Germany raises relief budget for preventive and short‑term nursing care

Germany’s long‑term care insurance now funds preventive (Verhinderungspflege) and short‑term care through a shared annual relief budget of €3,539 per eligible person. The budget, introduced on 1 July 2025, replaces the former separate limits of €1,685 for preventive care and €843 that could be transferred from short‑term care, raising the total amount available for eight weeks of replacement care per year.

For care grade 2 recipients, the monthly care allowance is €347, with half continued during preventive care, resulting in €173.50 per month, €43.38 per week, or €347 for the full eight‑week period. When close relatives provide the care, the maximum reimbursement is €694 for the eight weeks.

A statutory increase is scheduled for 1 January 2028. The rise will match the cumulative core‑inflation rate of 2025‑2027, capped by the same increase in the total gross wage and salary sum for employees over the same period. The exact percentage is still to be determined, but the law guarantees that the €3,539 budget will be adjusted upward accordingly.