A large majority of Germans are against adult children having to take on a greater share of their parents’ care costs. A poll conducted by Forsa on behalf of “Stern” and RTL revealed that 73 percent of respondents oppose lowering the income threshold at which children are required to contribute to their parents’ care. Only 25 percent support stronger financial involvement, while two percent stated they did not know.
Currently, adult children must cover parents’ care costs if the care insurance benefits are insufficient and the parents’ assets have been depleted, provided the children earn more than 100,000 euros gross per year.
The rising costs for people needing care are putting pressure on the governing coalition, which has announced a care reform. On average, the out-of-pocket expense for a place in a nursing home in the first year is 3,245 euros per month-costs that often exceed the income of many retirees.
If monthly care costs are not covered by the insurance or the individual’s income, social aid typically steps in. In 2019, the previous governing coalition had introduced the “Dependents Relief Law,” which exempted adult children earning less than 100,000 euros gross per year from this financial obligation.
However, Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) is currently discussing with the government whether to lower this threshold. She has announced a reversal of this regulation, aiming to eliminate the limit to relieve pressure on local communities. The government is debating whether this line should be lowered, and coalition supporters of the CDU/CSU and SPD might lean towards encouraging participation from children with lower incomes. In contrast, supporters of the Greens and the AfD are strongly opposed to reducing the 100,000-euro limit.
Opposition politicians and social welfare associations criticize Warken’s plans, fearing an increase in poverty among the elderly and arguing instead for a fairer distribution of burdens. Although ministerial responsibilities are complex, Labor Minister Bärbel Bas (SPD) is responsible for the legislative changes to the law.
Forsa surveyed 1,004 Germans for this study on June 18 and 19, 2026.
