Gemischte Bedarfsgemeinschaften and Mischhaushalte#

In the German tax-transfer system, the unit at which benefits are computed does not always coincide with the household. Members of the same household can fall under different benefit systems (SGB II vs. SGB XII, or SGB II vs. Wohngeld). Two distinct concepts arise from these interactions:

  • A gemischte Bedarfsgemeinschaft is a couple whose members fall under different Existenzsicherungssysteme: one partner under SGB II (Bürgergeld), the other under SGB XII (Grundsicherung im Alter oder bei Erwerbsminderung).

  • A Mischhaushalt is a household in which some members receive Grundsicherungsleistungen (SGB II or SGB XII) while the other members receive Wohngeld, forming the wohngeldrechtlicher Teilhaushalt.

Kinderwohngeld is a special case of the latter. This document explains all three scenarios.

Gemischte Bedarfsgemeinschaft (SGB II / SGB XII)#

A gemischte Bedarfsgemeinschaft arises when members of the same couple fall under different benefit systems:

  • One partner is erwerbsfähig and below the Regelaltersgrenze → eligible for SGB II (Bürgergeld)

  • The other partner is eligible for SGB XII (Grundsicherung im Alter und bei Erwerbsminderung, SGB XII Kapitel 4) because they either

    • have reached the Regelaltersgrenze → Grundsicherung im Alter (§41 Abs. 2 SGB XII), or

    • are dauerhaft voll erwerbsgemindert — typically receiving an Erwerbsminderungsrente → Grundsicherung bei Erwerbsminderung (§41 Abs. 3 SGB XII).

The mechanism described below is identical in both cases. The SGB XII partner remains a member of the SGB II Bedarfsgemeinschaft (§7 Abs. 3 SGB II) but receives no Bürgergeld (§19 Abs. 1 Satz 2 SGB II; §5 Abs. 2 Satz 2 SGB II). Their needs are covered by SGB XII instead (§43 Abs. 1 SGB XII).

Note

GETTSIM currently implements only the Grundsicherung im Alter case. Grundsicherung bei Erwerbsminderung is not implemented yet (#1145).

Individual entitlements within a Bedarfsgemeinschaft#

Bürgergeld is an individual entitlement, not a group-level payment. Even within a normal Bedarfsgemeinschaft, each person has their own individual claim. The Bedarfsgemeinschaft serves as the calculation unit for pooling income and determining need, but the resulting benefit amount is attributed to individual persons.

In principle, there are two methods for attributing income to individual BG members:

Horizontalmethode

Vertikalmethode

Income attribution

Pooled and distributed proportionally to each person’s share of total Bedarf

Stays with the earner; only surplus above own Bedarf flows to the partner

Who is hilfebedürftig

All members, proportionally

Only members whose own income falls short

Applies to

Normal BG (all members SGB II eligible)

Gemischte BG (one SGB II, one SGB XII)

Legal basis

§9 Abs. 2 Satz 3 SGB II; BSG B 14 AS 55/07 R

BSG B 14 AS 89/20 R

Bedarfsanteilsmethode (Horizontalmethode)#

In a normal BG where all members are SGB II eligible, the Bedarfsanteilsmethode applies (BSG 18.06.2008 — B 14 AS 55/07 R):

  1. Compute each person’s individual Bedarf (Regelsatz + kopfteilig KdU + Mehrbedarfe). In GETTSIM, this is bürgergeld__regelbedarf_m.

  2. Sum to the total Bedarf of the BG (bürgergeld__regelbedarf_m_bg).

  3. Pool all countable income (bürgergeld__anzurechnendes_einkommen_m_bg).

  4. Distribute income proportionally: each person’s attributed income equals their share of total Bedarf times the total countable income of the BG.

  5. Individual benefit: the difference between individual Bedarf and attributed income, floored at zero.

For children, income is first counted against the child’s own Bedarf before entering the pool (vertikale-horizontale Berechnungsmethode): Kindergeld is attributed to the child per §11 I 4 SGB II, and only the surplus — if the child’s income exceeds their Bedarf — is distributed horizontally across the BG.

The sum of individual benefits equals the BG-level benefit. This equivalence holds because, when the BG is hilfebedürftig, each person’s Bedarf is scaled by the same factor (one minus the ratio of total income to total Bedarf).

Vertikalmethode#

When one partner receives SGB XII benefits and the other receives SGB II benefits, BSG B 14 AS 89/20 R mandates the ‘Vertikalmethode’. The SGB XII partner’s needs and income are excluded from the horizontal income distribution (§11 Abs. 1 SGB II; §82 Abs. 1 SGB XII):

  1. SGB II (erwerbsfähige person): own Bedarf minus own countable income.

  2. SGB XII (person past Regelaltersgrenze or dauerhaft voll erwerbsgemindert): own Bedarf minus own countable income under SGB XII rules.

Überschusseinkommen (surplus income)#

The two systems are not fully independent. If one side’s countable income exceeds its Bedarf, the surplus (Überschusseinkommen) flows to the other side as additional income:

  • SGB II → SGB XII: If the SGB II BG members’ total distributable income exceeds their total Bedarf, the surplus enters the SGB XII Einsatzgemeinschaft (BSG B 14 AS 89/20 R). In GETTSIM: bürgergeld__überschusseinkommen_m.

  • SGB XII → SGB II: Conversely, if the Einsatzgemeinschaft’s income exceeds its Bedarf, the surplus enters the SGB II BG. In GETTSIM: grundsicherung__im_alter__überschusseinkommen_m_eg and grundsicherung__hilfe_zum_lebensunterhalt__überschusseinkommen_m_eg.

Einsatzgemeinschaft#

The relevant calculation unit for the SGB XII partner is the Einsatzgemeinschaft (eg_id, §27 Abs. 2 SGB XII), analogous to the Bedarfsgemeinschaft for SGB II. In a gemischte BG, the SGB XII partner forms their own Einsatzgemeinschaft; their Bedarf and income are computed at the _eg level.

Additional rules for gemischte BGs#

  • Both partners receive Regelbedarfsstufe 2 (the partner rate), not RBS 1 (BSG 16.10.2007 — B 8/9b SO 2/06 R).

  • KdU is split per capita (Kopfteilprinzip) — the Jobcenter covers the SGB II partner’s share, the Sozialamt covers the SGB XII partner’s share.

  • Income protected by SGB II Freibeträge for the erwerbsfähige partner must not be counted against the SGB XII partner (BSG 09.06.2011 — B 8 SO 20/09 R; §82 Abs. 3 Satz 3 SGB XII).

Example#

Anna (age 55, erwerbsfähig) and Bernd (age 67, past Regelaltersgrenze) live together. Monthly KdU for the household is 600 EUR.

Anna (SGB II)

Bernd (SGB XII)

Regelsatz (RBS 2)

506

506

KdU (kopfteilig)

300

300

Bedarf

806

806

Gross earnings

1000

0

Altersrente

0

400

Countable income (after deductions)

600

400

Benefit

806 − 600 = 206 (Bürgergeld)

806 − 400 = 406 (Grundsicherung)

The vertical method means Anna’s earnings are not attributed to Bernd, and Bernd’s pension is not attributed to Anna. Each person’s shortfall is covered by their respective system.

For comparison, the horizontal method would attribute income proportionally (50/50 because both have the same Bedarf):

Anna

Bernd

Income attributed

50% × 1000 = 500

50% × 1000 = 500

Benefit

806 − 500 = 306

806 − 500 = 306

The total benefit is the same (612 EUR in both cases), but the attribution to individuals — and thus to SGB II vs. SGB XII — differs.

Example with Überschusseinkommen#

Same setup, but Anna earns 1600 EUR gross (~1100 EUR countable after SGB II Freibeträge) and Bernd’s pension is only 200 EUR.

Anna (SGB II)

Bernd (SGB XII)

Regelsatz (RBS 2)

506

506

KdU (kopfteilig)

300

300

Bedarf

806

806

Gross earnings

1600

0

Altersrente

0

200

Countable income (own)

1100

200

Step 1 — SGB II (Anna): Countable income (1100) exceeds Bedarf (806). Anna receives no Bürgergeld. Her surplus: 1100 − 806 = 294 EUR (Überschusseinkommen).

Step 2 — SGB XII (Bernd): Own income (200) plus Anna’s Überschuss (294) = 494 total income. Grundsicherung: 806 − 494 = 312 EUR.

Without the surplus flow, Bernd would receive 806 − 200 = 606 EUR. The Überschusseinkommen mechanism ensures that Anna’s excess income is counted against Bernd’s SGB XII claim, even though her income is excluded from the horizontal distribution.

Wohngeldrechtlicher Teilhaushalt and Mischhaushalte#

A Mischhaushalt is a household where some members receive transfer payments (Bürgergeld, Grundsicherung) and are therefore excluded from Wohngeld (§7 Abs. 1 WoGG), while other members are eligible for Wohngeld. The eligible members form the wohngeldrechtlicher Teilhaushalt (see also Relevant unit concepts).

Each Mischhaushalt contains exactly one wohngeldrechtlicher Teilhaushalt — the subset of household members who are to be considered for the Wohngeld calculation.

When does this occur?#

A Mischhaushalt arises when the Vorrangprüfung (§12a SGB II) determines that Wohngeld is more favorable than Bürgergeld for some but not all household members. This typically happens when a household contains multiple Familiengemeinschaften. For example:

  • Parents with an adult child (aged 25+) who forms their own Familiengemeinschaft

  • Wohngeld covers the child’s needs but not the parents’ (because the child has own sources of income, for example alimony payments)

Wohngeld calculation in a Mischhaushalt#

In a Mischhaushalt, the Wohngeld calculation uses kopfteilig apportioned rent (§11 Abs. 3 WoGG):

  • Only the share of rent corresponding to the ratio of eligible members to total household members is considered

  • The Höchstbetrag (maximum rent, §12 Abs. 1 WoGG) is determined based on total household size but then apportioned by the same ratio

Example: A 4-person household (2 parents, 2 adult children) with rent of 600 EUR. The parents receive Bürgergeld, the two adult children receive Wohngeld.

  • Total household size: 4 → determines the Höchstbetrag tier

  • Eligible members: 2 out of 4

  • Wohngeld-eligible rent: 600 × 2/4 = 300 EUR

  • Höchstbetrag: looked up for 4 persons, then apportioned: Höchstbetrag × 2/4

Kinderwohngeld#

Kinderwohngeld is not a separate legal category but a colloquial term for a specific constellation: a child in a Bedarfsgemeinschaft whose parents receive Bürgergeld receives Wohngeld in their own right, causing them to exit the Bedarfsgemeinschaft.

How it works#

The mechanism relies on a chain of legal provisions:

  1. Parents receiving Bürgergeld are excluded from Wohngeld (§7 Abs. 1 Satz 1 Nr. 1 WoGG).

  2. Children in the BG are normally also excluded (§7 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 1 WoGG — BG members whose income was considered in the Bürgergeld calculation are excluded).

  3. Exception: The exclusion does not apply if Wohngeld would avoid or eliminate Hilfebedürftigkeit under §9 SGB II (§7 Abs. 1 Satz 3 Nr. 2 WoGG).

  4. If Wohngeld together with other income (Kindergeld, Unterhalt, Unterhaltsvorschuss) covers the child’s needs, the child is no longer hilfebedürftig.

  5. A child that is not hilfebedürftig exits the BG (§7 Abs. 3 Nr. 4 SGB II — unmarried children under 25 belong to the BG only if they cannot cover their livelihood from their own income/assets).

The Kinderwohngeld is counted as the child’s income, not the parent’s. The child forms (or joins) a wohngeldrechtlicher Teilhaushalt, creating a Mischhaushalt.

Interaction with the Bedarfsgemeinschaft#

When a child exits the BG via Kinderwohngeld:

  • The BG shrinks (fewer members → different KdU split, different Regelsatz allocation)

  • The child’s Kindergeld is no longer counted as BG income (this typically benefits the remaining BG members)

  • The parents’ Bürgergeld may increase or decrease depending on the child’s net contribution to the BG

Note

The family has a Wahlrecht (right to choose) — the BG cannot be forced to apply for Kinderwohngeld if it would not eliminate the Hilfebedürftigkeit of all BG members for at least 3 consecutive months (§12a Satz 2 Nr. 2 SGB II).

Implementation status in GETTSIM#

Topic

Status

Issues

Gemischte Bedarfsgemeinschaft

Implemented

#1146, #1157

Grundsicherung bei Erwerbsminderung

Not implemented

#1145

Einsatzgemeinschaft (_eg)

Implemented

#1147

Wohngeldrechtlicher Teilhaushalt

Partially implemented (simplified)

#710, #1010

Kinderwohngeld

Not implemented

#750

Endogenous BG/WTHH creation

Simplified; external repo planned

#763, #1010

See also

Gemischte Bedarfsgemeinschaft:

Wohngeldrechtlicher Teilhaushalt:

Kinderwohngeld: