Applying for an increase in housing benefit

• You send your application in writing or online to the housing benefit office responsible for you.
• The authority will check your application and send you a decision.
• If approved, housing benefit is generally granted for twelve months.

• Your total income must have decreased by more than 10 percent or
• the number of members of your household has increased or
• Your rent or your housing costs (excluding heating costs) have increased by more than 10 percent.

For details, please contact your local housing benefit office.

Please submit the following documents:

• Evidence of the change in rent or charge
• Proof of the changed income
• Evidence of the change in the household members to be taken into account

• § Section 27 (3) of the Housing Benefit Act (WoGG)

The following information is available:

If your financial situation or living circumstances have improved or changed, this may also lead to a reduction in housing benefit. You are obliged to inform the housing benefit authority immediately of any changes that could lead to a reduction in your housing benefit. In order to prevent or uncover unlawful claims for housing benefit, the housing benefit authority regularly checks the household members by comparing their data.

In order to avoid or uncover unlawful claims for housing benefit, the housing benefit authority may regularly check the household members by comparing data - also in automated form - in particular with the pension insurance data office. For example, a comparison may be made,

• whether citizen's allowance (formerly unemployment benefit II) is paid while you are receiving housing benefit,
• whether there is employment subject to compulsory insurance or marginal employment
• or the amount of investment income for which an exemption order has been issued.

It is also possible to compare registration addresses, housing status and the time of re-registrations with the registration office. It is also possible to retrieve accounts from the Federal Central Tax Office. Suspected cases of fraud are always reported to the public prosecutor's office.

These checks enable the housing benefit authority to determine, for example,

• whether housing benefit is received more than once,
• whether transfer payments leading to exclusion from housing benefit are received at the same time,
• whether the information in the housing benefit application is correct
  • to income from gainful employment,
  • to income from one or more pensions,
  • were made to income from capital gains (interest or dividends),
• whether the payment of unemployment benefit was discontinued in the case of original unemployment (e.g. due to taking up new employment) and
• whether the original home for which housing benefit was paid is still actually being used.

The review is permitted up to ten years after notification of the associated housing benefit approval.

You can obtain the application form with attachment from the relevant housing benefit authority or download it from the website of the Ministry of Finance.

Alternatively, you can also submit your application digitally using the online service.

• Supplementary declaration on the application for housing benefit
• Forms for housing benefit applications (paper applications)