Why is the nursing home share the same for every grade?

Since 2017 all residents of a home from care grade 2 pay the same own share for care, so the bill does not rise as health declines.

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What benefits do you get for each care grade in Germany?

In short

What benefits you get depends on your care grade (Pflegegrad) in Germany. For each of grades 2 to 5 you get EUR 347 to 990 care allowance or EUR 796 to 2,299 for a home care service a month. Grade 1 mainly brings a EUR 131 relief amount. In a nursing home the fund pays EUR 805 to 2,096, yet residents still pay EUR 3,364 a month on average.

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What benefits do you get for each care grade in Germany?

What it costs

Statutory monthly amounts for 2026 and the average own share in a German nursing home.

Example	Typical range
Care allowance, grades 2 to 5	EUR 347 to 990 a month
Home care service, grades 2 to 5	up to EUR 796 to 2,299 a month
Nursing home, fund's share, grades 2 to 5	EUR 805 to 2,096 a month
Own share in a nursing home, first year, national average July 2026	EUR 3,364 a month, EUR 2,891 to 3,761 depending on the state
Daily care allowance up to EUR 1,500 in grade 5, signed at 50	about EUR 52 to 99 a month

As of October 2026.

Benefit amounts from the Federal Ministry of Health overview for 2026,

the own share from the substitute funds' evaluation as of 1 July 2026.

How daily care allowance tariffs scale across grades is a guide value from our quoting practice:

often 100 percent in grades 4 and 5, 50 to 70 percent in grade 3,

25 to 40 percent in grade 2 and little or nothing in grade 1.

We obtain the exact quote for you.

Worked example

Father with care grade 3, cared for at home

His daughter cares for him, and a home care service comes twice a day. The service bills EUR 898 a month, which is 60 percent of the possible EUR 1,497.

Home care service, paid by the fund	EUR 898
Remaining care allowance, 40 percent of EUR 599	about EUR 240
Relief amount for household help	EUR 131
Care supplies for consumption	EUR 42
Later move to a nursing home, own share in the first year	EUR 3,364 a month on average

At home the family often manages well with the fund and about EUR 240 care allowance. The nursing home is what gets expensive: despite care grade 3, over EUR 3,300 a month remains on average, to be paid from pension and savings.

How your care grade is set

An assessor from the medical service (Medizinischer Dienst), or its private counterpart for privately insured people, rates six areas of life, such as mobility, self care and coping with illness. This results in a score from 0 to 100 points.

From 12.5 points you get care grade 1, from 27 grade 2, from 47.5 grade 3, from 70 grade 4 and from 90 grade 5. If you are just below a threshold, apply early for a higher grade when your health gets worse. You can bring an interpreter or a relative who speaks German to the assessment.

Benefits per care grade at a glance

The table shows the main monthly amounts of German long-term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung) in 2026. You can combine care allowance and a home care service: if you use 60 percent of the service budget, you still get 40 percent of the care allowance.

Benefit per month	Grade 1	Grade 2	Grade 3	Grade 4	Grade 5
Care allowance (Pflegegeld)	EUR 0	EUR 347	EUR 599	EUR 800	EUR 990
Home care service up to	EUR 0	EUR 796	EUR 1,497	EUR 1,859	EUR 2,299
Day and night care up to	EUR 0	EUR 721	EUR 1,357	EUR 1,685	EUR 2,085
Nursing home	EUR 131	EUR 805	EUR 1,319	EUR 1,855	EUR 2,096
Relief amount	EUR 131	EUR 131	EUR 131	EUR 131	EUR 131
Care supplies for consumption	EUR 42	EUR 42	EUR 42	EUR 42	EUR 42

Benefits families often leave unused

From care grade 2 there is a joint annual budget of up to EUR 3,539 for respite and short term care, for example when a caring relative goes on holiday or falls ill. For adaptations such as a level access shower the fund pays up to EUR 4,180 per measure, from grade 1.

If relatives provide care for at least ten hours a week, the care fund also pays pension contributions for them, up to about EUR 736 a month in grade 5. The EUR 131 relief amount does not lapse straight away; unused amounts can be spent until the middle of the following year.

In a nursing home the grade barely changes your share

In a German nursing home all residents from care grade 2 pay the same own share for care, whatever their grade. A higher grade brings more money from the fund to the home, but no relief for you.

The national average in the first year is EUR 3,364 a month: EUR 1,775 for care, EUR 1,068 for room and board and EUR 521 for investment costs. The fund only reduces the care part, with supplements from 15 percent in the first year to 75 percent from the fourth year. Room, board and investment costs are always yours to pay.

Where private top up insurance comes in

A daily care allowance policy (Pflegetagegeld) pays a fixed amount per care grade, whatever your costs. Good tariffs pay the full agreed amount in grades 4 and 5 and a noticeable share in the lower grades, because care at home usually starts at grade 2 or 3.

You do not need extra cover if your pension and savings can carry the nursing home share for years, or if money is so tight that social welfare would step in anyway. If you plan to retire abroad, check whether the policy keeps paying outside Germany.

Step by step

Apply to the care fund (Pflegekasse) for a care grade; an informal request is enough.
Keep a two week care diary before the assessor visits.
Check the decision and object within one month if the grade is too low.
Choose care allowance, a home care service or a combination.
Actively claim the relief amount, respite care and care supplies.
Apply for a higher grade if things get worse.
Work out what a nursing home place would cost you each month.

Checklist

Care grade applied for, care diary kept
Combination of allowance and home care service checked
Relief amount used every month or carried over
Annual budget for respite and short term care planned
Grant for adaptations applied for before building starts
Pension contributions for caring relatives reported
Nursing home share compared with pension and savings

Common mistakes

Attending the assessment without relatives and without documents
Not checking the decision and missing the objection deadline
Letting the relief amount lapse
Assuming a higher care grade lowers the nursing home share
Starting an adaptation before the fund has approved the grant

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

What benefits are there in care grade 1?

No care allowance and no home care service,

but the EUR 131 relief amount, EUR 42 for care supplies,

up to EUR 4,180 for adaptations and advice.

In a nursing home there is a EUR 131 subsidy.

Can I get care allowance and a home care service together?

Yes, as a combined benefit.

Whatever you do not use of the service budget, you receive proportionally as care allowance.

Will benefits rise in 2026?

No.

The amounts have been unchanged since 1 January 2025.

The next regular adjustment is planned for 2028.

Do the amounts apply to privately insured people?

Yes, compulsory private long-term care insurance pays the same amounts.

For civil servants with state aid (Beihilfe), it pays the part not covered by Beihilfe.

Is care allowance paid if I move abroad?

Within the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, yes:

under section 34 (1a) of the long-term care code (SGB XI) the care allowance (Pflegegeld) keeps

being paid.

Benefits in kind such as a home care service rest abroad,

apart from trips of up to eight weeks a year on which the care worker who usually provides them

comes along.

Tell your care fund before moving.

Is private top up cover worth it despite these benefits?

Often yes, if you want to protect savings or family from the nursing home share.

Check how much the tariff already pays in grades 2 and 3.

Sources

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