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Understanding a housing benefit notice

Last updated: October 2026

You applied for housing benefit (Wohngeld), and the housing benefit office has decided. The notice tells you whether you get housing benefit, how much and for which months. It also tells you what you must report so that you do not have to pay anything back later.

Sample letter

Stadt Musterstadt · Wohngeldstelle · Rathausplatz 1 · 12345 Musterstadt
Frau Nadia Muster
Feldstraße 17
12345 Musterstadt
Musterstadt, 20. Oktober 2026Wohngeld‑Nummer: WG‑2026-04711

Wohn­geld­bescheid

Sehr geehrte Frau Muster,

Ihrem Antrag vom 2. September 2026 wird entsprochen. Sie erhalten Wohngeld als Mietzuschuss.
Bewilligungszeitraum: 1. September 2026 bis 31. August 2027
Monatliches Wohngeld: 214,00 €
Haushaltsmitglieder: 3

Das Wohngeld wird monatlich im Voraus auf Ihr Konto überwiesen. Die Berechnung finden Sie in der Anlage.

Hinweis: Sie sind verpflichtet, Änderungen unverzüglich mitzuteilen, insbesondere wenn sich Ihre Miete um mehr als 15 Prozent verringert, Ihr Einkommen um mehr als 15 Prozent steigt oder sich die Zahl der Haushaltsmitglieder ändert. Zu viel gezahltes Wohngeld muss zurückgezahlt werden.

Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung: Gegen diesen Bescheid können Sie innerhalb eines Monats nach Bekanntgabe schriftlich oder zur Niederschrift bei der Stadt Musterstadt, Wohngeldstelle, Widerspruch einlegen.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Im Auftrag
K. Muster

Made‑up sender, made‑up names. The letter often looks like this or similar.

What does the letter mean?

Housing benefit is a subsidy towards rent (Mietzuschuss) or, if you own your home, towards the costs of the house (Lastenzuschuss). It is for people with a low income who do not receive Bürgergeld. How much you get depends on the rent, your income and the number of people in the household.

A notice can approve or reject. In the sample it is approved: €214 a month for 12 months. If it is rejected, the notice gives the reason, for example an income that is too high. You can object then too.

The duty to cooperate (Mitwirkungs­pflicht) is important: you must tell the housing benefit office yourself when something changes. If the rent goes down, the income goes up a lot or someone moves out, the housing benefit can become less. If you say nothing, you have to pay back money that was paid too much later.

Deadlines

  • You can challenge the notice within one month. What exactly applies is written at the bottom of the notice under “Rechtsbehelfs­belehrung” (information on legal remedies). Usually it is an objection to the housing benefit office. In some federal states it says “Klage beim Verwaltungsgericht” (lawsuit at the administrative court). Then that applies, and an objection is not enough.
  • Housing benefit is usually approved for 12 months. The approval period is in the notice. After that, payment stops if you do not make a new application.
  • It is best to make the renewal application (Weiter­leistungs­antrag) about two months before the end, so the money continues without a gap. Housing benefit is paid at the earliest from the month in which the application arrives at the housing benefit office.
  • You must report changes right away, not only with the next application.

What you can do

  1. Read the notice and the calculation in the attachment. Check whether rent, income and the number of people are correct.
  2. If something is wrong, or it was rejected although you have a low income, object in writing within one month. A short objection with “reasons to follow” keeps the deadline. If your notice says “Klage” (lawsuit) instead of “Widerspruch” (objection), go to a counselling centre right away.
  3. Keep the notice. You need it for other applications, for example.
  4. Put the end of the approval period in your calendar and make the renewal application in time. You get the forms from the housing benefit office or online.
  5. Report changes right away in writing: new rent, new income, a person moving in or out, moving house. Keep a copy.
  6. If you receive a repayment demand, check whether the period and the amount are correct. If you cannot pay all at once, ask for instalments. A social advice centre or a tenants' association can help.

This guide does not replace legal advice. Every letter is different: deadlines and amounts apply as they are written in your letter. If you have questions, an advice centre can help.

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