Procedure descriptions

Apply for one-off payments under Section 31 of SGB XII

If you receive income support or basic income support for older people and those with reduced earning capacity, you may be eligible for benefits to cover certain one-off needs.
Even if you do not receive the above-mentioned benefit because you are able to meet your day-to-day needs through your own efforts and resources, but your resources are insufficient to cover one-off needs, you may still be entitled to benefits for one-off needs under certain conditions.

One-off needs include:

  • Initial furnishings for your home, including household appliances, for example
    • when moving into your own home for the first time,
    • following a house fire,
    • when renting a property for the first time after serving a long prison sentence,
    • moving out of shared accommodation,
    • when leaving a women’s or men’s shelter, or
    • following a separation and the division of household goods
  • Initial provision of clothing, for example
    • following a house fire or flooding
    • in the event of pregnancy and childbirth, including
      • a starter pack as well as
      • maternity wear
    • in the event of total loss or new requirements arising from exceptional circumstances. This also includes significant weight loss.
  • Purchase and repair of orthopaedic shoes
  • Repair of therapeutic devices and equipment, as well as
  • the hire of therapeutic devices.

If you do not live alone, the social security office will take into account the total income of all members of your household – for example, a spouse with whom you live – when determining your entitlement to benefits. This includes, for example:

  • Income from employment
  • Maintenance payments
  • Pension income

Certain assets are regarded as exempt assets that are not taken into account, for example:

  • so-called ‘small cash sums’, current accounts, savings books, building society savings schemes, cash, etc.
    • per adult: EUR 10,000,
    • per child: EUR 500 or
  • a reasonably sized property occupied by the owner.

Responsible authority

The social security office

The social services department is,

  • if you live in an urban district: the city council
  • if you live in a rural district: the district administration

Note: In some cases, rural districts have delegated responsibility to larger towns within their district. If you live in a rural district, the district office or the local council in your place of residence can tell you which authority is responsible.

Landratsamt Ortenaukreis

Details

Prerequisite

  • You are in need of assistance, meaning you are unable to meet your one-off needs entirely from your own resources and efforts.
  • You have reached the age limit for the standard old-age pension or are over 18 years of age and unable to work because you are temporarily or permanently fully incapacitated for work:
    • You are temporarily fully incapacitated for work if, for the foreseeable future – that is, for more than 6 months – you are unable to work regularly for at least 3 hours a day under the usual conditions of the general labour market.
  • You are under 15 years of age and live
    • with people who themselves receive social assistance, for example with your parents,
    • in a household with your grandparents or in the care of relatives, without receiving financial support from youth welfare services.
  • You are not a student or an apprentice.
  • You do not receive:
    • basic income support (basic income support for jobseekers under Book II of the Social Code (SGB II)) or
    • benefits under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act.

Procedure

The processing time depends on the individual case. The relevant social services department will process your application as quickly as possible. You can help to speed up the process by submitting all the necessary documents to the social services department in full and without delay.

Deadlines

None

Required documents

  • A valid identity card or passport; proof of residence, if applicable
  • Evidence of a temporary or permanent total incapacity for work
  • Proof of income, for example:
    • pension,
    • sick pay,
    • child benefit,
    • maintenance payments or
    • advance maintenance payments
  • Proof of assets, for example
    • bank statements and
    • savings balances
  • Tenancy agreement and the most recent rent increase notice
  • Evidence of expenditure, for example documents relating to insurance premiums
  • Proof of the amount of health and long-term care insurance contributions
  • The scope of the required documents, particularly regarding proof of income and assets, depends on the individual case. Your local social security office may require further documents from you.

Costs

none

Processing time

  • The processing time depends on the individual case. The relevant social services department will process your application as quickly as possible. You can help to speed up the process by submitting all the necessary documents to the social services department in full and without delay.

Miscellaneous

none

Legal basis

Sozialgesetzbuch (SGB) Zwölftes Buch (XII) - Sozialhilfe:

  • § 31 Einmalige Bedarfe
  • § 42 Bedarfe
  • § 82 Begriff des Einkommens

Verordnung zur Durchführung des § 82 des Zwölften Buches Sozialgesetzbuch

Verordnung zur Durchführung des § 90 Abs. 2 Nr.9 des Zwölften Buches Sozialgesetzbuch

Release note

Machine generated, based on the German release by: Sozialministerium Baden-Württemberg, 19.10.2026