This page helps you find out which benefits may suit you and who grants them. The detailed conditions and amounts are on separate pages; the links are at the end.
What help is there, and where do you apply?
You apply to different offices depending on your situation: the Jobcenter, the social welfare office (Sozialamt), the employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit), the family benefits office (Familienkasse) or the housing benefit office. For most payments you first need a § 24 permit or a Fiktionsbescheinigung certificate from the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde).
| Situation | Benefit | Who grants it |
|---|---|---|
| You have just applied for protection and do not have a Fiktionsbescheinigung yet | Payments under the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG) | The office designated by the federal state, often the social welfare office |
| Working age, not enough money | Basic income support Grundsicherungsgeld (SGB II), including housing costs | Jobcenter |
| Retirement age or a permanent loss of earning capacity, not enough money; or you already receive an old-age pension, which as a rule closes access to Grundsicherungsgeld, including a Ukrainian pension | Basic support in old age and in case of reduced earning capacity, or subsistence assistance (SGB XII) | Social welfare office (Sozialamt) |
| You worked and lost your job | Unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld) | Agentur für Arbeit |
| You have children | Child benefit (Kindergeld) and the child supplement (Kinderzuschlag) | Family benefits office (Familienkasse) |
| You work but cannot afford the rent | Housing benefit (Wohngeld) | The housing benefit office in your district or city |
| A child was born | Parental allowance (Elterngeld) | The office designated by the federal state |
Does temporary protection give the right to all payments?
No. Protection opens access to payments, but each one is granted only under its own conditions. Grundsicherungsgeld requires the ability to work and a need for support. Kindergeld and Elterngeld require a permit that gives the right to work for at least six months; the law does not exclude the § 24 permit from this rule. Anyone who already receives an old-age pension, including a Ukrainian one, and has access to that money, as a rule does not receive Grundsicherungsgeld: the government explains that a foreign pension closes access if it is similar to a German old-age pension (it is paid by a public body, it is linked to age and it replaces earnings), and this is checked in each case.
What changed on 1 July 2026?
The basic income support Bürgergeld was renamed Grundsicherungsgeld, and the relevant book of the Social Code is now called “Basic security for job seekers”. Along with the name, sanctions were tightened, the grace year for savings was abolished, and payment for overly expensive housing was limited. Until 31 December 2026, offices may still use the old name Bürgergeld for the payment, so you will see both names in letters. The federal portal germany4ukraine.de still writes about Bürgergeld and in places gives the old rules, so check amounts and conditions against the law.
Will Ukrainians be moved to AsylbLG payments?
Not yet. The government approved the bill (Leistungsrechtsanpassungsgesetz) in November 2025, but as of 12 October 2026 it is still in a Bundestag committee, and on 8 July 2026 the government was still calling it a draft in the Bundestag. So today, § 24 permit holders who lack means receive Grundsicherungsgeld from the Jobcenter or assistance from the Sozialamt, regardless of when they arrived.
If the law is passed in its current wording, it will apply to people who were first issued a § 24 permit or a Fiktionsbescheinigung after 31 March 2025; the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS), in simplified terms, refers to people who arrived on or after 1 April 2025. Payments for one adult would be €455 instead of €563. More on the page Aid for Ukrainians in Germany.
Are income and property in Ukraine taken into account?
Yes, income is taken into account in every benefit system: a Ukrainian pension, interest or rent counts as income. On foreign pensions, the government writes separately that they must be reported without exception, and that an old-age pension you have access to, as a rule, closes access to Grundsicherungsgeld. The federal portal germany4ukraine.de writes that property you cannot currently dispose of because it is in Ukraine (for example, real estate) is not taken into account; this page of the portal is partly outdated, so check with the Jobcenter or the Sozialamt.