Rates are indexed: currently 347, 599, 800 and 990 € for care levels 2–5. Most families combine: the service handles the hard parts, the family covers the rest — and part of the cash benefit stays in the household.
Pflegegrad: The Benefits You Get
Cash benefit from 347 € (level 2) to 990 € (level 5), professional care services, a 131 € relief budget and respite care cover.
✓ Verified: 18/07/2026
WHAT TO DO
AUTHORITY
Pflegekasse
Public bodyCare level and care benefits run through the Pflegekasse attached to your health insurer — you apply to your own insurer.
› Details and tips
👨🏻💻
Max recommends:
We took the combination: the care service handles the hard parts (showering), the family the rest — part of the cash benefit stays as money. Pure cash or pure service is almost always worse than the mix.
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Lea recommends:
Do not miss the small items: the 131 € monthly relief budget applies from level 1, plus up to 42 € for supplies. And plan breaks — respite care pays for a stand-in when the carer is on holiday or ill.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can benefits be received for care abroad? ▾
Care must take place where the insured person lives, in Germany or the EU. Moving the cared-for person to a third country stops payments.
A relative receives the cash benefit — is it taxed? ▾
No: cash benefit passed to a caring relative is tax-free. Bonus — from 10 hours of care per week the insurer pays pension contributions for the carer.
Care level 1 — worth applying at all? ▾
Yes: no cash benefit, but the 131 € relief budget, care supplies up to 42 €, home-adaptation grants and free care counselling. Getting in also speeds a later upgrade.
The condition worsens — a higher level? ▾
Apply for an upgrade at the Pflegekasse anytime; a new assessment follows. Document the decline in the care diary — the higher level applies from the application month.