The outgoing federal government and the Federal Council have decided: from January Hartz IV recipients will receive more money. But not enough, say critics.
Those who live on Hartz IV will receive three euros more per month from next year. This means that the standard rate for single adults will rise to 449 euros per month from 2022.
The Federal Council passed a corresponding cabinet ordinance on Friday. Overall, recipients of unemployment benefit II, social assistance and basic security in old age and in the case of reduced earning capacity receive 0.76 percent more money. Social organizations and the left criticize the increase as too low.
The Federal Statistical Office calculates the standard needs annually on the basis of price developments and the development of net wages. The recently significantly increased consumer prices – in September the price increase was 4.1 percent compared to the same month last year – have not yet been included in the calculation of the new rates. They would only be taken into account for 2023, said a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Partners and spouses will receive 404 euros in the future. For children between 14 and 17 years of age there are 376 euros in the new year, also 3 euros more than before. The rate increases by 2 euros for 6 to 13 year olds and 0 to 5 year olds (311 and 285 euros). For 18- to 24-year-olds at home and adults in institutions, the rate rises from 357 to 360 euros. The additional costs are estimated at 190 million euros in the coming year.
Social associations demanded compensation for inflation
Social associations demanded an adjustment for inflation when setting the new standard rates. «Price increases always have to be at least compensated for in a timely manner. We must act immediately to stop the hidden cuts among the poorest in our society, ”wrote 15 associations in a joint appeal to Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD). The request was signed by the Paritätische Gesamtverband, the Sozialverband VdK and the Diakonie Deutschland.
The German Children’s Fund called for a complete recalculation of the standard needs. Federal Managing Director Holger Hofmann said that the child poverty rate could not be reduced in Germany with a “meager increase in the standard rate”. According to him, standard rates should be “raised to a level that makes real social participation possible”.
The left criticized the adjustment as far too small. The new standard requirements meant a real loss of purchasing power, said the left-wing politician Katja Kipping to the editorial network Germany (RND) on Friday. Because: for the adjustment of the standard requirement, the period from July 2020 to June 2021, which is characterized by a reduced VAT, was used as the basis for calculation. According to Kipping, this leads to a “distortion” because prices have long since risen.
Lehmann: Hartz IV sentences topic for coalition negotiations
The legally prescribed method does not offer any scope for decision-making, said the spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs. The Federal Constitutional Court judged the legal basis as constitutional. The future federal government would have to decide on changes to the system of basic security or to the update, said the spokeswoman. With the annual adjustments, the government wants to secure a decent subsistence level.
In the opinion of the Green politician Sven Lehmann, increases in Hartz IV rates should be made an issue in the coalition negotiations. The eco party demands a noticeable increase in the standard rates. “If the current government lacks the will and strength, then the next coalition must make a binding agreement,” said the social expert to the RND on Friday. The FDP demanded an increase in the additional earnings limits. “The discussion about higher Hartz IV rates would be superfluous for most people if people in Hartz IV were allowed to keep more of the money they earned themselves,” said the socio-political spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group, Pascal Kober.
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