Does German care insurance pay for adapting your home?
In short
Does German care insurance pay for adapting your home? Yes, up to 4,180 euros per measure, from care grade 1. If several people needing care live together, up to 16,720 euros. Apply before work starts. Larger conversions usually cost more: a stairlift runs from 3,500 to 15,000 euros, and you or another grant cover the rest.
Care fund grants and typical costs for adapting a home in Germany, 2026.
Example
Typical range
Care fund grant per measure
up to 4,180 euros
Several people needing care in one home
up to 16,720 euros together
Stairlift installation
3,500 to 15,000 euros
Stairlift servicing
200 to 300 euros a year
Tax reduction for craftsmen's costs
20 percent, up to 1,200 euros a year
Stairlift prices as stated by the Verbraucherzentrale.
The bathroom cost in the worked example is an indicative figure from quoting practice;
get several quotes.
Worked example
Bathroom conversion for a tenant with care grade 2
The bath is replaced by a level-access shower with grab rails. This is the bill.
Contractor's quote
9,000 euros
Care fund grant
minus 4,180 euros
Landlord's permission
obtained in writing before work started
Tax reduction for the own share
check with a tax adviser
4,820 euros remain. A KfW grant can cover part of it if applied for before work started and funds are available.
Which home adaptations the care fund supports
The care fund (Pflegekasse) gives a grant for measures that improve your living environment if they make care at home possible, much easier or restore your independence. This covers building work and fixed technical aids.
Typical examples are wider doors, stair rails, a level-access shower or a stairlift. Free-standing furniture does not count; care aids are the route for that.
Adaptation
Typical cost
Care fund grant
Level-access shower instead of a bath
as quoted
up to 4,180 euros
Widening doors
depends on wall and frame
up to 4,180 euros, together with other work
Stairlift
3,500 to 15,000 euros, servicing 200 to 300 euros a year
up to 4,180 euros
Ramp and rail at the entrance
depends on length
one measure, together up to 4,180 euros
Two people needing care, shared bathroom
as above
up to 8,360 euros
One measure, one grant
Everything your care needs require at the time of the application counts as one measure. If a ramp and a rail are built at the same time, you get 4,180 euros once for both, not twice.
A new grant for adapting your home is only possible once your care situation has changed, for example if you later need a wheelchair. Plan the adaptation so that it also works for higher needs.
Apply first, then build
Contact the care fund before any work and submit quotes. Wait for the written decision, then have the work done and submit the invoice. Housing advice centres (Wohnberatung) help with planning and check quotes.
The care fund must decide within three weeks, or five with an assessment by the medical service. If it gives no valid reason for a delay, the grant counts as approved. The care grade assessment already notes whether an adaptation is needed.
Adapting a rented flat
As a tenant you need your landlord's permission. For alterations that serve use by people with disabilities, however, you have a legal right to it. The landlord may only refuse if the work is unreasonable for him even after weighing your interests.
You can offer an additional security deposit, which makes consent easier. Agree in writing what happens to the adaptation when you move out.
Other funding and its limits
Nationwide, the KfW development bank supports age-appropriate conversions with a loan and, while funds last, an investment grant for reducing barriers. You must apply for the grant before the project starts. Some federal states and municipalities have their own programmes.
Craftsmen's labour costs reduce income tax by 20 percent, up to 1,200 euros a year. This does not apply to publicly funded measures with a subsidised loan or tax-free grant. Private care insurance is not worth it for the adaptation alone, but a freely usable daily care allowance helps with your own share.
Step by step
Clarify needs with the nursing service or a housing advice centre.
As a tenant, get the landlord's written permission.
Obtain quotes and apply to the care fund.
Wait for the decision, check KfW or state programmes in parallel.
Have the work done and submit the invoice to the care fund.
Checklist
Care grade in place, care grade 1 is enough
Application made before work starts
All work bundled into one measure
Landlord's permission in writing
Other funding applied for before starting
Common mistakes
Building first and applying for the grant afterwards
Splitting the work into small steps and hoping for several grants
Getting only one quote for a stairlift
Building after the first quote without housing advice
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Does the care fund pay with care grade 1?
Yes, the grant of up to 4,180 euros per measure applies in all care grades from 1 to 5.
Can I get the grant more than once?
Yes, but only if your care situation has changed since the last grant.
Do I have to pay upfront?
Yes.
You submit the invoice after the work and then receive the grant of up to 4,180 euros.
Can my landlord forbid the adaptation?
Only if it is unreasonable for him even after weighing your interests.
In principle you have a right to permission.
Is there more money if two of us need care?
Yes.
For a shared home there are up to 4,180 euros per person needing care,
