ROUTE
Disability Card (GdB)
Official disability recognition in Germany unlocks tax allowances, extra leave, dismissal protection and earlier retirement. How to apply for a GdB and what the card grants.
β Checked: 18/07/2026
Official recognition of a degree of disability in Germany is not a medical diagnosis but an administrative decision opening up specific rights: a tax allowance, extra leave, strengthened protection against dismissal and, at a high degree, earlier access to a pension.
COSTS AND DEADLINES
Deadlines you cannot miss
- Processing usually 3β7 months; objection against a low GdB: 1 monthGdB: Applying to the Versorgungsamthard deadline
Amounts follow official fees as of each stepβs verification date. Your city may charge a different rate β check the step itself.
βΊ More about this route
This two-step route covers both parts: applying to the authority with properly assembled medical documentation, and an overview of what the card actually provides at each degree.
Worth knowing first: what is assessed is not the severity of a diagnosis as such but how well the resulting limitations in daily life are documented. A complete package from your treating doctors influences the outcome more than the wording of the diagnosis.
WHERE PEOPLE MOST OFTEN LOSE MONEY AND TIME
- Applying without complete medical documentation. The authority decides on the file, and missing reports mean an understated assessment.
- Not listing every limitation. Their combined effect is assessed, and listing them is your job rather than your doctorβs.
- Accepting an understated degree. One month remains for an objection, and a substantial share of decisions change afterwards.
- Not using the rights once recognised. The tax allowance, extra leave and protection do not apply automatically β they must be claimed.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ROUTE
What exactly does the authority assess?βΎ
Not the diagnosis itself but the extent of the resulting limitations in daily life and, where there are several conditions, their combined effect. That is why every limitation belongs listed, not only the principal one.
What rights does the card provide?βΎ
It depends on the degree recognised: a tax allowance without itemised proof, additional days of leave, strengthened protection against dismissal, transport concessions and, at a high degree, earlier access to a pension.
Does this affect my employer?βΎ
There is no duty to disclose, yet it is precisely this recognition that grounds dismissal protection and extra leave. Those rights work only if your employer knows about the status, and that decision is yours.
What if the degree is set too low?βΎ
Lodge an objection within one month and supply the missing medical reports. Many initial decisions rest on incomplete information, and the assessment often changes once documents are added.