What is the cost-sharing standard like?
Do you share your home with others? If so, this may affect the amount of your welfare benefit.
What is the cost-sharing standard?
Do you live with other people age 27 or older? If so, this may affect your social assistance benefit. The more persons over the age of 27 living in a house, the lower the benefit per person will be. The reason for this is that if you live with more adults in a house, you can share the costs of, for example, fixed expenses together.
Who does the cost-sharing standard apply to?
The cost-sharing standard applies to adults who share a home together. This is called a multi-person household. This can be, for example, a family with two parents and a number of live-in children over the age of 27, a (grand)parent or live-in niece. Roommates who are not related to you also count. It does not matter why you share a home: the cost-sharing standard applies to all multiple-person households.
When it comes to whether you are entitled to benefits, the income and assets of only you and your partner count. The income and assets of other household members do not. When it comes to the amount of your benefit, the number of roommates does count. There are some exceptions.
These adults do not count toward the cost-sharing standard:
- Youth up to 27 years of age
- Students receiving student loans
- Apprentices studying through the vocational training pathway (BBL)
- Co-residents aged 27 and older who are in education (Wtos)
- Room renters and boarders who are not relatives and pay for the room and/or board and lodging
How does the cost-sharing standard work?
The more persons aged 27+ living together, the lower the benefit is per person. The table below shows the summary. 100% represents the amount that two partners receive together.
| Household | Assistance standard per person | Total assistance standard if all persons receive assistance |
|---|---|---|
| Single household | 70% | 70% |
| Two-person household | 50% | 100% |
| Three-person household | 43 1/3 % | 130% |
| Four-person household | 40% | 160% |
| Five-person household | 38% | 190% |
This means that, for example, in a household with four people aged 27+, each person entitled to welfare benefits will receive benefits of up to 40% of the married person standard. Although the table above stops at five persons, the cost-sharing standard also applies to households with even more persons.
More information?
Do you have questions about the cost-sharing standard? Are you unsure if you are covered by it? Or is someone 21+ moving in or out? Please contact your income director or call 14 079.