Benefits

Guide to Benefits for People with Severe Disabilities

The following table summarizes the key benefits ("Nachteilsausgleiche") you are entitled to based on your degree of disability (GdB) and specific "Merkzeichen" (special marks) in your severely disabled person's ID.

1. Work and Leave (Arbeitsleben)

Benefit	Conditions / Merkzeichen	What it provides
Protection from Dismissal	GdB ≥ 50	You can only be dismissed with the approval of the Integration Office (Integrationsamt). This creates a significant barrier for the employer.
Additional Leave	GdB ≥ 50	5 additional paid days of vacation per year (based on a 5-day work week). If you work fewer days, the leave is calculated proportionally.
Workplace Adaptation	GdB ≥ 50	The employer is obliged to design the workplace according to your limitations (ergonomics, special equipment, etc.).

2. Taxes (Steuern)
There are two main tax benefits: the "Behinderten-Pauschbetrag" (flat-rate allowance) for everyone and the "Fahrtkostenpauschale" (travel cost allowance) for those with specific Merkzeichen.
Behinderten-Pauschbetrag (reduces your taxable income):

GdB	Pauschbetrag 2026
20	384 €
30	620 €
40	860 €
50	1,140 €
60	1,440 €
70	1,780 €
80	2,120 €
90	2,460 €
100	2,840 €
Merkzeichen H, Bl, TBl	7,400 €

Fahrtkostenpauschale – an additional allowance for travel expenses (e.g., to doctors, therapy):

Condition	Pauschale 2026
Merkzeichen aG, H, Bl, TBl	Up to 4,500 €
Merkzeichen G (GdB ≥ 70)	900 €

3. Mobility, Transport, and Parking (Mobilität)
This is the most complex but also the most valuable category. Often, you must choose between benefits for a car (tax/parking) and free public transport.

Car Tax (Kfz-Steuer):

Merkzeichen / Condition	Benefit
H, Bl	100% exemption from car tax
G, Gl, aG (if you waive free travel)	50% reduction

Public Transport (ÖPNV) – you need a Wertmarke (value stamp) which is inserted into your ID:

Merkzeichen	Cost of Wertmarke	What it provides
H, Bl, TBl	Free	Free travel throughout Germany
G, aG, Gl	104 €/year or 53 €/6 months	Free travel (when you purchase the stamp)

⚠️ Crucial Choice: If you buy the Wertmarke for free travel, you lose the right to the 50% car tax reduction and vice versa. The exception is Merkzeichen H and Bl, where you can claim both.

Parking:

Merkzeichen	What you can do
aG, H, Bl	Blue EU parking permit. Allows parking in disabled spaces and free parking in paid zones.
G (in special cases, GdB ≥ 80 on legs/lungs)	Orange parking concessions (benefits, but not in special disabled spaces).

4. Early Retirement (Rente)

Benefit	Conditions
Altersrente für schwerbehinderte Menschen	GdB ≥ 50 + 35 insurance years. Allows early retirement (but possibly with deductions).

5. Radio/Television Fee (Rundfunkbeitrag)

Merkzeichen / Condition	Benefit
RF	Reduced fee: you pay only 1/3 of the standard fee, which is €5.83 per month in 2026.
Taubblind (TBl) or recipients of social benefits (Bürgergeld, Grundsicherung)	Full exemption from the fee.

Important: Exemptions and reductions are not automatic. You must apply for them with the Beitragsservice.

6. Daily Life (Alltag)

Benefit	Merkzeichen	What it provides
Free entry / discounts	B (or any with GdB ≥ 50)	Many museums, swimming pools, cinemas, etc., offer reduced or free entry for disabled people and their companions.
Euroschlüssel	aG, H, Bl, Gl, G (GdB ≥ 70)	A key for free access to disabled toilets across Europe.
Accompanying person	B	The companion can travel for free on public transport. Free entry to museums/cinemas is also often included.
State Blind Allowance	Bl	In some federal states, there are additional monthly payments (Landesblindengeld).

Explanation of Merkzeichen

G — erhebliche Gehbehinderung (significantly limited mobility)
aG — außergewöhnliche Gehbehinderung (exceptionally limited mobility)
H — hilflos (in need of constant assistance)
Bl — blind
Gl — gehörlos (deaf)
TBl — taubblind (deafblind)
RF — Rundfunkbeitrag (reduced TV/radio fee)
B — Begleitperson (needs an accompanying person)

How to obtain a Schwerbehindertenausweis