Respite care — up to €1,612 a year, and often left unused

What is respite care?

Respite care under § 39 SGB XI is an entitlement that steps in when the person who normally provides the care is unavailable — because of a holiday, illness, exhaustion or any other reason. Up to €1,612 per calendar year is covered for a substitute carer.

Who is entitled?

The requirements:

• Care level (Pflegegrad) 2-5 — care level 1 is not enough.
• The care is provided by relatives or by volunteer carers.
• The carer has looked after the person for at least 6 months beforehand (the “Vorpflegezeit”, or prior-care period) — this hurdle has been removed since 2025; the prior-care period no longer applies.

What we particularly recommend

Use it by the hour rather than in blocks:

The €1,612 can be split into many small units — for example 3 hours a week across 50 weeks makes 150 hours in the year.

It can also be used after a hospital discharge:

If the family carer is overwhelmed by their relative coming home from hospital, respite care can bridge the gap and take some of the load.

It can be combined with short-term residential care:

Up to 50 % of an unused short-term residential care (Kurzzeitpflege) entitlement — as much as 806 € extra — can be transferred to respite care. In theory that would make up to €2,418 possible.

How to apply for respite care

An informal application to the Pflegekasse:

• Who normally provides the care?
• Why is a substitute needed?
• Who will be standing in?
• What costs will arise?

Receipts (the substitute carer’s invoice) are submitted afterwards. The Pflegekasse reimburses the costs directly to you — not to the substitute carer.

Respite care provided by close relatives

Worth knowing: if close relatives (parents, children, siblings, spouses) take on the respite care, the full amount is not paid — a markedly reduced rate applies instead (the level of the care allowance for that care level, pro rata).

Where the substitute care is provided by an external provider such as ourselves, the full amount applies.

Frequently asked questions

• How much is respite care in 2026?

  Up to €1,612 per calendar year. Combined with unused short-term residential care, up to €2,418.
• Does the substitute have to be a professional?

  No. Neighbours, friends or you yourself can be billed as the “substitute” — though for close relatives only at the care allowance rate.
• Can a bedside companion be billed through respite care?

  Yes, and it is in fact one of the most common uses. We issue you the invoice and you submit it to the Pflegekasse.
• Does the entitlement lapse if I do not use it?

  Yes, at the end of the calendar year. It is worth planning it as early as the summer rather than waiting.
• Does this apply at care level 1 as well?

  No. Pflegegrad 1 carries no entitlement to respite care.