Long-term care insurance in Germany will be fundamentally reformed on July 1, 2025. Many of the changes will mean tangible improvements for people in need of care and their relatives. It's not just about increased care insurance benefits, but above all about more flexibility, less bureaucracy and better planning in everyday life.
The Agency for Home Help has summarized the most important changes for you - with practical tips on how you can make the most of the new benefits.
Preventive care and short-term care are merged: more flexibility in everyday life
What is changing?
Until now, respite care (when the caregiver is absent, e.g. due to vacation or illness) and short-term care (e.g. after a hospital stay in an inpatient facility) were considered two separate services, each with its own budget and different specifications and definitions.
From July 1, 2025, both benefits will be combined into a uniform, flexible annual budget of€3 ,539per calendar year for all eligible persons with a care degree of 2 to 5.
This change offers various advantages to those affected and opens up new possibilities.
Your advantages at a glance
- Youare free to decide how to divide this amount between respite or short-term care.
- The previously required six-month pre-care period no longer applies: benefits are available to you from the first day you are awarded a care degree.
- Preventive care can now be claimed for up to eight weeks per year - previously it was only six weeks.
- Half of the care allowance will continue to be paid during these periods - also for up to eight weeks (previously only six).
- Real-time transparency: In future, you will be able to see online on a daily basis how much budget is still available, which makes budget planning much easier.
- Standardized and simplified rules ensure greater clarity.
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Changes to long-term care insurance in 2025: What does this mean for you?
This change is a milestone for family caregivers who need short-term relief, whether due to illness, exhaustion or vacation. They can now access various benefits much more easily and flexibly without the need for time-consuming applications.
You no longer need to worry about whether a measure falls under "respite care" or "short-term care". Use the services in the way that suits you and your relatives best.
Increase in care allowance and other benefits
As early as January 1, 2025, the most important long-term care insurance benefits were increased by an average of 4.5%. This will benefit both those in need of care and their families.
New care allowance amounts from 01.01.2025
| Degree of care | Care allowance until 31.12.2024 | Care allowance from 01.01.2025 |
| 2 | 332 € | 347 € |
| 3 | 573 € | 599 € |
| 4 | 765 € | 800 € |
| 5 | 947 € | 990 € |
The benefits for day and night care, care benefits in kind and inpatientcare were also adjusted.
Nursing staff receive higher wages - an important step for quality
An often overlooked but necessary aspect concerns minimum wages in elderly care:
The following minimum wages will apply from July 2025:
- Nursingstaff: at least€ 20.50per hour
- Nursingassistants: at least€16 .10per hour
This is not only a fair recognition of the performance of nursing staff, but also a contribution to improving the quality of care in the long term, as better working conditions lead to higher motivation and lower staff turnover in the sector.
What does this mean for you as a person in need of care or a relative?
A more attractive care profession means more qualified staff, better care and fewer bottlenecks, especially when using outpatient care services or home help. domestic help.
Contribution rate for long-term care insurance and digital evidence - what you need to bear in mind
Long-term care insurance contribution increases slightly
The contribution rate for long-term care insurance was raised to 3.6% at the start of 2025. For those in employment, this change came into effect in January. For pensioners, this new contribution rate will only be applied from July 2025, but then retroactively for the entire year. There will therefore be a one-off equalization amount.
Contribution to long-term care insurance: new proof for parents - digital and simple
Digital proof of the number of children
Anyone with children pays a reduced contribution to long-term care insurance. From July 2025, it will be mandatory to provide digital proof of the number of children, for example via the Elster portal or a health insurance system.
Our tip: Prepare this proof in good time. This can make a noticeable financial difference, especially for parents with several children.
Digitalization simplifies care - keep an eye on your care budget at all times
Another focus of the reform is the digital simplification of the administration of care services.
This means for you:
- All data on your care budget (e.g. prevention and short-term care) can be viewed online.
- In future, applications can be submitted faster and digitally
- Notifications, certificates and changes will be directly accessible via your care account.
This not only brings more transparency, but also saves time, bureaucratic work and nerves.
Examples: How you benefit from the innovations
Case 1: Relief for family caregivers
Mrs. K. looks after her husband(care level 4) at home. She is planning a three-week break to recuperate. Thanks to the new regulation, she can use the joint care budget to finance a replacement carer or home help, without any bureaucratic hurdles, directly and predictably.
Case 2: Receiving a care level - help available immediately
Mr. L. (81) receives care level 2 for the first time after a hospital stay. Thanks to the reform, the family can immediatelymake use of respite care, for example through an outpatient service or a home help, without a six-month waiting period.
What you should do now - your to-do list for care reform
- Clarify care level: Do you already have a care level? If not, submit an application to the care insurance fund and have the need for care clarified by the medical service.
- Check and plan your budget: How do you want to use the new annual budget? Are there relief phases, vacations or time off that you would like to plan for?
- Report the number of children digitally: Submit the number of children online to have your long-term care insurance contribution calculated correctly.
- Set up a digital care file: Use the new option for a digital overview of services and budgets.
- Use our advice: Seek individual advice at an early stage.
Conclusion Innovations in long-term care insurance: a reform with real added value for everyday care
The changes to long-term care insurance from July 2025 represent a major step forward. Families caring for their relatives will have more leeway, less bureaucracy and better financial conditions.
The flexible care budget, the abolition of the pre-care period, the increased care allowances and digital transparency will provide long-term relief for care at home and family carers.
