent
Own share in a care home, first year, by federal state	about EUR 2,891 to 3,761 a month, average EUR 3,364

Amounts from the sources listed.

Pension, income and deductions in the worked example are assumptions.

In each case the Sozialamt and the family court decide; this page does not replace legal advice.

Worked example

Mother in a care home, daughter and son with different incomes

The mother has used up her savings down to the protected amount and the Sozialamt pays care assistance. This is how it looks for her two children.

Own share in the care home	EUR 3,364 a month
Mother's pension (assumption)	EUR 1,400 a month
Gap paid by the Sozialamt	EUR 1,964 a month
Daughter, EUR 62,000 total income	pays nothing
Son, EUR 120,000, adjusted net EUR 5,500 a month (assumption)	above the limit
Son: EUR 5,500 minus EUR 2,650 allowance	EUR 2,850
Of that, at most 30 percent	about EUR 855 a month

The daughter pays nothing, however much she has saved. The son can be asked for at most about EUR 855 a month; the Sozialamt covers the rest. The office sets the exact amount case by case.

When the question comes up at all

German long-term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung) only pays part of the cost. In a care home, residents pay an own share (Eigenanteil) of EUR 3,364 a month on average in the first year. Your parents pay this from their pension and savings.

Only when that is not enough does the social welfare office (Sozialamt) step in with care assistance (Hilfe zur Pflege). Only then does it check whether it can recover money from the children. As long as your parents pay themselves, the question does not arise.

The EUR 100,000 limit

Under the German Civil Code, parents and children owe each other maintenance (section 1601 BGB). The Sozialamt may only take over this claim if the child's total income exceeds EUR 100,000 a year.

This means total income in the tax sense: all income added together, for example salary after work-related expenses plus rental income. Each child is checked separately. Your spouse's income does not count.

The law presumes you are below the limit. The office may only ask about your income if it has concrete signs that you earn more. Below the limit, your savings play no role.

Your situation	Do you pay?
Total income up to EUR 100,000	no, not from your savings either
Total income above EUR 100,000	yes, but only part of it, after your own allowance
Son- or daughter-in-law with high income	no, they owe no maintenance
Siblings with different incomes	each child is checked separately and pays according to means
Parents pay the care home themselves	the question does not arise

How much children pay above the limit

Above the limit, the office works with your adjusted net income. Adjusted means after deducting things like travel to work, your own pension savings, loans and maintenance for your own children.

Since 2026 you keep at least EUR 2,650 a month, plus EUR 2,120 for a spouse in your household. Of anything above that, you keep about 70 percent, following a ruling of the Federal Court of Justice of 23 October 2024. At most the other 30 percent can go towards your parent.

Siblings do not split the cost equally. Each pays according to their means.

Gifts: how it can still hit children

If your parents gave you money or a house and later need care assistance, the Sozialamt can reclaim the gift (section 528 BGB). This applies whatever your income, so also below EUR 100,000.

Reclaiming is ruled out if more than ten years passed between the gift and the need (section 529 BGB). Normal birthday or holiday presents are not affected.

If your parents live abroad or you do

These rules apply when a German Sozialamt pays for a parent in Germany. If your parents live in another country, that country's law decides whether children must contribute.

If you live outside Germany and your parent receives care assistance here, the office can still contact you. The EUR 100,000 limit applies to you as well.

When extra care insurance helps and when it does not

For most children the risk of having to pay is small. Private care insurance for your parents mainly protects their own assets: savings above the protected amount, a house meant for the family, and gifts made in the last ten years.

If you earn well above EUR 100,000, helping to pay your parents' premium can make sense. If their savings are low and there were no gifts, such insurance brings the family little, because the Sozialamt would pay otherwise.

Step by step

Check whether your parents' pension and savings cover the care home share.
If not, apply for care assistance at the Sozialamt in good time; it does not pay backwards.
Look up your total income in your last tax assessment.
If you are below the limit, answer any letter from the office briefly saying so.
If you are above it, document your adjusted net income with all deductions.
List any gifts your parents made in the last ten years.

Checklist

Total income from your tax assessment known
EUR 100,000 limit checked for each sibling separately
Deductions like pension savings, commuting and loans documented
Gifts from the last ten years recorded
Lasting power of attorney from your parents in place
Care assistance applied for in good time

Common mistakes

Not applying to the Sozialamt for fear of parental support and paying yourself
Assuming your spouse's income counts towards the limit
Disclosing all your savings without being asked although you are below the limit
Forgetting that gifts from parents can be reclaimed
Leaving out deductions such as your own pension savings above the limit

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Do I have to use my savings for my parents' care?

Not if your total income is up to EUR 100,000 a year. Only above that may the office ask about your assets.

Does my husband or wife have to pay for my parents?

No. Children-in-law owe no maintenance, and their income does not count towards the limit.

Is the EUR 100,000 gross salary?

It is total income in the tax sense, all income added together. For salary that is pay after work-related expenses.

Can the Sozialamt just ask for my payslips?

Only if it has concrete signs that you are above the limit. Otherwise the legal presumption that you are below it applies.

What if my brother is above the limit and I am not?

Then the Sozialamt can only ask your brother. You pay nothing. What he pays depends on his means.

Does the limit also apply to care at home?

Yes. It applies to all welfare benefits for your parents, both in a care home and at home.

Sources

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