WBS calculator Berlin
Enter your household income and see straight away which WBS level applies to you — calculated from the income limits in § 9 Abs. 2 WoFG and the deductions in §§ 23, 24 WoFG.
✓Residence: met for EU, settlement and EU long-term permitsTemporary permit, Duldung, asylum procedure ▾
For most people yes, with no extra condition: EU, EEA and Swiss nationals, and anyone with a settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) or EU long-term residence, meet the requirement outright. Only a time-limited residence permit brings a condition — it must still have at least eleven months left to run. With a Duldung or a pending asylum procedure what counts instead is whether you have lived in Germany for at least twelve months, or foreseeably will have. Your nationality itself is irrelevant.
All household members combined, before tax. Excluding Kindergeld — that does not count as income.
Further allowancesDisability · young couple · lone parent · maintenance (§ 24 WoFG)
Guidance, not a decision. Only the Wohnungsamt (housing office) issues a WBS. It assesses the income expected over the next twelve months (§ 22 WoFG) and considers things this calculator does not cover — irregular income, or a child’s own earnings. Official information from the State of Berlin · Apply for a WBS
WBS 100 is enough — the apartment will still be gone in hours
24.1 % of new Berlin listings are taken after four hours, 50.1 % after 24 (our analysis of 3,740 listings). WohnAutopilot monitors eight housing providers around the clock and applies in your name in under five minutes — to exactly the apartments you qualify for.
Create your profile in 5 minutes →WBS income limits in Berlin at a glance
The annual income limits under § 9 Abs. 2 WoFG, by household size and WBS level. What is compared is not your gross income but your assessable income after the deductions in §§ 23 and 24 WoFG — exactly what the calculator above works out.
| Household | WBS 100 | WBS 140 | WBS 160 | WBS 180 | WBS 220 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | 12.000 € | 16.800 € | 19.200 € | 21.600 € | 26.400 € |
| 2 people | 18.000 € | 25.200 € | 28.800 € | 32.400 € | 39.600 € |
| 3 people | 22.100 € | 30.940 € | 35.360 € | 39.780 € | 48.620 € |
| 4 people | 26.200 € | 36.680 € | 41.920 € | 47.160 € | 57.640 € |
| 5 people | 30.300 € | 42.420 € | 48.480 € | 54.540 € | 66.660 € |
| 6 people | 34.400 € | 48.160 € | 55.040 € | 61.920 € | 75.680 € |
A child counts as a household member and raises the limit by a further 500 € (WBS 100) to 1,100 € (WBS 220). The calculator above accounts for this automatically.
Frequently asked questions about the WBS
Is this WBS calculator binding?+
No. Only the Wohnungsamt (housing office) issues a WBS. This calculator reproduces the statutory limits in § 9 Abs. 2 WoFG and the deductions in §§ 23, 24 WoFG to give you an orientation before you file an application.
What is the income limit for a WBS in Berlin?+
For a single-person household the limit is 12,000 € of assessable annual income (WBS 100) and 16,800 € for the WBS 140 that is standard in Berlin. For two people it is 18,000 € and 25,200 €; each further person raises the limit by 4,100 € (WBS 100). What counts is not your gross salary but your income after the deductions in §§ 23 and 24 WoFG — the full table is further up this page.
Which income counts?+
The gross annual income of everyone in the household — not just yours. The housing office uses the income expected over the twelve months from the date you apply (§ 22 WoFG), not last year’s income.
Why is 30 % deducted?+
Only if you pay all three mandatory contributions. § 23 WoFG allows 10 % each for income tax, for health and long-term care insurance, and for pension insurance — each only where the contribution is actually paid. If you do not pay all three, correspondingly less is deducted.
Does my WBS also cover apartments at another level?+
That depends on how the individual apartment is subsidised, and there is no blanket answer. Every apartment is assigned to a level, and the listing states which WBS is required. For older social housing there is also the „Berliner Einkommensgrenze“, which permits exceeding the 100 limit by up to 40 %. Only the housing office can tell you bindingly which levels your certificate covers.
What is „besonderer Wohnbedarf“ (special housing need)?+
An addition to the WBS for households in particular circumstances — homelessness, disability, or after domestic violence, for example. It is assessed separately and is not part of this calculation. Apartments carrying this note are reserved exclusively for those households.