Bürgergeld freeze? Yes. Asylum benefits rising? No — they actually fell.

Short answer: Bürgergeld stays flat in 2025. Asylum‑seeker cash benefits did not rise; for most newcomers they were cut on January 1, 2025. Here’s how the headline got it backwards — and the quiet legal twist that explains why.

The twist the headline missed

The most striking finding is the opposite of what was claimed: Asylbewerber‑Leistungen did not go up in 2025 — they went down for people in their first 36 months in Germany. The federal government says the “possession‑protection” rule that froze Bürgergeld does not apply to these asylum benefits, so the 2025 formula produced lower amounts and they were implemented. Sources and official rates here:

• Government explainer on the 2025 rules: https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/aktuelles/nullrunde-buergergeld-2309118?utm_source=openai
• Official 2025 AsylbLG rates (legal text): https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/asylblg_3aabs4bek_2025/BJNR1450A0024.html?utm_source=openai
• BMAS overview of AsylbLG benefit levels: https://www.bmas.de/DE/Soziales/Sozialhilfe/LeistungenAsylbewerberleistungsgesetz/leistungssaetze-asylbewerberleistungsgesetz.html?utm_source=openai

By contrast, Bürgergeld did not increase in 2025 — that part of the claim is correct. But it didn’t drop either, even though the calculation would have allowed it. Why? A legal stop sign called “Besitzschutz.”

What really happened, in plain language

Think of two traffic lights controlling benefit levels:

• Bürgergeld has a special “red light” that prevents cuts if the formula would push rates down. That’s the “Besitzschutz” rule in §28a SGB XII. Result: a freeze at 2024 levels — a “Nullrunde.”

  • Minister’s announcement (Sep 4, 2024): https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/innenpolitik/buergergeld-nullrunde-heil-102.html?utm_source=openai
  • Government explainer, legal basis and unchanged rates (e.g., 563 € for single adults): https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/aktuelles/buergergeld-2025-2248000?utm_source=openai

• Asylbewerberleistungen (under the Asylbewerberleistungsgesetz, AsylbLG) do not have that red light during the first 36 months. When the formula pointed down for 2025, the amounts were lowered accordingly.

There is one exception inside AsylbLG: after 36 months (“Analogleistungen”), amounts align more closely to social assistance levels. Those “analog” benefits saw a zero increase in 2025, similar to Bürgergeld — not a rise.

The numbers that matter

• Bürgergeld 2025 (example):

  • Single adult: 563 € per month — unchanged from 2024.
    Source: https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/aktuelles/buergergeld-2025-2248000?utm_source=openai

• AsylbLG 2025, first 36 months (example):

  • Single adult: 441 € total monthly amount from January 1, 2025 — lower than 2024.
    Sources:
  • Government explainer: https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/aktuelles/nullrunde-buergergeld-2309118?utm_source=openai
  • Official regulation text: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/asylblg_3aabs4bek_2025/BJNR1450A0024.html?utm_source=openai

How we verified this

• We checked the minister’s 2024 announcement and subsequent coverage: https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/innenpolitik/buergergeld-nullrunde-heil-102.html?utm_source=openai
• We read the federal government’s detailed explainer on the 2025 Bürgergeld freeze and the legal “Besitzschutz” mechanism (§28a SGB XII): https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/aktuelles/buergergeld-2025-2248000?utm_source=openai
• We reviewed the government note clarifying that “Besitzschutz” does not apply to AsylbLG in the first 36 months, which is why those amounts fell: https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/aktuelles/nullrunde-buergergeld-2309118?utm_source=openai
• We confirmed the AsylbLG 2025 euro amounts in the officially published rates and BMAS pages:
  • https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/asylblg_3aabs4bek_2025/BJNR1450A0024.html?utm_source=openai
  • https://www.bmas.de/DE/Soziales/Sozialhilfe/LeistungenAsylbewerberleistungsgesetz/leistungssaetze-asylbewerberleistungsgesetz.html?utm_source=openai

What about 2026?

• Verified: As of today (Aug 30, 2025), there is no final regulation for 2026.
• Likely but not decided: Officials have said another “Nullrunde” in 2026 is possible if inflation remains low — an expectation, not a formal decision.
  • Reporting on the minister’s comments: https://www.br.de/nachrichten/meldung/heil-haelt-nullrunde-beim-buergergeld-auch-2026-fuer-wahrscheinlich%2C3006f2a15?utm_source=openai
  • Economic analysis pointing to a likely freeze: https://www.iwkoeln.de/studien/stefanie-seele-erneute-nullrunde-bei-grundsicherung-wahrscheinlich.html?utm_source=openai

Verified facts vs. claims that need more checking

• Verified for 2025

  • Bürgergeld: no increase (Nullrunde), rates unchanged.
  • Asylbewerberleistungen (first 36 months): amounts decreased.
  • AsylbLG after 36 months (“Analogleistungen”): zero increase, not a rise.

• Needs more investigation

  • 2026 levels: not yet set in law. Any “Nullrunde” talk is a forecast, not a decision.

Why the confusion?

Two similar‑sounding systems moved in different directions because they follow different legal rules. The “possession‑protection” clause froze Bürgergeld instead of letting it fall. Without that clause in the AsylbLG’s first 36 months, the same 2025 calculation led to cuts there. A simple headline turned a legal nuance into a wrong impression.

Bottom line

• True: Bürgergeld did not increase in 2025.
• False: Asylum‑seeker benefits did not rise; for the first 36 months, they fell. After 36 months, they had a zero increase like Bürgergeld.

If you want, I can keep tracking the 2026 “Regelbedarfsstufen‑Verordnung” and update once the government publishes the final figures.