Costs & care insurance
Who pays for what?
You don't have to work this out alone. We walk through the options together: step by step, in plain language, at your pace.
The big picture
Two insurance systems carry care at home.
Most home-care services in Germany are funded through two statutory systems. Once you can tell them apart, your options become much clearer.
Long-term care insurance (SGB XI)
The care fund (Pflegekasse) covers support with everyday life: personal care, household help, companionship and relief for families. The basis is an approved care grade (Pflegegrad), which the fund determines on application (as of July 2026).
Health insurance (SGB V)
Medical tasks at home, such as giving medication, injections and wound care, are covered by the health insurer as treatment care (Behandlungspflege), provided a doctor has prescribed them (as of July 2026).
The two routes often run in parallel. We sort out with you in the first conversation which fund covers what; you don't need to decode a single form beforehand.
The care grade
Five grades, one application.
Care grades 1 to 5 describe how much a person's independence in daily life is affected: grade 1 for minor limitations, grade 5 for the most severe (as of July 2026). The grade determines which benefits the care fund makes available.
minor limitationsmost severe limitations
Apply to the care fund
The application goes to the care fund (Pflegekasse) of the person who needs care; it sits alongside their health insurer. An informal letter or a phone call is enough to begin (as of July 2026).
Assessment at home
The care fund commissions an assessment, usually carried out by the Medical Service (Medizinischer Dienst) (as of July 2026). It takes place where everyday life happens: at home.
Receive the decision
The result arrives in writing, with the assigned care grade and the benefits that come with it.
Choose the benefits
Now it becomes clear which route fits your situation. This is where we walk alongside you, with orientation instead of jargon.
We help you find your bearings with the application and the benefit routes; this does not replace legal or social-services advice.
The benefit routes
Six routes worth knowing.
Not every route fits every family, but each one is easier once someone has calmly explained it.
Care services in kind (Pflegesachleistungen)
A care service such as Engel provides the care, and the care fund settles directly with us (as of July 2026). You choose what is needed, from personal care to help around the house.
About basic careCare allowance (Pflegegeld)
When relatives provide the care themselves, the care fund pays a monthly care allowance to the person receiving care (as of July 2026). The amount depends on the care grade; your care fund can tell you the current figures.
Advice for relativesCombining both (Kombinationsleistung)
Care allowance and services in kind can be combined proportionally, for example when the family carries everyday care and we step in for specific tasks (as of July 2026). We work out together how that adds up for you.
Work it out with usRespite care (Verhinderungspflege)
If the person who normally cares is temporarily unavailable (a holiday, an illness, a day to breathe), replacement care can be funded through the care fund (as of July 2026). The exact conditions depend on the individual case.
About respite careRelief amount (§ 45b SGB XI)
A monthly, earmarked amount for approved services that ease everyday life, such as companionship or household support (as of July 2026).
About companionship & reliefAdvisory visits (§ 37 (3) SGB XI)
Anyone receiving care allowance calls in an advisory visit at regular intervals, meant to support care at home, not to inspect it (as of July 2026). We carry out these visits and advise you personally.
About advisory visits
This page describes the statutory benefit routes in general terms (as of July 2026). Binding figures, deadlines and conditions for your individual case come from your care fund, and from a conversation with us.
Honest from the start
Clarity before you decide.
Not every service is fully covered by the funds. Whatever falls to you personally, we go through before care begins: item by item, calmly, without jargon. You know where you stand before you commit.
What the fund doesn't cover, we discuss openly: before you decide, not after.
The easiest first step is a conversation.
Free of charge, with no obligation, in your language. We listen first, then work out with you what fits.