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Combined benefits calculator: use a care service, keep your care allowance
Many families do without professional help because they believe it costs them the whole care allowance. In fact it only falls proportionally: use 30% of the services budget and you keep 70% of the allowance. Put together the care you want — at real Berlin rates — and see immediately what is left.
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Combined benefits under § 38 SGB XI join the two worlds: a care service takes over individual tasks from the services budget (§ 36), the family carries on caring — and receives a proportional care allowance. The Federal Ministry of Health's official worked example: at care level 2, using services worth €398 (50% of the €796 budget) leaves 50% of the €347 care allowance — that is €173.50.
This calculator works with the real Berlin service-module prices that also appear in our written quotes — including the per-visit flat rate for each home visit. So you see not “roughly” but to the euro how the care you want affects the budget, the care allowance and any private share.
The reverse mode is particularly useful: use the slider to set how much care allowance you want to keep at a minimum — the calculator shows how much budget that leaves and suggests matching service packages.
The 2026 figures at a glance
| Care level | Care allowance | Care services |
|---|---|---|
| Level 2 | €347 | €796 |
| Level 3 | €599 | €1,497 |
| Level 4 | €800 | €1,859 |
| Level 5 | €990 | €2,299 |
- The proportionality rule of § 38 SGB XI: the share of the budget you use cuts the care allowance by exactly that percentage — never more
- You are usually bound to the split you choose for six months
- The relief amount (€131 a month) is a separate pot and is untouched by all of this
How the calculator works
- Choose your care level: The budget and care allowance are set automatically.
- Build your care package: Pick real services with a weekly frequency — or set a care allowance target with the slider and take the suggestions offered.
- Read the result: Monthly cost, share of budget used, remaining care allowance, free budget or private share — live with every change.
Frequently asked questions about combined benefits
Do I lose my care allowance if a care service comes in?
No. With combined benefits under § 38 SGB XI the care allowance only falls by the percentage of the services budget you actually use. Use 40% of the budget, for example, and you still receive 60% of your care allowance — automatically, with no separate application for “combination”.
Exactly how is the proportional care allowance calculated?
The fund works it out monthly: (services used ÷ maximum services amount) = the quota. The care allowance is reduced by that quota. Example at care level 3: services worth €449.10 are 30% of the €1,497 budget — leaving 70% of €599 = €419.30 in care allowance.
How long am I bound to the split I choose?
As a rule you are bound for six months to the ratio in which you combine cash benefit and services (§ 38 SGB XI). If the care situation changes substantially, an earlier adjustment is possible.
What happens if the cost exceeds the budget?
Anything above the services budget is your own private share. Before paying privately, two routes are worth taking: shift services around (for example household help via the relief amount instead of § 36) — and check whether “Hilfe zur Pflege” from the Berlin welfare office applies if income and assets are not enough. Our care navigator shows the way there.
Are the prices in the calculator real?
Yes. We calculate with the Berlin service-module rates (2025 level, still valid for 2026) including the per-visit flat rate — the same method as in our written quote. Your later quote will therefore not suddenly differ.
Does the €131 relief amount count here?
No. The €131 under § 45b SGB XI is a separate pot for companionship and everyday support, available in addition to the care allowance and services budget, and it is not reduced by combined benefits.
Sources & legal position
The proportionality principle behind this calculator — budget used cuts the care allowance by exactly that percentage — follows the Federal Health Ministry's explanation of combined benefits and can be read in the statute itself at § 38 SGB XI. The monthly amounts for care allowance and services come from the official 2026 benefit rates published by the Ministry; the service prices are the real Berlin rates per service module that we bill to the care insurance funds. 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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