The Pflegegrad (care grade) shows how independent a person still is in everyday life. There are five Pflegegrade: Pflegegrad 1 stands for a minor impairment, Pflegegrad 5 for the most severe. The higher the Pflegegrad, the more benefits the Pflegekasse (long-term care insurance fund) pays.

Details

Since 2017 it is no longer the time spent on care that counts, but a person’s independence. During the assessment the Medizinischer Dienst (the medical service that assesses care needs) awards points in six areas of life (modules) and adds them up to an overall score between 0 and 100. You can read how this works in detail under The MD home visit.

Which score leads to which Pflegegrad

• Pflegegrad 1 – from 12,5 to under 27 points: minor impairment of independence
• Pflegegrad 2 – from 27 to under 47,5 points: considerable impairment
• Pflegegrad 3 – from 47,5 to under 70 points: severe impairment
• Pflegegrad 4 – from 70 to under 90 points: most severe impairment
• Pflegegrad 5 – from 90 to 100 points: most severe impairment with special requirements for nursing care (Härtefall, hardship case)

What you get with which Pflegegrad

The following amounts apply nationwide and are as at July 2026. They were last increased on 1 January 2025; the next regular adjustment is planned for 2028 at the earliest.

Pflegegrad 1

• no Pflegegeld (cash care allowance) and no Pflegesachleistung (care benefits in kind)
• Entlastungsbetrag (monthly relief amount) of 131 Euro a month for everyday help, supervision services and household support
• consumable care aids (Pflegehilfsmittel) up to 42 Euro a month (for example gloves, disinfectant, bed protection pads)
• grant for measures that improve the home environment, up to 4.180 Euro per measure
• a subsidy towards a home emergency call system, free care advice and free care courses for relatives

Pflegegrade 2 to 5: Pflegegeld and Pflegesachleistung

You receive Pflegegeld if care is organised privately – by relatives, for example. With the Pflegesachleistung, an outpatient care service bills the fund directly. The two can be combined proportionally (Kombinationsleistung, combination benefit).

• Pflegegrad 2: 347 Euro Pflegegeld or 796 Euro Pflegesachleistung a month
• Pflegegrad 3: 599 Euro Pflegegeld or 1.497 Euro Pflegesachleistung a month
• Pflegegrad 4: 800 Euro Pflegegeld or 1.859 Euro Pflegesachleistung a month
• Pflegegrad 5: 990 Euro Pflegegeld or 2.299 Euro Pflegesachleistung a month

Benefits that are added from Pflegegrad 2 upwards

• Joint annual amount for Verhinderungspflege (respite care) and Kurzzeitpflege (short-term residential care): 3.539 Euro per calendar year, usable flexibly for both benefits since 1 July 2025. The former six-month qualifying period has been abolished, and Verhinderungspflege is possible for up to eight weeks a year.
• Day and night care (partial inpatient care) with its own budget for each Pflegegrad, in addition to Pflegegeld and Pflegesachleistung
• Full inpatient care: depending on the Pflegegrad 805 Euro (PG 2), 1.319 Euro (PG 3), 1.855 Euro (PG 4) or 2.096 Euro (PG 5) a month. On top of that comes the benefit supplement under § 43c SGB XI towards the care-related Eigenanteil (personal contribution): 15 Prozent in the first year, 30 Prozent from the 13th month, 50 Prozent from the 25th month and 75 Prozent from the 37th month in the care home.
• Wohngruppenzuschlag (shared-flat supplement) for shared care flats with outpatient support
• Compulsory advisory visit where Pflegegeld is received (§ 37 Abs. 3 SGB XI): every six months with Pflegegrad 2 and 3, every three months with Pflegegrad 4 and 5 – free of charge and at the same time a good opportunity to ask questions.
• Entlastungsbetrag, Pflegehilfsmittel and home adaptation as with Pflegegrad 1 – these amounts are the same for all Pflegegrade.

The entitlement most often left unused

In Berlin the Entlastungsbetrag of 131 Euro a month is claimed by only around 64 Prozent of the people entitled to it (Landespflegeplan Berlin 2025, p. 70). Amounts you do not use are not lost immediately: you can let them accumulate and use them up to 30 June of the following year. They can pay for everyday companionship, supervision groups, domestic help or, in Berlin, recognised Nachbarschaftshilfe (neighbourhood help).

The Pflegegrad is not fixed for ever

If the condition deteriorates permanently, you can apply for a higher grade at any time – that is a new application with a new assessment. A lower grade is also possible if independence improves again. Separate assessment rules apply to children, because their need for help is compared with what is usual for their age.

What to do?

1. Check the decision and the assessment report. Ask for the full Pflegegutachten (assessment report) and compare what it says with your everyday life. If the result does not fit, you have one month to appeal (category Pflegegrad & applications).
2. Decide: Pflegegeld, Sachleistung or a combination? Work through both routes before you commit; the decision can be changed.
3. Activate the Entlastungsbetrag. Look for a recognised everyday support service, ask for invoices and submit them to the Pflegekasse.
4. Apply for Pflegehilfsmittel. The monthly flat rate of 42 Euro is obtained through an informal application to the Pflegekasse or directly through a supplier who bills the fund.
5. Adapt the home. Get advice before any conversion work and submit the application before the work begins – otherwise the grant is lost.
6. Plan respite in firmly. Book Verhinderungspflege or Kurzzeitpflege early; short-term care places are scarce, especially in Berlin and Brandenburg (in Berlin only 17 facilities with 274 places, Landespflegeplan 2025, p. 81).
7. Apply for a higher grade if things get worse – again informally, and again with a Pflegetagebuch (care diary) as preparation.

Where can you get help?

• Pflegestützpunkte (care support points) will work out with you, free of charge and neutrally, which combination of benefits brings the most in your situation: Directory, filter “Beratungsstelle / Pflegestützpunkt”.
• Care services, day care, short-term care and everyday help in your district or Landkreis can also be found under Directory.
• Free care courses under § 45 SGB XI and information events on benefits and applications: Events.
• Look up technical terms: Care glossary A–Z.

All benefit amounts: as at July 2026 (SGB XI). Regional figures: Landespflegeplan Berlin 2025.