Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband criticizes zero increase in citizen’s allowance

According to Labor Minister Heil, the citizen's allowance will not be increased next year. This is met with opposition from the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband, which considers the current standard rate to still be far too low.

The Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband has criticized the federal government's plans not to increase the citizen's allowance next year. “The citizen's allowance is still far too low, prices are continuing to rise and any remaining increase would be a social policy step backwards,” said managing director Joachim Rock to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. “Just because the inflation rate is falling, the burdens are not falling as well.”

Rock also criticized the federal government's methods for calculating the citizen's allowance and called for inflation to be compensated. According to the chief executive, the rates are “far too low.” With the current standard rate of 563 euros for a single adult, “healthy nutrition, adequate mobility and social participation are not regularly possible.” Instead, Rock repeated the association's demand that an amount of 813 euros per month is appropriate.

Rock rejected the FDP's criticism that the last increase in the citizen's allowance was too high and that a reduction was necessary. “People who receive the citizen's allowance do not have any savings or savings accounts with which they can bridge emergencies.”

Heil announces zero increase for 2025

Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) had previously announced that the citizen's allowance would not be increased next year. Inflation has fallen, he told broadcaster RTL. The legal mechanism is such that there will be no increase in the citizen's allowance on January 1st.