The standard rate for 2027 has not been set. Anyone wanting to know whether 2027 brings an increase or a freeze finds no figure in the official documents so far, but a bill that would change the calculation. This guide separates what is enacted, what is in the legislative process and what is only discussed.
The standard rate is the standard need under section 20 SGB II, which makes up the Grundsicherungsgeld for living costs. It is adjusted each year on 1 January. For 2027 the amount depends on a bill and on the adjustment that follows.
In short: The level of the standard rate from 1 January 2027 is open (last updated November 2026). The bill for the Budget Accompanying Act 2027 (Bundestag document 21/7860 of 7 September 2026) provides a single-stage adjustment using a mixed index of 70 percent price development and 30 percent net-wage development, but names no amounts.
Key points
- Enacted: standard-need level 1 is currently 563 euros. The research ministry BMFTR names this amount as the current Grundsicherung level.
- In the legislative process: the federal government bill for the Budget Accompanying Act 2027 (Bundestag document 21/7860, 7 September 2026) would reorganise the adjustment.
- The bill names no standard rates for 2027 and does not contain the word freeze.
- The rest of the act is to enter into force on 1 January 2027, the adjustment rule (Article 9) on the day after promulgation.
- Amounts follow only from the adjustment. Until then, figures in the media are forecasts.
How high is the standard rate today?
Standard-need level 1 for single adults is 563 euros a month. In connection with the BAföG reform the federal government names this amount as the current Grundsicherung level (BMFTR, August 2026). As the starting point the budget bill refers to the unrounded amounts from the basic adjustment under the Standard Need Level Adjustment Ordinance 2026 of 17 October 2025. The ordinance states the amounts for the other levels. A look back is in Freeze 2026 (in German).
What does the bill provide for 2027?
| Point | Content of the bill | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Document | Draft Budget Accompanying Act 2027, Bundestag document 21/7860, dated 7 September 2026 | bill |
| Method | Single-stage adjustment under section 28a(2) SGB XII with a mixed index: 70 percent prices, 30 percent net wages | in the legislative process |
| Starting values | Unrounded amounts from the basic adjustment under the 2026 ordinance of 17.10.2025 | in the legislative process |
| Entry into force | Article 9 on the day after promulgation, the rest of the act on 1 January 2027 | in the legislative process |
| Standard rate 2027 | no amounts in the bill | open |
The explanatory memorandum states that the two-stage adjustment since 2023 clearly overstated price development when inflation was falling. The return to a single stage is meant to correct that. Budget effects arise, according to the bill, only through the ordinance or the Standard Need Determination Act. For SGB II the bill expects lower spending of about 78 million euros a year, of which about 77 million at federal level. That is an estimate in the bill, not an amount for recipients.
Will there be an increase or a freeze in 2027?
That cannot be documented today. Media and information sites carry forecasts from a small increase to a third freeze. The bill itself takes no position. What matters is how prices and net wages have developed under the new method and how the adjustment then works out arithmetically. A reliable figure exists only once the adjustment is published.
Three states help with orientation: enacted is the legal position since 1 July 2026 described in Bürgergeld or the new Grundsicherung (in German). In the legislative process is the bill on the adjustment. Planned or discussed is everything beyond that in forecasts.
What does this mean for students and career starters?
For students whose programme is in principle eligible for BAföG the exclusion under section 7(5) SGB II applies. For them the standard rate matters mainly as a benchmark: under the bill, BAföG is to rise to 563 euros from the summer semester 2029, which corresponds to the current Grundsicherung level. The status is in BAföG reform 2027. For career starters the standard rate is the basis of the benefit claimed after training or studies. For young adults see the overview New Grundsicherung since July 2026 (in German).
How does a change work out arithmetically?
An illustration that is not a forecast (assumption: standard-need level 1 of 563 euros, hypothetical rates of change, last updated November 2026):
| Hypothetical change | Resulting amount | Difference from today |
|---|---|---|
| 0 percent (freeze) | 563.00 euros | 0.00 euros |
| 1 percent | 568.63 euros | 5.63 euros |
| 2 percent | 574.26 euros | 11.26 euros |
The examples show only the order of magnitude. Which rate the new method will produce is open. For planning, note that the adjustment concerns only the standard need. Housing and heating costs are recognised separately at actual cost, as far as reasonable. More in Housing costs under Grundsicherung (in German).
How did the adjustment work until now?
According to the bill the adjustment has been two-stage since 2023. The explanatory memorandum names as a consequence that price development was overstated when inflation fell. In future the adjustment is to be single-stage under section 28a(2) SGB XII on the basis of the nationwide average development. For the transition to 1 January 2027 the bill uses the unrounded amounts of the basic adjustment under the ordinance of 17 October 2025 as starting values. That avoids rounding effects but does not change the fact that the level is open.
Frequently asked questions
When will the 2027 standard rate be known?
The amount results from the adjustment on 1 January 2027. The bill names no exact publication date. Follow the legislative process for the Budget Accompanying Act 2027 and announcements from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
What is the mixed index?
It combines price development at 70 percent and net-wage development at 30 percent into one adjustment rate. That is what the bill provides for section 28a(2) SGB XII.
Will the standard rate fall?
The bill names no amounts and no rate of change. A statement on a reduction cannot be derived from it.
Does the standard rate affect BAföG?
The BAföG reform uses the Grundsicherung level as orientation for the planned rate of 563 euros. It is not enacted.
What to do now
- Plan 2027 with the current amount and do not count on media forecasts.
- Follow the legislative process for Bundestag document 21/7860 and announcements from the federal labour ministry.
- After publication, check your notice for the new amounts.
- Object to a faulty notice within the deadline.
- For financial planning questions see how we work (in German).
Related guides
- New Grundsicherung since July 2026: what young adults need to know (in German)
- Freeze 2026: what unchanged standard rates mean for recipients (in German)
- Bürgergeld or the new Grundsicherung: the differences (in German)
- BAföG reform 2027: what changes and when
Sources: Government bill Budget Accompanying Act 2027, Bundestag document 21/7860 (in German, 7 September 2026); BMFTR on the BAföG cabinet decision, reference to Grundsicherung level (in German, last updated August 2026).
Last updated: November 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
