The big citizen's income debate: Berlin fears additional costs because of the Ukrainians

The Berlin Senate is critical of proposals to grant Ukrainians only benefits under the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act instead of citizen's allowance, resulting in approximately €120 less per month. The reason is that this would not only harm the approximately 77,000 Ukrainians in Berlin, but would also result in additional costs for the state of Berlin.

Following the Senate meeting on Tuesday, Berlin's Finance Senator Stefan Evers (CDU) said, "It's urgently worth considering a reform, including of the citizen's income." This would require a comprehensive solution that addresses as many social costs as possible. However, if it were simply a matter of treating Ukrainians like asylum seekers, that would be complicated, Evers said.

The background is that the federal government would then no longer have to assume state support, but rather the federal states. "Then we need to talk," said Berlin's master of numbers, who just pushed a draft budget with record debt through the Senate. Evers' draft, which has been widely criticized and envisages a debt level of €75.8 billion for 2027, is now before the Berlin House of Representatives. By comparison, at the end of last year, Berlin had €66.75 billion in debt.

Other representatives of state governments—and even those from Evers' own party or its sister party—apparently have no problem with the looming rising costs. The debate was initiated by Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder. The CSU politician had called for Ukrainian refugees in Germany to no longer be granted citizen's allowance, but only benefits similar to those granted to asylum seekers. These are lower and are often provided in kind or via payment card.

Saxony's Minister-President Michael Kretschmer (CDU) also supports changes to the citizen's income – including for Ukrainians. The rules must be changed for "our own people, for the Germans, as well as for those who have come to us," so that hard work is rewarded, the CDU politician said on Monday on the ZDF Morning Magazine. Germany spends €47 billion on citizen's income. "I think everyone can see that this can't be right. This number has to go down."

One must ask what the state is spending the money on, Kretschmer said. There are many examples of people who receive money but don't actually need it. "And of course, this applies especially to those seeking protection."

In May 2025, the employment rate of people from Ukraine was 34.9 percent. This rate is higher in countries such as France, the Netherlands, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Currently, the roughly 700,000 Ukrainian beneficiaries nationwide generate costs of €6.3 billion annually.

So far, the federal coalition government has agreed that all Ukrainians who came to Germany after April 1, 2025, will be treated as asylum seekers. Specifically, this means that Ukrainians would receive €122 less per month. Single people currently receive a standard monthly allowance of €563, while asylum benefits for one person amount to €441.