Maximum amounts of countable rent in level VI

Housing benefit does not replace every contractually owed rent. The formula uses only the countable part: the gross cold rent or the housing burden, capped at the maximum for the local level and household size.

If the agreed cold rent is below that, the actual rent counts. If it is above, the maximum counts. The application is not refused solely because the Frankfurt rent exceeds the table value. The level itself is explained on the Rent level page.

The following amounts are the basic maximums in Annex 1. They apply to Frankfurt am Main as a municipality in level VI and relate to cold rent including cold service charges – without heating, without hot water, without electricity, without a parking space.

A two-person household with 800 euros gross cold rent meets the basic amount of 745 euros in level VI. 745 euros of the cold rent enter the formula, not 800. The remaining 55 euros stay uncounted. The heating-cost and climate components raise the overall framework beyond that, but do not replace the cold-rent cap.

A one-person household with 520 euros gross cold rent lies below 615 euros; here the actual rent counts. Whether housing benefit then flows is decided by income and the formula – not this table alone. See Calculation.

The left-hand column follows the countable household members, not the number of rooms and not the number of names on the doorbell. From the sixth person the basic amount rises by 149 euros against the five-person row, so 1,332 euros for six people, 1,481 euros for seven people and so on.

An additional child without their own income raises the maximum, while total income often rises only a little. A second salary can still leave the same household worse off in the formula.

Since the reform stage of Wohngeld-Plus, a heating-cost component and a climate component are added to the basic amount in Annex 1. Anyone who reads 615 euros as “all inclusive” underestimates the countable framework and mixes cold rent with energy.

The landlord’s actual heating-cost statement does not replace these statutory components. Conversely, a low statement does not reduce the basic cold-rent maximum. Details remain on the Heating costs page.

For owner-occupied property the same maximum amounts apply as a cap on the countable housing burden. What counts as a burden is under Owner subsidy. In a subtenancy or shared flat often only your own share is compared with the maximum for your own household, not the total rent of the contract.

A rent subsidy and an owner subsidy use the same table; only the type of housing costs differs. See Rent subsidy.

The figures named match the current Annex 1 in the Wohngeld-Plus stage and apply into 2026. A separate change of rates from 2025 to 2026 is not provided for. The table would shift only through a change in the Act or the ordinance.

How the capped rent together with income becomes the award is gathered on the Amount page. The application is handled by the Housing Office (Amt für Wohnungswesen), Adickesallee 67–69, 60322 Frankfurt am Main.