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Relief amount calculator: keep track of your €131 credit
Every care level — including level 1 — is entitled to €131 a month in relief amount (Entlastungsbetrag) for care at home. Whatever is not used accumulates and only expires on 30 June of the following year. Work out how much credit you are likely to still have — and what it can pay for.
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The relief amount under § 45b SGB XI is the most frequently forfeited pot in the entire care insurance system: €131 a month (€1,572 a year), earmarked for relief in daily life — companionship, accompaniment, household help. Many families have no idea that it accumulates if it is not used.
The expiry rule is the decisive part: unused amounts from one calendar year can still be spent until 30 June of the following year — after that they are gone without replacement. The calculator shows your likely credit, what will still accrue by the end of the year and which amount expires when.
To make the figures tangible, the calculator converts your credit into real services — at Berlin rates, for example cleaning the flat, doing the shopping or companionship visits.
The relief amount at a glance
- €131 a month for all care levels 1–5 receiving care at home (since 1 January 2025; €125 before that)
- Unused amounts carry over into the following year and expire there on 30 June
- No separate application needed — it is settled by reimbursement or directly via an assignment declaration to the provider
- In Berlin it can be used for companionship and relief services as well as household help from licensed care services; at care level 1 also for personal care
How the calculator works
- State when the entitlement began: Since when has the care level been in place? A month and year is enough — if in doubt, “already for a while”.
- Roughly estimate what has been used: Only your care insurance fund knows the exact figure; an estimate is enough for guidance.
- Read your credit and expiry: Current credit, what still accrues by year end, the expiry date — plus examples of what Sonnenstrahlen can cover with it.
Frequently asked questions about the relief amount
Who receives the relief amount?
Everyone with care levels 1–5 who is cared for at home — regardless of whether they also draw care allowance or care services. It is a uniform €131 a month; for care level 1 it is the single most important benefit there is.
When does the relief amount expire?
Nothing expires within the calendar year — unused monthly amounts simply accumulate. What is left of a year remains usable until 30 June of the following year and then lapses without replacement. Example: the remaining credit from 2025 could be used until 30 June 2026.
What may I use the relief amount for in Berlin?
For everyday support services recognised under Berlin state law, and for services from outpatient care providers: companionship, accompaniment and household support. Body-related self-care (washing, dressing) can only be paid from the relief amount at care level 1 — from care level 2 it runs through the services budget under § 36.
Do I have to pay up front?
Not necessarily. Either you submit the invoice to your care insurance fund for reimbursement — or you sign an assignment declaration with the provider; then Sonnenstrahlen, for example, bills the fund directly and you never see an invoice at all.
What do the services actually cost?
Examples from the Berlin rates (2025 level, valid for 2026): cleaning the flat €22.29, shopping €19.81, changing and washing the laundry €39.62, a companionship visit €8.26 — each per visit. A monthly amount of €131 therefore corresponds, for instance, to weekly cleaning plus two shopping trips.
Sources & legal position
The amount, accumulation and expiry of the relief amount follow from § 45b SGB XI. Which services are recognised for it in Berlin is listed by the Berlin Senate Department for Care; an overview of all home care benefits is given by the Federal Ministry's guide to care at home. The visit prices quoted are our real Berlin rates. Legal position as of August 2026.
From the calculator to real relief
Sonnenstrahlen is a licensed care service with three offices in Berlin. We will work through your care situation concretely and without obligation — at the same rates as in this calculator — and can take over at short notice. Advice in German, English and Russian.
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