Conversion entitlement: using up to 40% of your in-kind care benefit for home help

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What is the conversion entitlement?

From care level 2 (Pflegegrad 2), your long-term care insurance fund (Pflegekasse) provides a monthly in-kind care benefit (Pflegesachleistung). It is meant for a home care service (Pflegedienst) that visits you at home. Many families, however, need little or no help from a care service. What they are missing is someone to keep the home clean, do the laundry, go shopping or come along to doctor's appointments.

This is where the conversion entitlement under Section 45a (4) of Book XI of the German Social Code (SGB XI) comes in. You may “convert” up to 40 percent of your in-kind care benefit and use it for a recognised everyday support service (Angebot zur Unterstützung im Alltag), provided that this share is not already used up by a care service. In other words, part of the benefit can pay for home help even if no care service comes at all.

Alltagsdienst Sperling is recognised as an everyday support service in Baden-Württemberg. We are not a care service. We help around the home and support people in everyday life. You can find out exactly what we do on our page about home help for older people with a care level.

Who can use it?

You can use the conversion entitlement from care level 2, so in care levels 2, 3, 4 and 5. Care level 1 does not include an in-kind care benefit, so there is nothing to convert. Instead, you are entitled to the relief allowance (Entlastungsbetrag) of €131 a month, which can also be used for home help.

A few other points matter:

• The service you use must be officially recognised under state law as an everyday support service.
• Only the part of the in-kind benefit that is not used up by a care service can be converted.
• If a care service already visits you, there may be less left for the conversion entitlement. We will look at your individual situation with you.

No care level yet? Then the first step is an application to your care insurance fund. Our guide on applying for a care level explains how it works and what matters during the assessment.

Conversion entitlement: 40% per care level in euros

How much you can convert depends on the amount of your in-kind care benefit. The upper limit is 40 percent. Per month, that is at most:

• Care level 2: €318.40 (40% of €796)
• Care level 3: €598.80 (40% of €1,497)
• Care level 4: €743.60 (40% of €1,859)
• Care level 5: €919.60 (40% of €2,299)

These are maximum amounts. You do not have to use them in full and can also use a smaller share, for example for two regular visits a month instead of four. How many hours of help this covers depends on what you need. We will discuss this openly with you before we start.

What happens to your care allowance?

Many people receive care allowance (Pflegegeld) because relatives look after them at home. If you also use the conversion entitlement, your care allowance is reduced proportionally. This is known as the combination benefit (Kombinationsleistung): you combine part of the in-kind benefit with part of the care allowance. Put simply, the care allowance goes down by the same share of the in-kind benefit that you use.

A simple example

Mrs K. has care level 2. She is entitled to €347 a month in care allowance, and her in-kind care benefit would be €796. No care service visits her. Her daughter looks after her but can no longer manage the housework alongside her job.

• Mrs K. uses the full conversion entitlement of €318.40 a month. That is 40 percent of the in-kind care benefit.
• Her care allowance is therefore reduced by 40 percent, i.e. by €138.80.
• She still receives €208.20 in care allowance each month.
• On top of this, she is entitled to the relief allowance of €131.

This gives Mrs K. up to €449.40 a month for help at home and in everyday life. In return, she receives €138.80 less care allowance. Whether this is worthwhile for you is a personal decision: the care allowance can be spent freely, while home help takes regular tasks off the family's hands.

This example is deliberately simple. If you use only part of the conversion entitlement, your care allowance goes down by less. If a care service also visits, the calculation looks different. Your care insurance fund works out the exact figures.

Using it together with the relief allowance

The conversion entitlement does not replace the relief allowance; it can be used in addition. People with care levels 1 to 5 receive the relief allowance of €131 a month. It is also intended for recognised everyday support services. You do not need a separate application for it, as we bill your care insurance fund directly.

For many families the combination makes sense: if the relief allowance does not cover the help you need, the conversion entitlement can close the gap. How your fund offsets the two benefits in detail is something we clarify with you in a free consultation.

By the way, unused relief allowance does not expire straight away. Our article on saving up the relief allowance explains how long remaining amounts can be used. Which fund pays for home help in which situation is covered in our guide to free home help.

How to get started

You do not have to sort this out alone. The easiest way to start is to call us on 07121 159 10 58, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 2 pm. You can also call outside these hours: our AI phone assistant Vera will take a message. You can also write to us using our contact form.

If the fund's amount does not cover all the hours you would like, extra hours can be booked privately.

1. 1

   Call or write

   Call us or use the contact form. Our advice is free of charge.

2. 2

   Check your entitlement

   In an initial phone call, we work out which amounts you may be entitled to and whether the conversion entitlement suits your situation.

3. 3

   Inform your care fund

   Many care insurance funds want to be informed in advance. We tell you what your fund needs and help with the application.

4. 4

   Home visit

   We visit you to discuss which tasks need doing and how often we should come.

5. 5

   Start with a regular helper

   A dedicated support worker comes at regular times. If they are on holiday or ill, we arrange cover.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• § 45a SGB XI: everyday support services, conversion entitlement (German)
• § 36 SGB XI: in-kind care benefit (German)
• § 37 SGB XI: care allowance (German)
• § 45b SGB XI: relief allowance (German)

This article reflects the legal situation on the date given and is not legal advice. We review the amounts every year at the turn of the year.