Applying for a care level (Pflegegrad): how it works

You apply for a care level (Pflegegrad) at the Pflegekasse (care insurance fund) of your health insurer, informally by letter or phone. The Medical Service (Medizinischer Dienst) then assesses; the fund decides at the latest 25 working days after receipt. From care level 2 there is a care allowance of 347 euros a month. Benefits start at the earliest from the month of application.

Care level: the essentials

Responsible office
care fund at your health insurer; privately insured: their insurance companyAs of: 26.10.2026 · BMG
Form of application
informal, also by phone; relatives with power of attorneyAs of: 26.10.2026 · BMG
Deadline
decision at the latest 25 working days after receipt (§ 18c SGB XI)As of: 26.10.2026 · § 18c SGB XI
Start
benefits at the earliest from the month of application (§ 33 SGB XI)As of: 26.10.2026 · § 33 SGB XI
All details (5)
Assessment
Medical Service, as a home visit or phone interview
Processing time
need for help expected for at least six months (§ 14 SGB XI)
Delay payment
€70 per week started if the care fund misses the deadline and is responsible for it
Objection
one month after notification of the decision (§ 84 SGG)
Behördenfix fixed price
€27.95 for the preparation; you sign, we send

Care levels 1 to 5: points and money

Care level 112.5 to under 27 points · no care allowance, no in-kind care benefit
Care level 227 to under 47.5 points · care allowance €347 · in-kind benefit up to €796
Care level 347.5 to under 70 points · care allowance €599 · in-kind benefit up to €1,497
More rows (2)
Care level 470 to under 90 points · care allowance €800 · in-kind benefit up to €1,859
Care level 590 to 100 points · care allowance €990 · in-kind benefit up to €2,299

Per calendar month, §§ 15, 36, 37 SGB XI, as of 26.10.2026. Care allowance is paid instead of the in-kind benefit or partly alongside it (§ 38).

How we make the application with you

  1. 1Give your detailsCare fund, insurance number, contact person.
  2. 2Pay the fixed price27.95 euros, no care fund fee.
  3. 3Sign the applicationYou or your authorised person.
  4. 4We send itBy post, email or fax to the care fund.

Applying for a care level yourself

The way without us, step by step

You can apply for a care level without us, directly at the care fund. The Federal Ministry of Health and the Medical Service describe it like this:

  • Call the care fund or write briefly that you want benefits from the long-term care insurance. Any written or phone message with this wish counts as an application.
  • The care fund is part of your health insurer. Privately insured people contact their insurance company; there Medicproof does the assessment.
  • Relatives, neighbours or acquaintances can apply for another person if they are authorised to do so.
  • After the application the care fund offers care counselling, which should take place within two weeks, at home if you wish.
  • Costs compared: the application at the care fund costs nothing. With us you pay 27.95 euros for preparing the application with your details and sending it to the care fund.
  • We are not an authority and not a care counselling service. Only the care fund decides on the care level, based on the assessment.

Open the official page

What you need

  • Name of the care fund and insurance number.
  • Address of the person in need of care.
More documents (2)
  • If you apply for someone else: a power of attorney.
  • A contact person for the assessment appointment.

Good to know: the care fund's deadlines

The law sets the care fund fixed deadlines for the process after the application. Forms and letters from the care fund then come directly to your address.

All details (2)

The care fund must pass the assessment order to the Medical Service within three working days of receipt (§ 18 (1) SGB XI). If no assessment has taken place 20 working days after the application, it sends you a list of at least three independent assessors to choose from (§ 18 (3)), provided it is responsible for the delay.

It must send the written decision at the latest 25 working days after receipt, together with the assessment unless you object (§ 18c). If it misses the deadline and is responsible for it, it pays you 70 euros for each week started. If you have just left hospital or rehab, the Medical Service can, by its own account, first assess on the basis of the files and make the home visit after discharge.

When does our help make sense?

You do not need it if you can simply call the care fund. A phone call or a short letter counts as an application, and it costs nothing.

It can help if you prefer to apply in writing with all details, if you apply for a relative in another city, or if German letters are hard to understand for you. The same goes for an application for a higher care level. We prepare the application, you or your authorised person sign it, and we send it to the care fund.

What we do not do: we do not estimate a care level, promise no higher level, do not prepare you for the assessment, give no medical advice and do not lodge objections.

Questions about the care level

What are the requirements for a care level?

The person needs help from others due to health impairments, expected for at least six months (§ 14 SGB XI). Care level 1 requires at least 12.5 of 100 points (§ 15). In addition, the person must have been insured in long-term care insurance for at least two years in the last ten years before the application (§ 33 (2)).

How long does it take to get a care level?

The care fund must tell you its decision in writing at the latest 25 working days after receiving the application (§ 18c SGB XI). It passes the order to the Medical Service within three working days. If it misses the 25 working days and is responsible, it pays 70 euros for each week of delay started.

How much money is there with care level 2 and 3?

The care allowance per calendar month is 347 euros with care level 2 and 599 euros with care level 3 (§ 37 SGB XI). If a care service comes, there are in-kind benefits of up to 796 or 1,497 euros instead (§ 36). Both can be combined; the care allowance then falls proportionally (§ 38). There is no care allowance with care level 1. As of 26 October 2026.

How do I object to the care level decision?

The objection must be lodged within one month of notification of the decision, in writing or on record at the care fund that decided (§ 84 of the Social Courts Act). If the decision is notified abroad, the period is three months. Lodging an objection for you is not part of our service: we do not offer it.

How do I apply for a higher care level?

If the need for care has increased, apply to the care fund for a higher level (Höherstufung). According to the Medical Service this application is needed for a new assessment; the process is the same as for the first application. We also prepare this application for 27.95 euros; you or your authorised person sign, we send it. The care fund decides whether the care level rises.

Do I need a form for the care level application?

No. According to the Medical Service any written or phone message to the care fund asking for care benefits counts as an application. The date of the application determines when benefits start: if you apply in a later month than the one in which the need for care arises, benefits start from the beginning of the month of application (§ 33 SGB XI).

Official sources

Sources (8)

Reviewed by M. Gabal on 27.10.2026

Provided by Behördenfix (M. Gabal). Behördenfix prepares the informal application or the application for a higher care level with your details; you or your authorised person sign, and we send it to the care fund. We do not estimate a care level, give no medical advice and do not lodge objections. We are not an authority, give no legal advice and do not assess your individual case.

Related services (5)
What we do and what we don't
  • We fill in applications based on your details, file them and follow them up.
  • We give no legal or tax advice and do not assess chances of success.
  • We are a private service, not a public authority.
Have your care level application prepared· 27.95 €