Assistance means services to support you in everyday life. Assistance supports your independent life at home.For this, you can receive benefits from care insurance. Other benefit providers also finance participation services for people with disabilities. This includes assistance services.
Care insurance
Care insurance has assigned you a care level. The impairment of a person’s independence is assessed in five levels: care level 1 to 5. The care levels indicate: How severely is your independence restricted?
The relief amount
From care level 1 onwards, you have 131 euros per month available for care, relief, or help in the household. You can use the relief amount for support in everyday life/assistance.
This benefit cannot be paid out to you. You must engage a recognized service provider. This can be a care service. Or an integration assistance provider. Or a volunteer private provider.
The combined annual amount
With 131 euros per month, you can only cover a small support need. From care level 2 onwards, you also have a claim to the combined annual amount.
Since July 1, 2025, there has been the combined annual amount. Here, the benefits of substitute care/respite care and short-term care are combined. You can use the benefits flexibly. For short-term care in a facility. Or for support in everyday life at home. When the caregiver is unavailable. You can use respite care for up to eight weeks in the calendar year.
In total, you have 3,539 euros per year available for the combined annual amount (also called “relief budget”). You can use this money for assistance in everyday life.
For the combined annual amount, you must meet the following conditions:
- You live at home and have a caregiver
- You have at least care level 2
- Your caregiver is unavailable and cannot support you temporarily. Due to vacation, illness, or other reasons.
You are also entitled in the following situations:
- after inpatient treatment
- partial inpatient or home care has temporarily not taken place or was insufficient
- bridging until full inpatient care
- renovation of the home of the person requiring care
- end-of-life care in hospice.
Good to know:
Children, adolescents, and young adults under 25 years with care level 4 or 5 can also use the new combined annual amount. Since July 1, 2025, they have 3,539 euros available.
Substitute care / respite care
From care level 2 onwards, you are entitled to substitute care/respite care.
This is now combined with short-term care in the combined annual amount.
Since July 1, 2025, you are entitled to respite care for 56 days, or eight weeks, per year.
What does unavailability of the caregiver mean?
Your caregiver cannot support you for a few days or weeks. Or they are unavailable for a few hours during the day. The reasons for the “unavailability” can be varied: vacation, illness, rehabilitation, doctor’s appointments, or other appointments of the caregiver.
The caregiver can also pursue a hobby or meet with friends. This also means: “They are unavailable.” During these times, another person or a recognized service can support you at home. And substitute for your caregiver.
Short-term care
Persons with care level 2 to 5 are entitled to short-term care benefits for a maximum of 8 weeks per year.
When home care is temporarily not possible or not yet possible. Short-term care is provided on an inpatient basis in a care facility.
Short-term care is part of the combined annual amount.
The conversion entitlement
You live at home with care needs. And are cared for by a care service.
40 percent of the care benefit in kind can be converted into benefits for support in everyday life (conversion entitlement). This applies to persons with care level 2 to 5.
Do you receive the care allowance as a payment? You can also use the conversion in that case. This gives you more money for assistance in everyday life.
Conversion entitlement care allowance - An example
Maria has restricted mobility. Due to her disability, she has difficulty leaving the house alone. Outside, she encounters barriers everywhere. For example, curbs and thresholds. Maria has care level 3.
She uses the relief amount and the benefits of the combined annual amount for support in everyday life. For example, accompaniment when shopping or help in the household. The money is not sufficient for this. She applies for the conversion of 40 percent of the monthly care benefits in kind into benefits for support in everyday life. She uses 60 percent of the care budget as care allowance.
Care benefit in kind at care level 3/month: 1,497 € (of which 40%: 598.80 €)
Care allowance at care level 3/month: 599 € (of which 60%: 359.40 €)
Through the conversion, Maria now has 598.80 € more per month available for her support in everyday life. And still receives 359.40 € monthly care allowance.
Social participation through assistance
Since 2018, people with disabilities have had a legal entitlement to assistance services. The Social Code Book 9 regulates assistance services in sections 78 and 113.
Section 78 states:
People with disabilities should live their everyday lives in a self-determined and independent manner. They should be able to plan and manage their everyday lives themselves. Assistance services are provided for this purpose.
Assistance can be helpful in different areas of life: in the household, at work, in training or studies, in leisure time, in culture and sports.
This support can be a “helping hand.” Or accompaniment. Or instruction. The assistant can take over tasks completely or partially.
The person with limitations decides: Where do I need assistance? Who should support me? What should the help look like?
Services for social participation
Assistance services are often a service for social participation. These services are provided for general everyday tasks – for example:
- household management
- shaping social relationships
- personal life planning
- participation in community and cultural life
- leisure activities including sports activities
- ensuring the effectiveness of medical and medically prescribed services
- communication with the environment
- availability of a contact person
- for parents with disabilities in caring for their children (parental assistance)
- in performing volunteer work
- assistance in the hospital
Applying for assistance
You can submit an application to integration assistance or to another benefit provider. The application can be submitted by phone, email, or letter.
Counseling centers help with the application.
Assistance services can also support people in other areas. For example: At work (work assistance), at school (school assistance), at university, or in training. Then perhaps another benefit provider is responsible. For example: The employment agency, the integration office, the pension insurance, or the accident insurance.
Good to know:
Children, adolescents, and young adults under 25 years with care level 4 or 5 can also use the new combined annual amount. Since July 1, 2025, they have 3,539 euros available.
Needs assessment (BENi)
After the application, a needs assessment takes place.
In the needs assessment, the question is asked: In which areas of life do you need support?
By clicking this button, you will go to the website of the Lower Saxony State Office for Social Affairs, Youth and Family.
Does a person need simple/compensatory assistance? Then the assistant must take over tasks completely or partially. Or accompany the person.
Or does a person need qualified assistance? Then the assistant must instruct and motivate the person. And practice new tasks with them. This work requires pedagogical training.
The Northeim Assistance Portal provides simple assistance services. Here you can search for and find assistance in everyday life.
Personal budget or service provider
Who should provide the service
The benefit provider has approved a certain number of hours for assistance for you. Then you must decide: Do I want to receive assistance through a service provider?
Then an assistant from the service provider comes to your home.
Or do I want to make a contract with an assistant myself? Then you search for an assistant yourself and hire them (personal budget).
Both are possible.
Assistance through a service provider
You select a service provider in the region. They arrange an assistant for you. You then have nothing to do with the billing.
Personal budget
You decide on the personal budget. Then you receive the money for assistance in your account. You hire one or more persons as assistants. And settle accounts monthly with the benefit provider.
You decide on the specific support needs. And you conclude employment contracts or volunteer contracts with the assistants. You search for staff yourself, hire them, do the scheduling, pay social contributions, and pay salaries.
The personal budget offers you maximum self-determination. But it also involves a lot of work. You need administrative knowledge for this. You can get support from a tax advisor.
You can get advice from the EUTB (Supplementary Independent Participation Counseling).