Social systems: Next zero round in the citizens’ allowance – Merz insists on reforms

In the case of citizens’ allowance, recipients will also have to be on a freezing round next year. This follows from the statutory adaptation mechanism, as the Federal Ministry of Labor announced on request. Department boss Bärbel BAS (SPD) also plans harder sanctions, for example, with failures. Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) again made clear announcements for drastic social reforms – and thus strained fresh black and red agreements for more in common in the coalition.

As in 2025, the regulatory rates for citizenship money should not be increased. “The legally defined continuation mechanism leads to no change in the standard requirements heights on January 1, 2026,” said a spokesman for the ministry. First the “Bild” newspaper reported about it. The control rates should remain at 563 euros a month for single people, for children between 357 and 471 euros. The project still has to go to the cabinet.

Legal mechanism in the standard rate

The next zero round in the civil allowance that is supposed to secure the subsistence level was expected. The background is a procedure that calculates annually whether the sentences must be adjusted – depending on the development of certain net wages and prices. To compensate for the high inflation, sentences 2023 and 2024 had been significantly increased, in 2025 a zero round came. Union and SPD have agreed on changes to the mechanism in the coalition agreement.

Union Group Managing Director Steffen Bilger (CDU) called the plans for 2026 a real signal. “This shows that the citizens’ allowance not always have to continue to increase,” he told the “Rheinische Post”. Left boss Jan van Aken, on the other hand, criticized: “Bärbel BAS makes himself the executor of a black politics that Knausert and the super-rich in the poorest.” The chief managing director of the parity overall association, Joachim Rock, said “Stuttgarter Zeitung” and “Stuttgarter Nachrichten”, the second zero round in a row means “more hardship and growing exclusion”.

Stricter guidelines planned

Bas also announced regulations to achieve “more train in care”. If you cannot get appointments for no reason, it will be deleted significantly more, she told the “Bild” newspaper. “We help on the way to work, but you have to participate. Everything else is unfair to those who get up every morning.” Overall, it is about more advice, closer care and more commitment. Citizens’ allowance control services receive around 5.5 million people. The payments were 47 billion euros in 2024.

The coalition is aiming for several laws for reforms of social systems in autumn. The Chancellor made it clear on Saturday at a CDU state party conference in Bonn: “That will mean painful decisions. That will mean incisions.” The aim is that health, care and pension insurance-“the great achievements of our welfare state”-will continue to be efficient and not overwhelmed in the future. “As it is now, especially in the so -called citizens’ allowance, it cannot stay and will not stay.”

Chancellor: “Life for years over our conditions”

Merz confirmed his analysis that the system that you have today could no longer be afforded with what was generated. “We have been living over our conditions for years.” Politicians are responsible for this. Change that is “a tedious way”. However, he was “determined to go this way and to get this coalition to really renew the country.”

The tops of the Union and SPD parliamentary groups had decided on a plan with projects at an exam in Würzburg, which are to be implemented after the summer break. However, more coordination and exchange were also agreed to leave the recent disputes and breakdowns behind as in the failed election of the constitution. SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch had also said that this should now also be fully recorded.

A warning to the “Spirit of Würzburg”

The Chancellor did not mention this “spirit of Würzburg” in his speech the following day – and received criticism. “Merz ‘violent attacks against our welfare state do not match the factual discussions of the coalition factions in Würzburg,” warned the parliamentary managing director of the SPD parliamentary group, Johannes Fechner, in the “Tagesspiegel”. There were assured not to look for the fast headline, but to advise with each other factually. “It would be good, the Chancellor would also take this agreement to heart.”

This Monday, a commission used by the government to reform the welfare state is also working on the work. It should make suggestions by the end of the year. The Social Association of Germany accused Merz of distortions. He gives “the appearance that the welfare state would ruin us financially,” said leader Michaela Engelmeier of the dpa. “This is not only objectively wrong, but socially dangerous.” The total metal employers’ association called reforms overdue in view of the long economic crisis. Almost every third euro of the gross domestic product now flows into social spending.