The housing allowance (Wohnpauschale) in BAföG depends on whether you live with your parents or have your own accommodation. The difference between the two allowances is 321 euros per month. This guide explains the current allowances, what counts as living with parents, and which changes are planned.
Short answer: If you do not live with your parents, BAföG pays a housing allowance of 380 euros per month. If you live with your parents, it is 59 euros (§ 13 para. 2 BAföG). A room owned by your parents counts as living with them (§ 13 para. 3a BAföG). The allowance is a fixed amount and does not depend on your actual rent. Status: October 2026.
Key points
- The housing allowance is a fixed part of the requirement. It is not calculated from your actual rent.
- Students living away from home receive 380 euros, students living with their parents 59 euros per month (§ 13 para. 2 BAföG).
- If you live in a room owned by your parents, it counts as living with them, even if you live there independently (§ 13 para. 3a BAföG).
- The figures have applied since 1 August 2024. The government draft of the BAföG reform provides higher rates for students living away from home from the summer term 2027, and a reduction for students living with their parents.
How high is the housing allowance?
The housing allowance is part of the requirement (Bedarf) that BAföG assumes for every trainee. The basic requirement for students at universities is 475 euros per month (§ 13 para. 1 no. 2 BAföG). Depending on your housing situation, the allowance is added. The table shows both cases for a university degree, without the health and care insurance supplements.
| Housing situation | Housing allowance per month | Requirement (assumption: basic 475 euros) |
|---|---|---|
| Living with parents | 59 euros | 534 euros |
| Living away from parents | 380 euros | 855 euros |
Status: October 2026. The figures have applied since 1 August 2024 (29th BAföG amendment). Health and care insurance supplements are added in both cases. The glossary entry on the BAföG requirement rate (in German) explains how the components fit together.
What counts as living with parents?
Under § 13 para. 3a BAföG, you also live with your parents if the room you use belongs to them. This applies, for example, to a granny flat or a room in the house of your parents. The lower allowance then applies, even if you run your own household there.
Conversely, accommodation that does not belong to your parents and where you do not live with them counts as living away from home. This includes a room in a shared flat or your own flat in another city. The 380-euro rate applies in both cases.
Worked example: own flat or parents’ home
Assumption: you study at a university, have no income of your own and no further supplements. With accommodation away from home, your requirement comes to 855 euros per month, with your parents to 534 euros. The difference is 321 euros per month, before the parents’ income is counted. The income counting follows separate rules, explained in the guide on parental income.
What happens if you move during funding?
If you move out of your parents’ home or back into it during the funding period, notify the responsible office. Whether and from which month the requirement changes is decided by the office in your individual case. A move is therefore best discussed with the office in advance.
A decision to move should not rest on the allowance alone. Rent, travel costs, time and your personal situation count as well. The allowance shows only one part of the calculation.
What does the BAföG reform change?
The government bill for the 30th BAföG amendment (Bundestag printed paper 21/8405, status 7 October 2026) provides for raising the allowance for students living away from home from 380 to 440 euros from the summer term 2027. The allowance for students living with their parents is to drop to 41 euros from 1 August 2027 and to lapse from 1 April 2029. The cabinet adopted the draft on 12 August 2026.
In its opinion of 25 September 2026, the Bundesrat criticised, among other things, the late start of the housing allowance and the reduction for students living with their parents. The federal government rejects most of the demands. The procedure is open, and until promulgation today’s rates apply.
How to check your housing situation
- Clarify who owns the room you use. If your parents own it, the rate for living with parents applies.
- Note whether you actually live with your parents or have your own accommodation, and keep the evidence.
- State your housing situation fully in the application. The office checks the details and sets the allowance accordingly.
- Calculate the difference with the current requirement before you decide on a move or a change of location.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to prove my rent to receive the 380 euros?
No. The allowance is set in law as a fixed amount and is not a refund of your rent (§ 13 para. 2 BAföG). Your actual rent therefore does not change the allowance.
Does a shared flat count as accommodation away from home?
Yes, if you do not live with your parents. A shared flat is not accommodation of your parents, so the 380-euro rate applies. The office checks the details against your statements.
What applies to a granny flat in my parents’ house?
It counts as living with your parents, because the room is their property (§ 13 para. 3a BAföG). Ownership decides here, not only whether you live independently.
Does my registered address or my actual living situation count?
The law refers to whether you live with your parents (§ 13 para. 2 BAföG). The actual living situation therefore decides, not only the address in the residents’ register. State in the application where you really live, and keep evidence ready if the office asks.
Will the allowances change from summer 2027?
According to the government draft, yes: a higher allowance for students living away from home from the summer term 2027 and a reduction for students living with their parents from August 2027. This is still a draft. Current funding periods usually receive higher rates only in the next funding period.
Related guides
- Affordable student housing: strategy, portals and costs
- BAföG Rates 2026/27: Figures, Allowances and Limits
- Günstige Wohnung im Studium finden (in German)
- Studentenwohnheim oder WG: Was passt besser zu dir? (in German)
- BAföG-Bedarfssatz: glossary entry (in German)
Sources: § 13 BAföG, requirement for students (German law text) (status: October 2026); Draft bill, 30th BAföG amendment, Bundestag printed paper 21/8405 (status: 7 October 2026); BMFTR, cabinet decision on the BAföG reform (German) (status: 12 August 2026).
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
